Repairing broken pottery with Kintsugi

by yuvaporn t October 12, 2020

Have you ever heard of the word “Kintsugi”? This term refers to the Japanese method of repairing cracked crockery with lacquer varnish. The highlight of Kintsugi is the use of gold powder to cover the cracks and turn them into beautiful spots.

The reason for using lacquer varnish is because lacquer varnish is durable and safe to use in food. Repairing with the Kinsugi technique is not as difficult as you thought.

Step 1: Apply lacquer varnish on the crack. > This is the first step of dressing it starting with applying lacquer varnish on the area that needs to be repaired and leave it for 1 night to harden
Step 2: Repair the broken part with Kokuso. > Grind the rice grains with wood until it becomes sticky. Then mix the lacquer varnish in equal proportions. Mix the cotton wool and sawdust together and mold it out to be about the size of the earlobe, you then will get "Kokuso" to use it to fill the chipped part of the dish with a bamboo. Then use your hands to shape it and let it dry for about 1 week.
Step 3: Attach lacquer varnish (Sabiurushi) and polish it. > This step is done to make the repaired part strong and beautiful. The lacquer varnish is applied to the small details. The method is to mix the powdered chalk with water until it becomes sticky. Mix the lacquer varnish in the ratio of 1 to 5 . Incorporate it well to get Sabiurushi lacquer varnish to coat the crack. Then let it dried completely. This takes about 5 days. Then polish it with a stone and then dry it again for 1 night
Step 4: Cover and polish. > Apply lacquer varnish to smooth and prevent water from seeping into the repair site by using red-brown lacquer varnish (Bengaraurushi) to apply over the repaired area and let it dry for 3-4 days, then gently polish the repaired part in the water with polished stone until smooth. Wipe dry with a cloth and leave it for 1 night to dry completely
Step 5: Gilding > Reapply red-brown lacquer varnish again and apply gold powder smoothly by applying it slowly and finely and leave it for about 30 minutes in order to make the gold powder easy to apply. Then use a cotton ball to touch the gold powder and gently pat on the lacquer varnish area. Once done, let it dried for about 3-4 days. Soak the cotton bud in water to wipe off any gold dust.
Step 6: Gold powder embedding and polishing. > Apply lacquer varnish over the gold powder and wipe it off immediately with tissue paper by using your finger to press over ,wipe, and keep changing the position. After wiping out all the lacquer and leaving it to dry again for 1 night, bring a marble stone to polish the part that has been applied with gold powder to maintain its shape. The repair is completed.