Repairing, restoring and cleaning armor 02

When your child grows up, this will be a unique and one-of-a-kind piece of armor...

The carefully handcrafted armor and helmets will develop a unique character over time and become fine works of art.

In order to allow you to enjoy the armor and helmets that have accompanied your child through the years of their growth for a long time to come, Issui Kobo takes care of the pieces without any time limit.

We will care for your item so that the unique texture that develops as it grows is preserved, so you can keep your precious memories intact.

This time, we would like to introduce you to the repair process of a helmet that was entrusted to us by a customer.

It was a very old piece and we were unable to identify it as being from our workshop, but it had been made using a technique that is characteristic of Kyoto products and we thought it was a very treasured item, so we accepted it in the hope that it might be of some use to our company.

The sandalwood coating on the back of the helmet has become damaged and parts have peeled off.

This time we have been asked to repair this part.

In such cases, the technique is to cut the lace threads, disassemble the piece, and then reconstruct the painted surface.

However, doing so would require replacing various parts such as the lace thread and decorative metal fittings, which would significantly change the overall atmosphere.

In order to restore it without damaging the beautiful texture that has developed over the years, we thought that the best solution would be to carry out a partial restoration using sandalwood lacquer, although this would be significantly more difficult.

We identify the area to be repaired and carefully peel off the paint. This is an area that requires an understanding of the structure of the base.

As I continued working, I realized that this paintwork had apparently been restored before... This made the job even more difficult as multiple materials were mixed together...

We will mask the area and proceed with the repair work.

Sandalwood lacquering is a technique that creates a unique amber color by applying layers of silver foil, powder, or gold and silver paint.

First, a foil primer is applied over the base and then gold leaf is pressed into it.

Next, apply a transparent top coat. Apply several coats to match the original color.

The top two tiers are painted a thin translucent color, while the bottom tier is left in gold leaf.

We will continue working while matching the colors.

The paint is applied until the color matches the original color, and then the joints are blended to finish the sandalwood paint.

Restoration work is often irreversible, and requires a lot of concentration. Before starting work, I carefully considered the restoration method, closely observing the age and technique of the work.

However, it is common to encounter various problems as you proceed with the work.

Even in times like these, I believe it's important to remain calm and continue working tenaciously.

↑before ↓after

I think the result this time was pretty good too, what do you think?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us using the inquiry form.

Kyoto Armor Co., Ltd. Issui Kobo