[Clayart] Kintsugi

[Vince Pitelka]

Hi Am - 
As I understand it, lacquer is the binder and filler in the traditional kintsugi technique.  In some cases the powdered gold was mixed into the lacquer. That was the expensive way to go because it took a lot of powdered gold.  The other method was to repair the crack with lacquer, adhere a dusting of gold powder to the surface, and then burnish the surface with a smooth, hard tool to bring out the shine.  I do not recall the source of this information and I hope it is correct.  If it is, then the modern technique described is authentic except in this case the repairs are done with epoxy rather than lacquer. 
- Vince  

Vince Pitelka
Retired Faculty, Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Tech University
Now residing Chapel Hill, NC 27516
vpitelka at dtccom.net  
sites.tntech.edu/wpitelka/

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:clayart-bounces at lists.clayartworld.com] On Behalf Of Am Griswold
Sent: Tuesday, June 5, 2018 5:16 PM
To: clayart at lists.clayartworld.com
Subject: Re: [Clayart] Kintsugi

What is the authentic or historic kintsugi technique if not to glue, then apply a lacquer, then gold dust? I’ve read that’s how it was traditionally done, and that’s what they show in the video, so what am I missing? 

Peace, Am
❤️

> On Jun 5, 2018, at 9:00 AM, clayart-request at lists.clayartworld.com wrote:
> 
> In reading the information on the website it is clear that their repairs are not actually done using the historic Kintsugi technique. Cashing in on the Japanese ceramic mystique is obviously profitable and good marketing but what they are doing should really be called " Kintsugi Imitation  Technique"
> 
> Paul