Thread: cashew lacquer source for Canada?

I'm not certain this is the correct place for this inquiry, so admins feel free to move it to the appropriate place.

I'm wondering if any of you Canadians know of a source for cashew lacquer that's not too crazy expensive? The only place I can find is an Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/8275...ery-1-11&frs=1).

Thanks in advance!

In case anyone is interested: in my search for cashew lacquer, I stumbled upon a source for urushi in Canada. It's a Toronto-based artist who imports it from Japan on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by joelkerr

In case anyone is interested: in my search for cashew lacquer, I stumbled upon a source for urushi in Canada. It's a Toronto-based artist who imports it from Japan on a regular basis.

I did a bit of googling when I first saw your question and fell into a lacquer hole. Bloody hell, folks take their finishes seriously!

I'm curious now - what are you planning to use it on?

In a hone/honing context it’s used to seal the sides and/or back of Jnats.

Originally Posted by Steve56

In a hone/honing context it’s used to seal the sides and/or back of Jnats.

That's the first thing I thought of too, but would that require a specific type of lacquer? Please note as someone without any Jnats and with no experience with lacquer whatsoever, that question comes from a pretty pure state of ignorance.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

That's the first thing I thought of too, but would that require a specific type of lacquer? Please note as someone without any Jnats and with no experience with lacquer whatsoever, that question comes from a pretty pure state of ignorance.

Hon urushi (the toxic lacquer) and cashew lacquer are traditional in Japanese culture for this purpose. They used what they had in the late 1800s/early 1900s, they didn’t have synthetic products. Marine spar varnish also works well. Urushi is also used on a lot of higher-end fountain pens, and all of that black finish on asian products is urushi unless it’s a cheap plastic knockoff.

Steve56 is right, it’s to seal a Jnat (I’ll be posting to the Jnat Club thread soon). There are many ways to do it, but urushi is the traditional way - cashew lacquer very closely replicates the look, feel and curing process, though. I’ve never done it before, but I’ve been doing a lot of research into it lately! It seems to me that the main reason people go for alternative sealants rather than traditional is that cashew lacquer and urushi are very difficult to find in North America - also some people get allergic reactions to uncured urushi.

Personally, I want the traditional look and feel, so I’m willing to put in a bit more effort to get that.

Cool - thanks guys.

If you are using cashew I would recommend the clear or neoclear, No51 and 48. The neoclear is the most transparent you can get.
I used to seal all of them but lately I am leaving them alone. My evolution was, seal sides and bottom. Then I regretted sealing kawa bottoms so I started sealing sides only. The one benefit of having the sides sealed, the look permanently wet and it makes the color pop. Now I go stone by stone, some I seal some I dont, depends how I feel they will look aesthetically. Of course if there is any question about stone stability then full seal but honestly I dont abuse the stones the way a craftsman using them for daily work would. They sit in a near constant temp year around. They only get wet wet for lapping and quick wash of slurry. Who knows. Maybe 6 months down the road I will be changing my mind again. I know this wasn't the question asked just wanted to share some thoughts

Yea, I have been down that same road, have sealed some, just the sides and some not at all. My stones go from a rack or drawer to a holder on the bench, so the need is questionable.

I have used a variety of finishes, Craft water-based varnishes, PVA glue, and Mod Podge, they all work and can be tinted to look and feel like cashew.

A bottle of craft varnish is $2 easy to apply, clean up and multiple coats can be applied in a day. I doubt anyone could tell tinted water-based varnish from cashew, more importantly, do the same thing.

Years ago, when I looked into it, there was a guy in Northern California importing the stuff, it was pricy then and out of stock at the time.