Reported practice · r/Urushi

Achieving a mirror finish with fuki-urushi and roiro migakiko on a first attempt

A first-time practitioner applies six wipe-on coats of urushi to a poorly turned bowl and finds the surface remains hazy and unimpressive despite multiple curing cycles. The thread explores what actually produces the reflective finish and what preparatory work is needed before polishing.

This page is written from one discussion thread. It records what practitioners reported and what they linked it to — not documented workshop practice. Every claim below links to the comment it rests on, so you can read it in context.

Safety

Raw urushi (ki-urushi) is a potent skin sensitiser; the allergic reaction is delayed, often appearing 24–72 hours after contact, and repeated exposure makes subsequent reactions more severe. The practitioner in this thread worked with the polishing powder without gloves out of nervousness about curing, and one commenter notes the difficulty of removing the powder from the skin. Gloves and protective clothing are strongly advisable for any direct contact with raw lacquer or its powders.

What the thread establishes

The answer.

The thread establishes that the dramatic change from a dull, hazy surface to a near-mirror reflection comes not from the number of wipe coats alone but from the application of roiro migakiko polishing powder, which acts almost instantaneously once the surface is sufficiently flat. Multiple fuki-urushi coats build up a level film that fills micro-irregularities, and the final polishing step is what unlocks the reflectivity. However, unfilled wood pores will absorb the powder and resist polishing, so a sabi-urushi (tonoko-and-lacquer) fill before the wipe coats is strongly recommended. One commenter reports that a polishing paste (Menzerna 3800) applied before the final wiped coat and a long cure before migakiko gives a cleaner result. The overall principle, drawn from shellac and metal-polishing experience, is that shine is a function of surface flatness: layers fill bumps, sanding reduces ridges, and the polishing powder reveals the flatness that has been built up.

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What goes wrongThe practitioner reports that after six cured wipe coats the surface was only slightly shiny and the wood had merely changed colour; additional layers and sanding appeared to add nothing, creating a sense of going nowhere. The roiro migakiko powder also sank into unfilled wood pores because no tonoko or sabi ground had been applied, and removing the excess powder after polishing proved difficult. One commenter independently reports the same difficulty with powder removal as the biggest practical pain point.

What recovers itThe immediate recovery from the 'nothing is happening' plateau was the application of roiro migakiko powder, which produced a near-instant jump in reflectivity. For the pore-absorption problem, one commenter recommends filling the grain with sabi-urushi (tonoko mixed with lacquer) before applying the wipe coats, noting that 100 g of tonoko goes a long way for grain-filling. Another suggests working in with a polishing paste (Menzerna 3800) before the final wiped coat and allowing a long cure before applying the migakiko, which may reduce the amount of powder that lodges in the surface.

Polishing sequence with paste and migakiko

Apply a polishing paste (Menzerna 3800) to the cured surface, then apply a final layer of wiped-on urushi and allow a long cure. Only after that cure, apply roiro migakiko powder and rub to a mirror finish.

the comment this came from ↗

Fill the grain before wipe coats

Mix tonoko with lacquer to make sabi-urushi and use it to fill open wood grain and pores before beginning the fuki-urushi wipe coats, so that the polishing powder does not sink into the wood.

the comment this came from ↗

··Reported

What was reported

Six coats of fuki-urushi applied with a lint-free cotton cloth, each cured in a furo at roughly 75 % humidity, produce a surface that has changed colour but is only modestly reflective before polishing. ↗
A simple furo can be built from a sealed plastic box, a bowl of salt-saturated water, and a digital humidity sensor; the practitioner maintained approximately 75 % humidity over a two-week period by swapping the water bowl as needed. ↗
Roiro migakiko powder produces a near-instant and dramatic increase in surface reflectivity, transforming a hazy finish into something close to a mirror, and a small quantity is sufficient. ↗↗↗↗
Without a tonoko or sabi ground, the polishing powder is absorbed into open wood pores, degrading the finish and making removal difficult. ↗↗↗
The reflectivity of a lacquered surface is fundamentally a function of its flatness: multiple coats fill micro-irregularities, and the polishing step reveals the flatness that has been built up, analogous to the way shellac or metal-polishing works. ↗↗
A poorly turned substrate with visible tool marks, no foot, and a ragged interior can still receive a good exterior fuki-urushi finish, but the interior and structural flaws will not achieve the same mirror quality. ↗
One commenter uses a Menzerna 3800 polishing paste before the final wiped coat and a long cure before applying roiro migakiko, reporting that this sequence works well. ↗
One commenter purchases 100 g of tonoko alongside their urushi and finds it sufficient for grain-filling on small pieces. ↗
The practitioner used a hake brush brought from Japan but chose the fuki-urushi (wipe-on) method instead for this first attempt. ↗
The practitioner followed the French-language book 'La Laque urushi' by Akiyoshi Totoki (Éditions Vial) as a reference for the process. ↗

≠Disputed

Whether progressive sanding between wipe coats is necessary

The thread does not settle this

Sanding helps in the early stages to knock down raised fibres, but after the first few coats it is unclear whether it makes much difference; one commenter still considers this an open experiment and tends to reserve sanding (3000 then 5000 grit) for the last few layers before the final polishing stage. ↗
In practice there is no observable difference between sanding progressively through grits between every coat versus finishing the base layers at 400 grit and then applying all the wipe coats before moving to 3000/5000 grit for the final stage, though the commenter acknowledges limited experience and possible human error. ↗

Limits of this source

What the thread does not answer.

Whether progressive sanding between every wipe coat (400 → 800 → 2000 etc.) is genuinely necessary or whether a single sanding at 400 grit before the wipe coats, followed by 3000/5000 grit at the end, produces an equivalent result. Two commenters report different approaches and neither is certain.
The best method for removing excess roiro migakiko powder from the surface and from the skin after polishing; both the practitioner and one commenter identify this as the most frustrating practical step.
Whether roiro migakiko should be applied in a grit progression (coarse to fine) or whether going straight to the finest grit is acceptable; one practitioner reports success with the latter but was uncertain whether it was correct.
How many wipe coats are actually needed before the surface is sufficiently flat for polishing; the practitioner used six and felt the later coats added little, while the general principle is that coats fill bumps until nothing sticks out.

Read the documented methods →