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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 5:58:00 GMT
Hey guys,
New to the forum, and figured this would be the best place to ask. I'm just wondering what would be the "correct" way to blacken rayskin? i.e. if I have some white rayskin, what would be the best way to go about blackening it?
Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 6:05:07 GMT
I think lacquer is the best way to blacken it. Do not hold me to that though.
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Post by genocideseth on Aug 11, 2009 7:18:58 GMT
Would leather dye work? I am just brainstorming. Never handles ray skin before.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 12:24:21 GMT
I laquer mine black with a quality acrylic laquer with high pigmentation, then seal with acrylic clear gloss. Laquering is the most common way to colour rayskin for swords, as the ito protects the laquered same from abrasion and rubbing off the colour.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 14:59:26 GMT
Awesome, thanks a lot guys, that really helps!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 21:49:21 GMT
If you go to Shadow of Leaves, I believe they sell the Cashu (sp?) lacquer in a big tin, though it is a bit pricey if you are just doing one.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2009 17:22:32 GMT
Cashew lacquer is the best lacquer currently on the market and doesn't have the nasty side effects of urushi (namely being a form of poison ivy but more toxic)
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Post by peterm1 on Feb 13, 2023 0:05:31 GMT
This is an old thread but I thought I would reinvigorate it myself by recounting my process that I am presently using. The problem with using any kind of lacquer is potentially twofold. I should first say that I am aware that Japanese tsuka sometimes (at least) had the samegawa lacquered using urushi. But most of us do not have access to this - and it is expensive, difficult to use and toxic. So I will reserve my remarks to using modern alternatives.
There are a couple of issues I foresee. The first is that of getting any kind of modern lacquer to stick to the shiny samegawa nodes which are themselves made from something in the nature of tooth enamel. The second issue is that when being applied naturally cured samegawa is applied wet (and flexible) and only hardens up once it is dried in situ, when it has been affixed to the wooden tsuka core. This suggests to me that any lacquering of the this kind of samegawa should be carried out only after it is fixed in place.
In my case I am presently engaged on a project to use commercially bought tanned samegawa which is tanned in the same manner as leather and sold in leather stores (usually using the name shargreen - which name is also used for sharkskin). This form of samegawa works quite well for our needs though not strictly correct for this purpose. Its main problem as far as I can see is that it is a bit too thick for this use. But this is easily fixed by some judicious scraping or sanding of the back of the skin to thin it down to the correct level. Often this type of samegawa comes already lacquered in various fashion colors. So the need arises to re-color the skin of one that is correctly colored for the project cannot be found. In my case I had a black skin - the only color available at the time but wanted to change it to offwhite - the natural color of samegawa when dried and prepared for use on sword handles. Here is what I did - it may seem like overkill but I am not one to cut corners if it runs the risk of compromising results:
1) Using a fine wire brush (this is a hand tool not a power brush and it has bronze wires which are less stiff and abrasive than steel wire which I thought could do some damage. In any event it worked) I thoroughly brushed the skin (not all of it - only the parts I wanted to use) thoroughly, several times. This removed the black color to some extent though by any means, not completely. On the shiny nodes it reduced it more significantly though it was still present in the areas between the nodes. Overall, the skin now does not look shiny / gloss black but rather dark grey with some lighter areas on the nodes themselves. The purpose of this was mainly to roughen the surface at a micro level to accept the new enamel coat in the correct color to help ensure bonding. BTW the coarsest grade of synthetic pot scouring pad also helps roughen the existing enamel somewhat but I found the wire brush to be faster.
2) A product called "ESP-Easy Surface Prep." is sold in hardware stores which advertises itself as being able to make paint stick to just about anything "including glass" according to the label. I have used this in the past on household applications when I had to paint over gloss enamel and found it works just as advertised. It claims not to require any pre sanding so strictly speaking step 1 above may not have been needed but I did not wish to take chances. PS the instructions for use are simple - the process involves brushing the stuff on, leaving it on for 5 minutes to penetrate, then wiping it off and waiting for a further 90 minutes, then painting.
3) I am using a satin spray enamel in an off-white tone which closely matches the color of natural samegawa. I bought the best product I could find - one which is described as an epoxy enamel. Thin coats are required. Having said this I do not expect it to look exactly like natural samegawa.
4) To increase the natural appearance I intend to wipe over the above coat, a thinned down solution of shellac. Unbleached shellac has a pleasant amber color which makes a nice, aged look. Other alternatives are possible such as diluted artists paint in ochre or similar and I may experiment a bit with these alternatives before I apply this step to the project to see which works best.
5) A topcoat of satin spray enamel or polyurethane to protect the above coats.
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