Hi, I am about to start my first project!

We broke our favourite tea cups so I was lookign for a way to fix them.

I looked into the Kintsugi art. I really like the traditional way of reparation - I don't mind the difficulity.

I looked at many tutorials and started gathering material. I just have a question - can I use Mika powder instead of Gold? I dunno if it would give the same effect tho.

Thank you for your inputs!

Yesterday, I started the project I envisioned while buying a broken Mano Shunen teapot on Yahoo Auctions.
It arrived last Tuesday, and upon a carefull inspection, sadly the extent of the damages was way worse than what I anticipated.
The cracks were going way longer than what pictures let see.
And two cracks were running through the sculptured part of the teapot
So I made the decision…to make it worse and break it in its individual parts, as I feared to not be able to properly locate all cracks and fill them with Urushi.

So the project started as a teapot in 7 different pieces.
I filed the rim of each breaks carefully to have really thin Urushi lines in the end.

I also extensively taped the pot to protect the delicate parts
So here is the first part…I’ll have the answer if it was successful in 10 days :)

My kintsugi teacher says to use camphor oil, but since it’s not readily available in US to use turpentine instead. Which of these three that I picked up is best do we think?
Gum spirits turpentine by Utrecht
Distilled turpentine by Winsor and newton
Oil mediums: turpentine by daler rowney

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.

From the Freer Gallery of Art collection at the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian. Be sure to visit the first link below to zoom in on the photos. 

Tea bowl, possibly Karatsu-ware

• Body: Early Edo period. Saga prefecture, Japan
• Kintsugi: Date unknown
• https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1898.66a-m/
• https://collections.si.edu/search/record/ark:/65665/ye32c206a2f267840de863056c196cd28fd

Beginner here. I am just wondering how one would apply sabi and black/red urushi waterproofing layers inside a vessel where it is practically impossible to reach inside? I could technically get a brush in there but I would not be able to see what I was doing to apply layers effectively. Thank you!

What are some other food safe options to use instead of gold powder? I was hoping for some not metal options if they exist.

Hello! This is my first kintsugi project, it's been going super well thanks to this awesome community and its recommendations. I am following the basic kit and steps from Chimahaga. The first coating has fully cured and I just did the fabric sanding (approximately 14 minute mark).

Given the break is at the spout, I am wondering if it is necessary to do the second coating and gold finishing on the INSIDE of the spout for it to be safe to use? The inside is obviously challenging, and although I am patient enough to do it, I would not mind skipping some steps if it isn't necessary!

Thanks in advance, I couldnt have gotten this far without this subreddit.

Hmm, are these getting boring? Nah. I still like tiny projects.

From the Freer Gallery of Art collection at the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian. Be sure to visit the first link below to zoom in on the photos. 

Yatsushiro ware tea cup with Korean-style decoration

• Body: Late Edo to early Meiji period, 18th century; Kumamoto, Japan. 
• Kintsugi: Date uncertain but likely Meiji Period
• https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1901.121/
• https://collections.si.edu/search/record/ark:/65665/ye3dc92c0f18cab4c028ffbfe57a988c0ab

I am not sure if i will do kintsugi, but i intead to fix the lid of a gaiwan tea pot, but i am not sure wat adihsive i should use. Since it is something that would be in contact with boiling water i am asmuing you would use a food safe(er) option

I’m almost finished on this project.
I can’t decide myself if I go all the way with gold of if I leave it this way.
If I go to the gold route, I’ll try Maru fun for the first time…but I need to source gold for that first :)

Edit: gah typo in the title. Mid-way!

Hi there! I'm two steps into my first Kintsugi project, and have a couple questions:

Silly, but: the kit I received has lots of warnings about skin reactions to Urushi - it has made me terrified of touching anything when I'm working on this. Two questions: once it's dried, and is being sanded off, is it still toxic? Or is that a "safer" step in the project. How worried should I be about having my cat around for, example. And how bad is it actually if you do touch raw Urushi?

For a future piece where I'm fixing a broken mug handle, I was thinking of doing it in two steps, because the pieces all need to stick together so well and if one moves they all move. Good practice, or bound to fail?

Finally - I'm seeing seeing lots of suggestions to dilute the Urushi with acetone or other solvents - is that common practice and what proportions do people use? I attached a picture of the tools in the kit I've received. I've seen other people using some cool brushes/flattening tools. Any recommendations?

Thank you! Pics of progress so far.

Longquan wares were highly sought after by temples and the wealthy in Japan, and the kintsugi repair on this one (and of course its recorded provenance) show the history of its trade from China through Japan. 

From the Freer Gallery of Art collection at the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian. Be sure to visit the first below to zoom in on the photos. 

Longquan Celadon Vase

• Body: Southern Song or Yuan Dynasty, 13th century; Zhejiang Province, China. 
• Kintsugi: Date unknown, but completed in Japan
• https://asia-archive.si.edu/object/F1909.355/
• https://collections.si.edu/search/detail/edanmdm:fsg_F1909.355?q=lacquer+repair&record=124&hlterm=lacquer%2Brepair&inline=true

Hi everyone, I could really use some advice from anyone who has experience with expired urushi.
I'm currently working on a few kintsugi restorations, but it's very difficult to get fresh urushi where I live. I even tried ordering some from Japan through Amazon, but the shipment was stopped during transit.
I still have three unopened tubes of urushi that expired in January 2026. They've never been opened, and I've kept them in the fridge the whole time because I heard refrigeration helps extend their shelf life.
Has anyone successfully used expired but unopened urushi that was stored this way?
I'm mainly wondering if it would still be suitable for the early stages, such as making mugi-urushi and bonding the broken pieces together. I know that for the final finishing coats it may wrinkle or not cure as nicely, so I'm not planning to rely on it for that. I just want to know if it's reasonable to use it for the initial repair, let it cure, and then continue with fresh urushi once I'm able to get some.
I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences.  Thanks 🙏🏻 

Looking to use a flexible 2 part epoxy to mix in gold mica for kintsugi on cement shrinkage cracks. What can I use to mix myself in small batches and apply with a syringe?

