From the workshop
A day in the workshop: from bare form to final coat
Following one tray across the benches of the Red Door workshop — from raw wooden form, through cloth priming, coats and wet sanding, to the last hand polish.
Mornings in the workshop begin with a humidity check. Natural lacquer only cures properly in moist air, so before anyone picks up a brush the person in charge of the curing room has already done a round, opened or closed the doors, and noted the reading on the hygrometer.
The form: the ground under everything
The tray reaches the first bench as a bare wooden form. The primer wraps a thin cloth over it, spreads a mix of raw lacquer and alluvial clay, and leaves it to dry. This priming layer keeps the wood from cracking with the seasons and gives the surface enough depth to be sanded later.
Coat, wait, sand — and again
Each coat is spread thin with a spatula or brush, rested in the curing room for one to three days, then wet-sanded with stone and fine paper. Sanding is not there to thin the coat but to make a perfectly flat plane for the next one to grip. A plain tray goes around this loop about ten times; a heavily decorated piece can take twice that.
- Base coats: build the ground, usually deep brown or black
- Colour coats: vermilion, gold, or a colour mixed to the sample
- Decoration: gold painting, eggshell inlay, silver leaf — depending on the design
- Top coats: two or three clear layers to seal the surface
Polished by hand
The afternoon is the quietest time. The polisher works with the palm of the hand, a little charcoal powder and a bundle of hair, rubbing in circles until the surface reflects their own face. No machine replaces this step; the pressure and warmth of the hand are what bring the lacquer to its depth.
Lacquer cannot be hurried. I do my part and let time do the rest.
A long-serving craftsman at the workshop
The tray leaves the workshop once it has passed inspection under raking light — the easiest way to catch a scratch, a dull patch, or a speck of dust trapped under the top coat. If there is one, it goes back to the sanding bench.
