My sister is a furniture maker, based in Scotland, and wants to source urushi (漆) - a kind of toxic Japanese lacquer that produces a very distinct finish. She has tried various suppliers in the UK to no avail, but really wants to get hold of this nasty stuff for a special piece. Apparently Taiwan is home to some of the trees which produce the sap needed - Toxicodendron vernicifluum - anyone have any leads on potential suppliers? I’m not even sure if this can be legally imported to the UK, so this is a bit of a shot in the dark.
If you haven’t tried this option yet, your best bet is probably a local mom and pop hardware store preferrably run by older folks. They should be able to point you in the right direction.
Good luck!
Thanks Wookiee, I’ll do that.
These guys use it a lot. Several addresses in here if you look around.
http://shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=3906
My father insists that urushi and the lacquer are different.
It is said that urushi is urushi.
Therefore, the following are called urushi. ^^
Urushi is one of the traditional crafts that represent Japan.
I started the lacquer paint by the hobby for two years.
Urushi?
If you go hiking on the Hapen Trail beyond Wulai, you may come across a nasty plant, related to poison ivy, that gave me some nice rashes recently. Urushi oil is the same nasty, irritating stuff. Genus: Toxicodendron.