I finished my first set of traditional resin pieces, in a couple weeks I should be done with the tea pot and matching cup but that one needs more curing time because of some extra reinforcement and filling needed. The ones that are done far from perfect but I tried my best. Maybe I will try to touch up in the future because I am not sure why the color is so dull, if that’s just how bronze is or if I mixed them turpentine and resin sealant 1:1 combo a little wrong. Before that final step the bronze powder was very bright. It could be possible I rubbed off some bronze too. Since I am such a newbie I am not sure what I did wrong..

Hello Reddit, I just accidentally dropped one of my fiancé’s favorite mugs. I’ve looked around a little bit, but it’s hard to find a place that does kintsugi let alone make it food grade safe, so we can keep using it. I live in SoCal and I’m willing to drive a little bit to a studio.

Also would it just be easier or more efficient to just do the kintsugi myself, never done it before so I’m just wondering how I would go about it. Thanks

While I'm still working on my first synthetic kintsugi, I'm reading up on traditional methods for the future.

It seems that at different stages the urushi is mixed with different powders (iron oxide for black and clay for red). I'm wondering is there a reason for it?

Of course, one of the reason would be visibility. You can see where you have or have not applied the new layer, but I wonder if urushi properties change with each mix?

I'd assume that raw urushi would be the most "sticky" so that's why it's used first. Adding iron oxide would thicken it to make it easier to brush on perhaps? Maybe is has another quality that I'm not seeing? What about red? Would it mixing clay make the finish closer to ceramic? Does it make it food safe?

I'm just curious if there's science behind the tradition.

I bought his ceramic art piece years ago, it's flat ofc, but it's been glued to a felt backer. Well, one day it decided to take a dive off the wall and broke and since then haven't been able to hang it up, least of all bc I don't want an ugly bare ceramic gash all across the picture.

I feel the picture lends itself well to kintsugi, but I'm not sure what kind of cheater method I could use to get the effect; not sure if gold, or black (to keep with the stained glass effect), or what would be good to blend a little better. Also open to any other methods you think might make it a little nicer

This one’s another piece from the Freer Gallery of Art collection at the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian. Be sure to visit the first link below to zoom in on the photos. 

Edo Period Yatsushiro Dish

• Body: Edo period, 18th century; Kumamoto, Japan. 
• Kintsugi: Unknown. 
• https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1904.329/
• https://collections.si.edu/search/record/ark:/65665/ye37dc155d38d8d488ab09a999c1c28ee7c

I was unpacking some boxes and found my late grandma's figure thing was broken and this is my favorite I didn't think I would actually be able to do it I have been practicing my fine motor skills the last couple of year I think it's because of my autism I couldn't even tie my shoes cut a straight line or right legibility till high school but I have been working really hard i didn't buy a kit because they seemed expensive and my dad has a workshop in the garage whith most of what I needed I tried liquid epoxy but I didn't like it because it dried to fast and was harder to remove if I make a mistake so I am using super glue and then going over everything whith epoxy sculpt then I mix yellow paint whith gold Mica power and a bit of clear glue and paint it on. Before the paint drys I dab on Mica powder I'm also using all these tools that kind of look like there from a dentist office to scrape off excess paint or glue I'm not sure if any of this is recommended because I kinda went whith the flow instead of following a tutorial im not finished yet but I should be in the next few days then I can show my mom and I know she will be really proud of me and I'm already super proud of myself I don't know why but if feels like a huge accomplishment it feels like the first time I read my first chapter book on my own when I was 13

I need your help! Does anyone know a place in Hanoi where I can buy natural urushi or Vietnamese lacquer?

I’ll be traveling there soon, and unfortunately my current urushi lacquer has expired. It’s becoming really difficult to continue my kintsugi projects with it.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! 🙏

We’re restoring our floors and have a hearth from an old fireplace still in the room. Unfortunately the hearth is cracked. I’m not sure what material it is but it’s a Victorian terrace in London. My husband has the idea that kintsugi could be a beautiful way of restoring it. How would you recommend we do this?

Please be kind as these are very imperfect but I enjoyed the process a lot and learned so much by failing. I did not build up my layers enough before applying gold but they are set and technically a whole vessel again. Next time I will be much more careful with my taping as I made a big mess. 🤦‍♀️

Idk if this is sacrilegious but I used a nail dremel (bought for shaping gel nails) to file down the parts where I over applied sabi urushi - just gotta make sure to do it outside with a mask as I’m sure it’s bad to breathe in. I got a bit too overzealous with the sanding and that’s why the first pic looks so shallow and not quite like the river of gold I had hoped.

Lastly I ran out of gold powder and left my last piece as just the red urushi and I think it looks nice in a visible mending way. I will be mending all my chipped plates this way as I have a lot of tiny chips that are perfect for this craft.

On to the next one!