LAMY dialog urushi
Urushi has been used in traditional Japanese arts and crafts for thousands of years. The quality of this natural material is still unrivalled today – thanks to its durability, its intensity and its auratic beauty, which immediately casts its spell over the observer.
An extraordinary symbiosis. Tradition and modernity. Asia and Europe.
The encounter with contemporary materials and processing methods shows Urushi in a new light. Virtuoso lacquer artistry meets a fountain pen whose form and function are equally a testament to masterful craftsmanship and technical excellence: LAMY dialog.
The fascinating nature of Urushi
The Japanese term "Urushi" describes both the material – often also called Japanese lacquer or Chinese lacquer – and the technique used to process and apply it. In the East Asian region, particularly Japan, China and Korea, Urushi has a tradition dating back thousands of years and is still maintained today as a cultural heritage. The material is extremely precious, as the natural raw material – the sap of the East Asian lacquer tree – can only be extracted by hand and in very small quantities.
Traditionally, exclusive everyday objects in particular are finished with Urushi, such as bowls, plates, chopsticks or small cases, where the lacquer acts as both a protective layer and an embellishment. The core materials are usually wood, bamboo and metal, but textiles and leather can also be coated with it.
What makes Urushi so precious
The construction of a lacquered object extends over long periods of time, often years or even generations: Several layers of primer are followed by a large number of very thin layers of lacquer, each of which has to cure and is then polished. After curing, which is facilitated by humidity, Urushi is virtually "indestructible". In Japanese mythology, the material is therefore also associated with immortality and is regarded as an elixir of life.
The edition was designed and artistically realised by the Urushi masters Norihiko Ogura from Japan (summer) and Manfred Schmid from Germany (spring, autumn and winter). Urushi as a traditional craft and material has been reinterpreted: Through the innovative combination with the material stainless steel and processing methods that the artists involved have developed themselves and applied to the LAMY dialog 3 fountain pen for the first time.
Tradition meets innovation
In the LAMY dialog urushi ray edition, he encounters a fountain pen whose form and function, like the East Asian craftsmanship, testify to masterful manufacture and technical excellence: LAMY dialog.
One of its special features is its ingenious twist mechanism, which allows the 14 kt. gold nib of the fountain pen to be elegantly extended and retracted.
The material dictates the time
In Manfred Schmid's hands, the processing and finishing of each individual fountain pen takes several months. This is because several days of drying often pass between each work step – the application, sanding and polishing of the layers of lacquer. The duration of this process can never be predicted exactly. The material dictates the time. The trained cabinetmaker is one of the few European Urushi masters proficient in the handling of this unconventional material.
One-of-a-kind surfaces in Urushi
With their subtle structure, the "ray gold" and "ray palladium" surfaces are reminiscent of the spotted camouflage pattern of a ray. The cylindrical body of the LAMY dialog forms the basis, which is coated with gold or palladium. The Urushi lacquer is first applied in thin layers, allowing the background to shine through – a delicate task that requires a high level of practice and maximum concentration. To create the final decor, Manfred Schmid works with various tinctures that are applied to the lacquer. By breaking up the surface tension, they create unique, unrepeatable structures.
2023: LAMY dialog urushi ray
With the LAMY dialog urushi ray edition, LAMY is continuing its successful collaboration with the artist Manfred Schmid. The Bremen-based Urushi master has once again interpreted the millennia-old craft technique in an innovative way.
He has developed the new "ray gold" and "ray palladium" surfaces exclusively for LAMY. Both models are limited to 50 one-off pieces. Urushi has been used in traditional Japanese arts and crafts for thousands of years and is still maintained today as a cultural heritage.
The material is extremely precious, as the natural raw material – the sap of the East Asian lacquer tree – can only be extracted by hand and in very small quantities. Traditionally, exclusive everyday objects in particular are finished with Urushi, such as bowls, plates, chopsticks or small cases, where the lacquer acts as both a protective layer and an embellishment.
LAMY dialog urushi „ray gold“
LAMY dialog twist-action fountain pen with gold-coloured Urushi finish. The clip and ball valve are finished in shiny gold, the ink reservoir and barrel in black. The fountain pen is fitted with a fully retractable, partially platinum-plated 14 kt. gold nib and comes in high-quality premium packaging.
LAMY dialog urushi „ray palladium“
LAMY dialog twist-action fountain pen with palladium-coloured Urushi finish. The clip is finished in matt palladium, the ball valve in shiny palladium; the ink reservoir and barrel are black. The fountain pen is fitted with a fully retractable, partially platinum-plated 14 kt. gold nib and comes in high-quality premium packaging.
