Kintsugi (golden joinery) (金継ぎ) translates “to repair with gold.” Kintsugi is said to have been developed to repair, and mend broken pottery to restore its water retention. It embeds gold in the cracked or missing part.
My current idea is to do Kintsugi by replacing the “Urushi” technique, with repair using epoxy resin instead.
A very special Arita Iori Hisashi workshop experience is to learn the Kintsugi method of repairing broken ceramic pieces. If you or someone else has a precious, but broken ceramic item that can no longer be used, our Kintsugi method will restore it, making it even more refined and beautiful. The ceramic item will be given a new life. Arita is the only place where you can learn this valuable technique. Kintsugi requires
at least 2 days, 3 hours/day. Instructor: Mr. Tsuruta. An English interpreter is available, too. If you bring a broken ceramic item to our workshop, your beautifully Kintsugi-restored pieces will be ready for you to take home in 2 days.
9000yen/days, 3 hours/day
Firing and overglazing fees will be charged, depending on the needs of your work.
＊experience workshop fee: ¥3000 for one hour; if you want to add additional hours, the charge is ¥3000/hour.
Please contact us to schedule a convenient time for your Iori Hisashi experience.
Although our answering machine tells you that the meeting time is 10 am, please come at your booking time.
We will ship your completed pottery masterpiece [or creation] to you after the firing is completed. The charge for this shipping will depend on your mailing address. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery.
Workshop Fee: 3,000 yen /person/hour
Note) Kintsugi class requires a minimum of 3 hours
For further details you may contact us at 090-4274-9744 or you can also get in touch with email.
Phone: 090-4274-9744 (English) 0955-43-2764 (Japanese +81 955 43 2764),
The toxicity of the epoxy resin
About the toxicity of the reaction type resin
Among adhesives and paints, those which use chemical reactions for their hardening and polymerization show a certain degree of toxicity.
For epoxy resins and polyurethane resins reactions between main resin ingredients and hardening agents are used, while for polyester resins, catalysts are used as hardening agents or accelerators.
Vinyl acetate emulsions (woodwork bonds), starch pastes, and hide glues, which use heat denaturation or evaporative loss of water to cure, are non-reaction adhesives. For example, alkyd-based varnish is a non-reaction type of paint.
On the other hand, though a one-liquid type, such as cyanoacrylate (superglue) which is cured by moisture in the air, has reactivity.
Reaction type adhesives are believed to be reactive to the human body and there are sensitization characteristics, even though there might be different degrees of reactivity.
The toxicity, as heretofore referred, of the resin on human body occurs only when people are working on the adhesion or painting. The resins or paints which have hardened or cured, have lost their reactivity, of course, and, therefore, are considered non-toxic.
The toxicity of the epoxy- based adhesive occurs when the main agents (epoxy resin) and hardening agent (polyamide amine) are liquids. This means that if you forgot to put on gloves and you touch it with your hand before hardening, you might get a reaction. However, once hardened (cured), it becomes a three-dimensional resin and toxicity is virtually eliminated.
What is the harm of the epoxy adhesive?
Specifically, it is a concern with the low molecular weight polyamines included in the hardening agent (polyamide amines) causing contact dermatitis skin reactions.”
This is similar to the lacquer rash.
When you are scraping the solidified body of epoxy resin, you should be careful to put on a mask and use a fan or blower to prevent inhaling the dust.
If any instrumentation comes into contact with the epoxy resin, you should wipe it with tissue paper moistened with paint thinner. In case you get any epoxy resin on your skin, clean it off immediately with water.