5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Purchasing a Kintsugi Kit
1. Free choice of the kintsugi technique
Until a few decades ago, kintsugi repair was always performed with urushi lacquer. Nowadays, kintsugi is divided into two methods:
- Modern kintsugi, based on the use of synthetic glues
- Traditional kintsugi, based on the use of urushi lacquer
Although DIY shops tends to promote more the kits that focus on modern kitsugi, which are not food safe, it is now also possible to find kits that teach you how to do traditional kintsugi repair with urushi lacquer. Unlike the synthetic glues used in modern kintsugi, urushi is a natural ingredient that is completely food safe. It has been used for thousands of years in Japan to make or repair pieces of tableware.
If you wish to learn more about the differences between the two methods, you can read our article on the subject.
2. Ingredients ready to be used
If you want to repair an object with traditional kintsugi, you will need about 20 ingredients/tools. Some of them, such as the polishing powder or genuine gold powder, can be very difficult to find if you do not live in a large city with highly specialised arts and crafts supply stores. You must be ready to make time to visit various stores to gather all the supplies.
When you purchase a ready-made kintsugi starter kit, you can directly get started with your repair project.
3. Clear instructions to follow
If you have decided to learn kintsugi by yourself, you will need to find a reliable document that describes in detail each step of the repair process.
For modern kintsugi, you could get by without a detailed manual. But if you decide to go for traditional kintsugi, it is capital that you have a manual that you can rely on since traditional kintsugi repair involves many steps where a single small mistake can have an enormous impact on the final result.
When you purchase a kit, it usually includes an instruction manual or tutorial videos. If it does not include repair instructions of any sort, we highly recommend that you go for another kit. Always make sure that the manual is translated into at least one language that you understand.
4. Price of the kits
If you are looking for a fun and quick activity to do with a group, especially with children, it is relatively easy to find modern kintsugi kits. They are nowadays widely available in DIY stores for less than 30 USD.
For traditional kintsugi, the price range is very different because it requires professional material and specific ingredients. In Japan, traditional kintsugi kits usually cost between 80 USD to 200 USD depending on their content, which is generally twice less then what you would pay for the ingredients bought separately, provided you can find them all by yourself where you live.
The price of the kits depends heavily on the amount of genuine gold powder included. It is without a doubt the most expensive ingredient among the list of ingredients required for traditional kintsugi repair.
Beside gold, cheaper options such as silver (food safe) or brass (not certified as food safe) also exist.
5. Easy to store
When you buy each ingredient yourself, you need to come up with a storage solution as well. But, with a kit, you are directly provided with a box to store all your material when you do not use it.
Conclusion
If you are looking into getting started with kintsugi repair, kits can definitely be a good and cheap way to embark on your kintsugi journey. It is always important that you check which kits are available and pick the one that makes the most sense base on the project you want to work on.
If you are interested in learning more about the kintsugi starter kit that we, at Tsugu Tsugu, have designed in collaboration with Katsuya Shibata, an experienced lacquer master, you can read our article on the subject.
No matter which kit you choose, make sure to not rush and enjoy the whole repair process. The gold finish will come, you just need a little bit of patience