LAMY dialog urushi ray
LAMY dialog urushi "ray gold" & "ray palladium"
Gold and palladium coating
Japanese lacquer (Urushi)
14 kt. gold nib partially platinum-plated
Both models are limited to 50 one-off pieces.
2,700 Euro RRP
Distributed by the artist Manfred Schmid: info@urushi.de
The two models of the LAMY dialogue urushi ray edition are available separately.
Manfred Schmid
From 1998 to 2004, the trained cabinetmaker studied and perfected Japanese lacquer art at the Escola Massana and the Escola Llotja in Barcelona. In his studio in Bremen, he has further developed his use of the Urushi technique. After an intensive study of black lacquer, he is now primarily looking for experimental ways to emphasise the special qualities of the material.
His artistic works have been honoured many times over and have been shown in numerous international exhibitions and included in public collections – such as the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, the Hamburg Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, the Grassi Museum in Leipzig and the Museum für Lackkunst Münster.
2021: LAMY dialog urushi leaves
The basis of the two designs, “mystic leaves” and “bright leaves”, is the transformation of the visible structures of leaves onto the fountain pens via the properties of the Urushi lacquer. This transformation is not achieved by painting the leaves onto the surface of the fountain pens. Rather, by utilising the specific properties of the lacquer and special brush techniques, corresponding structures are created on the surface of the instruments.
Nevertheless, the nature of the lacquer allows these shapes to take on a completely independent form. For the “mystic leaves” model, the carefully pre-treated stainless steel housing parts are coated with a blue layer of niobium. For the “bright leaves” model, on the other hand, these case parts are gold-plated using the PVD-process. The first layers of Urushi lacquer are applied on top.
The structuring process is applied to the lacquer using a brush and pure alcohol. After drying, further layers of Urushi lacquer are applied and polished. The clip and the ball valve of the mystic leaves model are black PVD-coated. These two details are gold-plated on the bright leaves model.
LAMY dialog urushi bright leaves
Radiant warmth.
A symbiosis of powerful gold and soft shadows.
Manfred Schmid, Germany
LAMY dialog urushi mystic leaves
Natural structures.
Mysterious blue shimmers in mystical depths.
Manfred Schmid, Germany
2019: LAMY dialog urushi – the four seasons
For spring, Urushi master craftsman Manfred Schmid has not applied the black lacquer in this classic way, but has developed a new, original technique. A very thin layer of black lacquer is applied to the stainless steel body, which is coated with light blue niobium, so that the blue underneath shimmers through.
Alcohol, which the artist then sprinkles onto the black lacquer with a fine brush, breaks its surface tension. Summer was created by the Japanese artist Norihiko Ogura using a special variant of the so-called gold sprinkling technique (Maki-e).
The entire lacquer surface is sprinkled with a special gold powder consisting of very fine round beads – one grain measures around 0.03 mm in diameter.
The surface is then sanded with charcoal made from camellia wood. A work step that illustrates the immense perfection and precision of the Urushi master:
During the grinding process, the grains in the gold powder are reduced to exactly half their original size. In daily use, these lines are "polished" by skin contact and gain lustre. The lower layers of lacquer also become visible.
The idea for autumn came about by chance. While lacquer is traditionally only used in the colours black and red, Manfred Schmid used what is known as transparent lacquer for this model. Typically only used as a sealant and not in the decor, this natural Urushi lacquer develops a warm amber colour layer by layer.
Manfred Schmid applies it to a stainless steel body with a golden PVD coating, into which a fine texture has previously been applied by longitudinal and transverse sanding. Winter corresponds to the "Spring" model in terms of the processing method.
Urushi master Norihiko Ogura
The precision and intricacy of working with Urushi is often beyond imagination. This is impressively illustrated by the summer fountain pen that Norihiko Ogura designed using a variant of the so-called gold sprinkling technique (Maki-e).
The lacquer surface is sprinkled with a gold powder consisting of tiny beads just 0.03 mm in diameter. The grains are reduced to exactly half their size by grinding them with charcoal –
a remarkable example of the immense skill. The streamlined grain is created by applying and grinding another, slightly coarser-grained gold powder.
The resulting lines are "polished" by contact with the skin during daily use and become more lustrous. The fountain pen is subject to a constant process of change.
The surface resembles a stream of water droplets flowing off in different directions.
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