# Another Urushi



## chriselle (Mar 5, 2009)

Hey Folks,  I know you must be getting tired of all my babbling on about urushi  but this one came out quite nice and just thought I'd share.  It's the same color pattern as the last one but I changed the shape a bit and made it a FP.  The base is hard maple and then 4 different colors of urushi applied over 12 layers.  I finished it with magnolia sumi and micro mesh/olive oil which seems to work just as well as powdered deer horn.  It's a challenge but I'm slowly getting there.  Tell me what you think.  

Cheers,  Chris


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## rjwolfe3 (Mar 5, 2009)

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## cinder_ladylocket (Mar 5, 2009)

Ok   double wow....nothing I would ever be able to accomplish, but KUDOS to you! Very nice colors...


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## thewishman (Mar 5, 2009)

Nice work, Chris. That looks very elegant. The urushi is so different and exotic here, is it more common in Japan?

Does it write in English?:wink:


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## VisExp (Mar 5, 2009)

Beautiful pen Chris but your handwriting is really bad, totally illegible :biggrin:


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## jackrichington (Mar 5, 2009)

lovely& streamline


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## GouletPens (Mar 5, 2009)

Not too shabby Chris....it looks like you're starting to really get it down. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the black fading to red....I did my own pen with that same type of color effect (though it doesn't look nearly as good as that!!). You should write up a tutorial on urushi!!:hammer:


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## USAFVET98 (Mar 5, 2009)

chriselle said:


> Hey Folks, I know you must be getting tired of all my babbling on about urushi  but this one came out quite nice and just thought I'd share. It's the same color pattern as the last one but I changed the shape a bit and made it a FP. The base is hard maple and then 4 different colors of urushi applied over 12 layers. I finished it with magnolia sumi and micro mesh/olive oil which seems to work just as well as powdered deer horn. It's a challenge but I'm slowly getting there. Tell me what you think.
> 
> Cheers, Chris


 
Beautiful! I think this is my favorite pen.
Great job..


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## garypeck (Mar 5, 2009)

i was wondeirng if this pen writes English as well.........


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## cnirenberg (Mar 5, 2009)

Chris,
I love this one.  Awesome job.  I agree with Brian on the tutorial.


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## MDWine (Mar 5, 2009)

Absolutely beautiful... Stunning in fact.


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## Jim15 (Mar 5, 2009)

That is one fine, fine pen.


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## workinforwood (Mar 5, 2009)

Awesome!  my wife wants one:wink:.  Seriously though...the colors are really sweet.  It reminds me of some of the paint jobs people put on there cars that change color depending which angle you view it.  Very cool.   I wish there was a tutorial too.  I'd love to know about how you work those colors together and what the colors come from, materials used, etc.

Keep coming with the Urishi for at least another year too, because I'm working on my birthday bash Urishi USA backwoods How-to seminar.:biggrin:


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## jyreene (Mar 5, 2009)

Now you're just showing off! :wink:


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## davinci27 (Mar 5, 2009)

jyreene said:


> Now you're just showing off! :wink:



I agree, I'm just glad he's showing it here.  I read a little about this finish after you last pen.  It sounds time consuming and more than a bit uncomfortable.  I imagine it would be like finishing a pen with poison ivy sap.  Are you allergic?  I've read some people do not have a allergy.


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## Mather323 (Mar 5, 2009)

Amazing pen and pictures!


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## Mather323 (Mar 5, 2009)

I need to change my last post to,---I think that your work should NOT be posted her, there needs to be a thread called show off your amazingly awsome pens!


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## YORKGUM (Mar 5, 2009)

garypeck said:


> i was wondeirng if this pen writes English as well.........



Oh. I thought it was math.


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## papaturner (Mar 5, 2009)

WOW! That`s a beautiful pen.


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## chriselle (Mar 5, 2009)

Thank you for looking and many thanks for the kind words.  Let's see if I can answer some of your questions.



thewishman said:


> Nice work, Chris. That looks very elegant. The urushi is so different and exotic here, is it more common in Japan?
> Does it write in English?:wink:



Urushi has been around for 10,000 years in Japan but China and south east asia have their own unique forms of the art.  There are 4 major centers of urushi craft in Japan and each are distinctly different.  I tend to follow the Wajima "style" which is noted by it's higher gloss finish and is probably the most recognized and argueably the most expensive.  Thus, real urushi-ware has become like expensive china tableware you only use on very special occasions..if ever at all.

