Kolrosing notes
This is a collection of notes – I haven't done a lot of kolrosing other than on my baby bowsaw but I've collected a bunch of references I don't want to lose.
- Basics of Kolrosing from Del at Pinewood Forge
- Color Kolrosing
- White on brown kolrosing
- Chinkin-bori and with other materials than gold – the Japanese is 沈金彫り
- Martin Adburg actually tried Chinkin in Japan. He says polyurethane is tricky, since any blemishes or minute scratches will hold the gold dust, messing up the design (similar to what I saw with TiO2 on walnut). Traditional Japanese is red or black lacquer, and there are a number of scribers that are used to scratch the surface, but just a simple point will do the trick. Similar to engraving boulle marquetry, but it's definitely scratching the lacquer surface rather than cutting.
- Martin also suggests that an epoxy finish might work. Nitrocellulose lacquer might work too, or a harder varnish.
- Another link from Martin: chinkin technique
- And the Echizen Lacquerware Cooperative (where Martin and his wife did their workshop when they visited Japan).
- urushi / lacquer techniques
I expect next time I try, I'll try a shellac or lacquer surface, rather than naked wood as one does with kolrosing, but I might also try some tighter-grained woods with coarser pigments. I think there's a lot of decorative possibilities here.
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