Kintsugi Kit - Practice TSUGUKIT (1.0 g of Alternative Metal Powder & 0.3 g of 23 kt Gold)

<Note> This Practice Kintsugi Kit contains 0.3 g genuine gold powder (23 kt, food safe) and 1.0 g of alternative finishing powder (for practicing on ornemental objects NOT food safe).

■ Practice TSUGUKIT

The TSUGUKIT contains the essential materials you need to get started with kintsugi. The materials included in the Practice TSUGUKIT are all natural. Please note that, unlike gold powder, the alternative finishing powder is not suitable for items used to serve food.

> TSUGUKIT size 23.3 cm x 11.3 cm x 3.0 cm

> Practice TSUGUKIT includes: raw urushi (30 g), wood/polishing powder (approx. 8 ml), black/bengal red powder (approx. 3 ml),  fine-point brush, plastic spatula, bamboo spatula, pallet, dropper, waterproof sandpaper, sandpaper, genuine gold powder (0.3 g), alternative metal finishing powder (1.0 g), 2 cotton balls, masking tape, a pair of rubber gloves (Japanese M size), our kintsugi manual.

Please note that this kit includes two different types of finishing powders:

1. 0.3 g  of genuine gold

Genuine gold can be used for mending all types of broken items, including tableware items. It is food safe.

1. 1.0 g of alternative metal finishing powder

This high-quality finishing powder is made of zinc and copper. The end result is very similar to a gold finish. This powder does NOT contain any epoxy, instant adhesives, or synthetic urushi. However, this powder has not been certified as food safe. Therefore, for your own safety, we would advise against using this finishing powder for items used to serve food such as plates or cups. 

～What is kintsugi?

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold. The broken pieces are first put back together using Japanese lacquer, also called “urushi.” The lacquer is then dusted with gold powder. It is estimated that the kintsugi repair technique was developed during the Muromachi period (1336–1573 CE). At the time, the art of kintsugi was often used to repair ceramics used in the tea ceremony.

Rather than hiding the cracks, kintsugi highlights them with gold. Items repaired with kintsugi become more precious than before they were broken and they can even turn into real pieces of art.

■ Our TSUGUKITs:

- Traditional TSUGUKIT: 0.3 g of genuine gold (23 kt) and 0.5 g of silver powder

- Gold-Only TSUGUKIT: 0.5 g of genuine gold powder (23 kt)

- Practice TSUGUKIT (this product) 0.3 g of genuine gold and 1.0 g of alternative finishing powder

All of our kintsugi repair kits are suitable for beginners.

1. The TSUGUKIT is a compact and stylish kintsugi starter kit suitable for both beginners and advanced practitioners of kintsugi. 
2. The creation of the TSUGUKIT was supervised by Katsuya Shibata, an artisan who has over 30 years of experience with Japanese lacquerware. With the TSUGUKIT, you can practice kintsugi using the traditional methods and materials. 
3. Kintsugi may seem complicated at first, but the TSUGUKIT breaks down kintsugi into 5 steps that are easy to follow.
4. The TSUGUKIT contains a manual with explanations in English and Japanese. It features pictures showing each step of kintsugi. You can also watch our kintsugi tutorial videos on YouTube. They are available in English and Japanese.
5. Our Practice TSUGUKIT only contains high-quality materials. Gold powder is ideal for mending tableware items and the alternative finishing powder is particularly suitable for mending ornamental earthenware.
   

We believe that kintsugi is a beautiful technique to repair objects dear to you, regardless of their price tags. For example, a 5-dollar mug could be particularly valuable for you if it is the first gift your son has ever given you. Be it a broken jar or a chopped bowl, with kintsugi, you can give it a new and shinier life. In addition, kintsugi is said to have a healing effect on the mind. It is a great activity for people looking to relax and stop overthinking.

A lot of kintsugi kits you can find online include cheaper materials such as epoxy, instant adhesives, and synthetic urushi, but we have decided to stick to the natural materials traditionally used in kintsugi. With TSUGITKIT, we intend to share the beautiful art of kintsugi with the world.

■ FAQ:

【What should you prepare while waiting for TSUGUKIT?】

Tissues, one pair of scissors, utility knife, all-purpose flour, oil (canola or salad oil), water, additional rubber gloves, ethanol for disinfection use (+/- 70°), an urushi box (carton, wooden or plastic box which can be closed with a lid), plastic wrap and rubber bands if applicable.

【How many broken items can you repair with TSUGUKIT?】

Since each broken item is different, it is hard to say precisely how many items you could repair with our kit. However, we estimate that you should be able to repair the equivalent of 5-10 broken plates with the TSUGUKIT.

If you have a lot of items to repair, be careful to not use all the gold powder in one go. Also, if you feel you need more practice, we recommend you to purchase metal powder in your country and use it instead of our genuine gold / silver powder. Please note, however, that metal powder sold in DIY stores is rarely food-safe.

【What is Alternative Finishing Powder?】

Alternative finishing powder is a metallic powder made of copper and zinc. It does not contain any gold. We picked a metallic powder with a color is very similar to genuine gold powder. Like the gold powder you can find in our kit, this metallic powder was produced with the utmost care and quality in Japan.

As copper and zinc are cheaper than gold, in total, this kit contains the largest amount of finishing powder than in our other TSUGUKITs. The Practice TSUGUKIT is the ideal kit for people looking to practice a lot their kintsugi repairing skills. It is also the most suitable kit if you want to repair a lot of items that are not meant to be used to serve food (flower vase, ornemental pottery, statues...)

Whenever you buy finishing powder for kintsugi, please always check whether the powder in question is food safe.

■ !! Warning !!

- The urushi lacquer provided in our kits is raw and it can cause skin irritation and rashes when put in direct contact with the skin. That is why we strongly recommend using rubber gloves and wearing long sleeves when doing kintsugi. Please note that we are not responsible for rashes caused by this product.

- If you experience a rash when using the kintsugi kit, please stop using it immediately. Always seek the advice of a physician for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

■ Shipping worldwide

It takes about 6-10 days on average. There may be shipping restrictions and delays due to sudden changes in legislation and COVID-19. Please contact us to check if we can ship our products to your country.

Notes: We cannot ship to P.O. boxes.

#金継ぎキット　#金継ぎセット　#金繕い #kintsugi #kintsugikit #kintsugiset #tsugukit # kintsugkuroi #repair #kintsugirepairkit #traditionalkintsugi #authentickintsugi