  Only broken English..:biggrin:



VisExp said:


> Beautiful pen Chris but your handwriting is really bad, totally illegible :biggrin:



That ain't mine..You'll have to take that up with my wife.  Good luck with that!:wink:



GouletPens said:


> Not too shabby Chris....it looks like you're starting to really get it down. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the black fading to red....I did my own pen with that same type of color effect (though it doesn't look nearly as good as that!!). You should write up a tutorial on urushi!!:hammer:



Ya, it's coming along.  Actually, the next few I do are going to be red with maybe a fade to black.  Nice looking fade you made BTW!  Maybe I'll try to break out the camera next time.



workinforwood said:


> Awesome!  my wife wants one:wink:.  Seriously though...the colors are really sweet.  It reminds me of some of the paint jobs people put on there cars that change color depending which angle you view it.  Very cool.   I wish there was a tutorial too.  I'd love to know about how you work those colors together and what the colors come from, materials used, etc.
> Keep coming with the Urishi for at least another year too, because I'm working on my birthday bash Urishi USA backwoods How-to seminar.:biggrin:



It's not quite as dramatic as a cameleon paint but depending on the light conditions the colors do change...kinda like one of them old mood rings....remember those??  I use a brush for the heavier red and orange under layers and then airbrush the black and cherry tint clear.

Just go find to nettle to practice with...hehe



davinci27 said:


> I agree, I'm just glad he's showing it here.  I read a little about this finish after you last pen.  It sounds time consuming and more than a bit uncomfortable.  I imagine it would be like finishing a pen with poison ivy sap.  Are you allergic?  I've read some people do not have a allergy.



  Nah!  The rash is kinda blown out of proportion.  It IS poison ivy sap! Granted, for some it's severe..my buddy can't get within 2 meters of an Urushi tree without breaking out.  Me, I'm not bad but I do my best not to get any on me. 
 The really interesting thing about Urushi is you do build up a resistance and it's well documented that Urushi artists live much longer than the average citizen and rarely if ever get sick.  Apparently, in the old days it was common for the child of an artist who was destined to continue the craft to be force fed raw urushi to build up a resistance..true or not..I don't know.


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## leehljp (Mar 5, 2009)

What I think: You need to send it to me! I will take it to Tokyu Hands and determine their fair market value and then get a percentage from you as a "consultant". I will of course keep the pen as a "consultant". Beautiful work!

Beautiful. I will be in your "neck of the woods/mountains" next week at Hakone. I have a week long conference there with no time off  to drop by your place. Several co-workers are riding with me and they have tight schedules, otherwise I WOULD drop by for a visit.


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## chriselle (Mar 5, 2009)

leehljp said:


> What I think: You need to send it to me! I will take it to Tokyu Hands and determine their fair market value and then get a percentage from you as a "consultant". I will of course keep the pen as a "consultant". Beautiful work!
> 
> Beautiful. I will be in your "neck of the woods/mountains" next week at Hakone. I have a week long conference there with no time off  to drop by your place. Several co-workers are riding with me and they have tight schedules, otherwise I WOULD drop by for a visit.



  I'd prefer the Ginza fair market value..:biggrin:

Ah, that's too bad you can't make it down.  I do work in Mishima which is just down the hill from Hakone so let me know if a break in your schedule comes up.  Enjoy the onsening!


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## toolcrazy (Mar 7, 2009)

That is gorgeous. Nice work.


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 7, 2009)

That last part sounds like my childhood. :biggrin:


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## desertyellow (Mar 9, 2009)

That is quite beautiful


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## texasfootball21 (Mar 9, 2009)

EASILY one of the greatest pens I've ever seen on this site.

A tutorial on how you do this would be great. Not sure many on here would be able to get even close to something like that but it sure would be cool to see how its done.


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## Munsterlander (Mar 10, 2009)

What texasfootball said.  Geez, i was getting pretty happy with some of the pens I've been making and then you had to post that!  Really stunning.


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## chriselle (Mar 10, 2009)

Thank you very much for the kind words.  It's quite a "hurry up and wait" process this urushi stuff but the feel of it is really incomparable.  It has a beautiful unique warmth.  I don't know about a tutorial but I'll try to take a few pictures during the next series.  I've got some more wild and cool combination and layering finishes I'm working on that I want to show to you all....in due time.. Who ever said, "Time is an illusion" has never worked with urushi lacquer.:drink:


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## amosfella (Mar 17, 2009)

That's really cool.  what colors did you use to make that??


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## furini (Mar 17, 2009)

Speechless - a real stunner there!

Stewart


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## chriselle (Mar 17, 2009)

amosfella said:


> That's really cool.  what colors did you use to make that??



