Nunome zogan

[ps_bond]

Recently, there was a Kickstarter for a metalsmith to go to Japan & film her mentor's method of applying metal foils (gold, fine silver, copper and traditional Japanese alloys) to other metals. She's just released the first of 4 videos on Vimeo covering some of the basics. Brief synopsis - "nunome zogan" is a cloth-weave inlay (onlay) method: chisel a pattern of cross-hatching into metal, apply foil, lock in with a punch & burnish. I've watched the video and - yeah, pretty good; doesn't explain everything in minute detail so you need to watch carefully. It may help that I've some familiarity with both the method & the tools, although this differs to how I've been shown.

Original project:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...se-metalsmithi

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QffC-9iRRA

Full video:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/nunome1/255611909

While I'm a backer, there's no particular benefit to me in propagating this

[theresa]

Hi Peter - just watched the YouTube trailer. Fascinating. I especially liked the string wrapped around the handle, simple and effective solution. Experts always make everything look so easy! Do you think the metal inlay would come out after a while if made into, eg a pendant?

[ps_bond]

It's surprisingly resilient - it used to be used on tsuba too (sword guards) so it can be subjected to some abuse. A lot of the more commercial pieces seem to be coated with a thin layer of urushi lacquer, which will help stop edges getting caught & lifting. The string-wrapped handle seems to be quite common in woodworking tools AFAICT - I've a book on Japanese tools that details it for saws, for example.

[theresa]

Would you happen to know what thickness metal foils they are using Peter?

[ps_bond]

0.020mm for gold;
0.050mm for silver;
0.050mm for copper & copper alloys.

[Maria]

I agree fascinating to watch , thanks for posting that Peter.

[theresa]

Thank you Peter