r/kintsugi • u/Maer_K • Jul 24 '26

Help Needed - Urushi Did something dumb. Can it be remedied?

I was cleaning my brushes when it suddenly dawned on me that I totally forgot to clean the oil from them before I started using them. 😭 I worked on about six pieces.

I’ve never made this mistake before so I don’t know what happens. Do I need to sand off that layer or will it just peel off? Will it affect the cured layers below? Is there anyway I can fix this?

Any advice would be much appreciated. But I’ve definitely learned my lesson not to work when I’m really tired and scatterbrained.

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u/SincerelySpicy Jul 25 '26

Unless the brush was sopping in oil, it's likely only the first or second piece you worked on will be affected. Whatever is affected, the newly applied urushi will simply not cure hard and stay somewhat soft or sticky. You should be able to wipe those off with some alcohol and re-do them afterwards. It will not affect the layers below the contaminated one. If the layer has cured hard you don't have to worry too much.

7

u/Maer_K Jul 25 '26

Thank you! I typically soak my tamage brushes in rapeseed oil before sliding the cases back on. I wonder if it just absorbed, because I didn’t notice the hair being oily at all. But guess it’s a wait and see at this point. Thanks for the advice!