There's a brown-ish base mixed with tonoko powder which fills the grain.  That's leveled and a red-orange over that.  Then black with a fade into the red.  It's topped off with a semi clear tinted with a drop of black.  The clear tint was airbrushed.


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## Mike in Nanaimo (Mar 17, 2009)

Mighty fine looking pen there Chris! Unique!


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## garypeck (Mar 24, 2009)

HI Chris.... i think you'll like this page..... if you dont already know them....

http://www.stutler.cc/pens/nakaya/index.html


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## Dalecamino (Apr 23, 2014)

I just couldn't help myself. I had to bring this pen back into the limelight one more time. I've seen thousands of pens, all different colors and, mixings inlays etc. But, this pen has always stayed in my memory at the top. 

As much as I enjoy trying alternate ways of making a pen, this one will evade me for life. Sadly! Due to the Urushi coating material and, process, I will never have access nor, $$ to even attempt to make a pen this way. The good part about this is, Chris Leadbeater (chriselle) has done it for me. I will simply enjoy looking at his pens. Thanks Chris!!


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## avbill (Apr 23, 2014)

I love it!


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## Cmiles1985 (Apr 23, 2014)

Thanks Chuck for reviving this post. That is a simply stunning pen. The coloring technique has produced a phenomenal finished product!


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## Psychmike22 (Apr 23, 2014)

I would love a tutorial or video. Where did you get the section and nib?


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## Joe S. (Apr 23, 2014)

I was confused by all the unfamiliar members commenting, then I read the date.

That is a sweet pen and it was definitely worth bringing up again!


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## OZturner (Apr 24, 2014)

A Beautiful Pen Chris,
Looks very Classy.
Would like to learn more about this material and it's application.
Congratulations,
Brian.


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## philipff (Apr 24, 2014)

Stunning!


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## mikespenturningz (Apr 24, 2014)

That is just beautiful. Very nice job on this pen. WOW


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## chriselle (Apr 24, 2014)

dalecamino said:


> I just couldn't help myself. I had to bring this pen back into the limelight one more time. I've seen thousands of pens, all different colors and, mixings inlays etc. But, this pen has always stayed in my memory at the top.
> 
> As much as I enjoy trying alternate ways of making a pen, this one will evade me for life. Sadly! Due to the Urushi coating material and, process, I will never have access nor, $$ to even attempt to make a pen this way. The good part about this is, Chris Leadbeater (chriselle) has done it for me. I will simply enjoy looking at his pens. Thanks Chris!!



Hey Chuck... a little blast from the past eh..!!  I'm honored a guy of  your penmaking ability would value bringing that pen back to life...  Actually, it's alive and rattling around in some customers pocket.. 

    Ya, at that time I wasn't into doing full kitless yet... so I used the  front section and threaded insert of a black titanium Jr.GentII.   

  Urushi season is just starting and I'll try to post some pics of some new things I'm working on when they are done.  Cheers and Thank you..


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## Dalecamino (Apr 24, 2014)

chriselle said:


> dalecamino said:
> 
> 
> > I just couldn't help myself. I had to bring this pen back into the limelight one more time. I've seen thousands of pens, all different colors and, mixings inlays etc. But, this pen has always stayed in my memory at the top.
> ...


You bet Chris....and, don't be surprised if I do it again in the future. :biggrin: The honor is mine. Looking forward to your latest project.


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## Brooks803 (Apr 24, 2014)

dalecamino said:


> chriselle said:
> 
> 
> > dalecamino said:
> ...


 
Me too! :biggrin:


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## chriselle (Apr 24, 2014)

Now that's what I call "an inside" joke, Jonathon...:wink:


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## Ted iin Michigan (Apr 24, 2014)

Absolutely sensational pen! Don't think I've seen anything like that in a long time. I hate to sound like a syrupy sweet commenter but that is just remarkable! 

Photography is excellent, too.


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## garypeck (Sep 24, 2019)

chriselle said:


> Hey Folks, I know you must be getting tired of all my babbling on about urushi  but this one came out quite nice and just thought I'd share. It's the same color pattern as the last one but I changed the shape a bit and made it a FP. The base is hard maple and then 4 different colors of urushi applied over 12 layers. I finished it with magnolia sumi and micro mesh/olive oil which seems to work just as well as powdered deer horn. It's a challenge but I'm slowly getting there. Tell me what you think.
> 
> Cheers, Chris


Hiya Chris, how are you?? It's great to know you're still in the forum. 

Gary

Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk


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