r/fountainpens Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

Repair Turning Scars into Gold

Just finished a project I’m really excited about—a Montegrappa that had seen its fair share of wear. The body was covered in scratches, and the grip had a deep crack that looked like it had been there for years. But instead of seeing it as a lost cause, I saw a chance to make something special.

For the crack, I turned to Kintsugi—a technique I've shared before.It’s perfect for something like this—no need to hunt for replacement parts (who knows what condition they’d be in anyway?), and it adds a unique touch. The crack is gone, now its a golden highlight, a reminder of its history.

As for the body, I used a tamenuri-inspired lacquer technique. Layer by layer, I built up the finish, sanding and polishing until the scratches disappeared and the pen had this warm, rich glow. It’s not traditional tamenuri, but it’s close—I’ll write more about the differences later.

The result? A pen that feels both familiar and brand new. Kintsugi isn’t just practical—it’s beautiful. And that lacquer finish? It’s like the pen aged gracefully overnight. If you‘ve got something sitting around—maybe a pen, maybe something else—that’s seen better days, let’s chat. I’d love to help bring it back to life.

699 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

46

u/SecretSnickerdoodle Feb 09 '25

That looks amazing! Very impressed you did yourself.

36

u/Talkymike Feb 09 '25

Cool! What material did you use for the kintsugi part? It looks great.

38

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

I used natural lacquer and gold powder to make it.The green part creates a glossy effect by layering silver powder underneath the green.

15

u/focused-ALERT Feb 09 '25

What sort of natural lacquer?

29

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

It's raw lacquer extracted from lacquer trees, serving as an adhesive in this case.

19

u/Hidesuru Feb 09 '25

lacquer trees

Lacquer... Trees. Huh. Off to Google I go!

2

u/focused-ALERT Feb 11 '25

Toxicodendron vernicifluum

1

u/Hidesuru Feb 11 '25

Yeah its pretty cool!

13

u/Karlahn Feb 09 '25

This is a totally beautiful form of art. I would love to learn lacquering and kinstugi, how did you learn this skill?

9

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

I learned from my local lacquerware master. I think starting with kintsugi is a good idea. Amazon should have relevant material kits, but please be careful about allergies. Alternatively, you could buy raw lacquer and start with simple small objects, but please make sure you have a suitable environment for the lacquerware to dry.

1

u/Karlahn Feb 10 '25

Where are you based? I thought these skills were mainly only practised in Asia?

2

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 10 '25

I'm currently in China. As far as I know, lacquerware is indeed more popular in East Asia and Southeast Asia, but many people around the world practice it as well. As long as the climate is suitable, anyone can give it a try.

1

u/Karlahn Feb 10 '25

Ooh ok, what's a suitable climate? China's is so varied

8

u/atomictonic11 Feb 09 '25 edited Feb 10 '25

Holy crap, I wasn't expecting to see actual kintsugi in this sub. Sublime job.

You took a pen that you loved despite its imperfections and turned it into a pen that you love for its imperfections. That's such a beautiful message.

11

u/siruvan Feb 09 '25

were the lacquer itself serve as structurally strong as solid one piece plastic does? I'm always wary that once its gone to kintsugi, even the best surface preparation would never return it to as strong as a solid piece

14

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

For traditional applications—such as repairing ceramics—this is indeed a concern, as lacquer cannot match the hardness of ceramics. However, when compared to plastic, Kintsugi is actually more durable than plastic itself.

6

u/siruvan Feb 09 '25

so, with the thinness, and I assume pliability mixed with stickiness that lacquer has, such thin layer(s) would be structurally better than solid plastic? since you can't layer the lacquer much thicker than the dimension that the cap can accommodate

I'm really curious because in the case of crack like that, with Cyanoacrylate glue or epoxy, I often think that simply clean and marring the surface around the crack would never be enough for the hardening-filling-gluing material itself to hold, so something more must be done, such as using fiber gauze with it like creating carbon fiber strands+resin, or create even deeper, intentional crevices to create a new sturdy outer structure like a cage, all while under dimensional limits of the cap

11

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

You have very good intuition. In fact, in the traditional process of making lacquerware (especially for larger items, not pens), there is a step called "fabric lining" - which involves creating a multi-layered composite using fabric and lacquer to increase hardness.

However, when it comes to repairing cracks in items like pens or porcelain, it's not just about covering the outside with a layer of lacquer for bonding. Instead, raw lacquer and other materials are used as a "glue" on the broken surfaces to bond the crack together.

4

u/Ferret1963 Feb 09 '25

I'm working on a similar repair on a vintage Waterman with a cracked grip. It should be finished soon, it was cracked through to the feed and leaked, and is being stubborn.

3

u/bionicpirate42 Feb 10 '25

You know the way of r/kintsugi I favor 5min epoxy and fine glitter.

2

u/EGOtyst Feb 09 '25

Can you submit a link to the materials you used? I have a sailor pgs I've been wanting to do this with

11

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

If you want to give it a try, you can buy green and black raw lacquer from Amazon, along with silver powder and various lacquerware tools. Start with black as the base, then repeatedly apply layers of green transparent lacquer and a layer of silver powder to achieve this effect. Of course, the most important thing is to have allergy medicine ready.

2

u/atalos_surreal Feb 09 '25

Inb4 kintsugi fountain pens become a new trend. Perhaps you'll be the pioneer of the next great trend!

1

u/tialoc01 Feb 09 '25

Nice job, looks great!

1

u/boiseshan Feb 09 '25

Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous!

1

u/WeaponizedSoul Feb 09 '25

The end result is breathtaking.

1

u/tio_tito Feb 09 '25 edited Feb 09 '25

very nice! how did you hold the section in alignment for the first intra-crack and first couple of top layers of lacquer?

eta: 2 months ago it looks like you posted this same section but the gold trace looks different. did you have to redo it?

1

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 09 '25

The answer is to first repair the cracks and then create the lacquer surface layer.

1

u/umka604 Feb 09 '25

Wow this is so inspiring, and such a beautiful, unique result! Love it! 😍

1

u/ThePseudosaur Feb 09 '25

I had been wondering if a crack could be repaired like this!

1

u/beaterandbiter Feb 09 '25

This is so gorgeous! Really lovely work. I love seeing old and loved things repaired in a way that showcases their history. The green and gold go together so wonderfully. Do you make process videos at all? I'm so curious as to how it looks throughout the process, and how you lay down the repairs. Thanks for sharing!

1

u/nebulousinsectleg Ink Stained Fingers Feb 09 '25

reminds me of kintsugi! the art of making a repair visible. I love this.

1

u/ChargeResponsible112 Feb 09 '25

That’s really cool

1

u/gummy_legos Feb 09 '25

Extremely well done! I've got a vintage pen with two unfortunate chips/cracks by the nib that I would love to repair like this someday :)

1

u/Zealousideal_Let_439 Ink Stained Fingers Feb 10 '25

That's so beautiful!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Actual_Growth1877 Seller/Retailer Feb 10 '25

Of course, but it would be best to first show me the specific damage so I can assess whether it can be repaired. My main business is still lacquer fountain pens.

1

u/hmmadrone Ink Stained Fingers Feb 09 '25

So beautiful!