Sanitizing Urushi

[Penava]

Hi, 

 

I am expecting a new pen from a seller and I was wondering if there is a way to safely sanitize the body of the pen in a way that won't damage the urushi short term or long term. The pen is Namiki. 

 

Thanks for all the help. 

 

Ava 

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

Not a clue, sorry.  Maybe contact Pilot/Namiki directly and ask them?

But my question now is: why do you need the pen to be sanitized at all?  Unless you mean flushing the pen out of any residual ink or manufacturing gunk....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penava]

39 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Not a clue, sorry.  Maybe contact Pilot/Namiki directly and ask them?

But my question now is: why do you need the pen to be sanitized at all?  Unless you mean flushing the pen out of any residual ink or manufacturing gunk....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Thanks for the response. It's not really necessary, but I was curious about how to go about cleaning urushi pens of bacteria and germs in a way that wouldn't damage it. Maybe if it has touched many different hands.

[inkstainedruth]

I'm so massively allergic to the stuff that urushi is made from (it's the same oil that is in poison ivy) that I admire the artistry of urushi pens from a safe distance (and some of the maki-e pens sealed with urushi are drop-dead GORGEOUS). 

The last time I accidentally got into poison ivy it took 3 runs of steroids to knock it out of my system and I had a $400 water bill for that quarter (I was washing all the bedding every day (not to mention all my clothes) so I wouldn't re-infect myself).  I had a reaction in a relatively short amount of time (a matter of a few hours at MOST), and the first stuff I was given at the ER near where my husband and I were living at the time, Prednisolone, did NOTHING.  So then went to my regular doctor and was given a prescription for Prednisone -- which suppressed the symptoms but then it came back when the Prednisone run was done with.  After that, the doctor sent me to an allergist, and SHE said, "Oh, they just didn't give a big enough dosage for long enough -- HERE!"  And the second round of Prednisone?  Started with five pills a day and worked down to half a pill a day....  

That finally got rid of it -- but it took a couple of MONTHS....  So when people tell me I'm over-reacting about whether or not the urushi is "sufficiently" cured?  No, no I'm NOT....  I wouldn't poison ivy symptoms on my worst enemy.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[jar]

Wash with warm water and a mild detergent then rinse thoroughly.

[Paul-in-SF]

18 hours ago, jar said:

Wash with warm water and a mild detergent then rinse thoroughly.

 

This treatment won't actually sanitize the pen (i.e. kill germs) but I agree that nothing stronger should probably be used. 

 

Sanitizing pens is not a concern I have ever had, so I haven't thought about how many hands have touched any of my pens before I got them. Knowing how ruthlessly clean the Japanese habitually are (having lived with one for over 30 years, as well as lived in Japan for a few months), and how precious the finish is, I would not be surprised if the finished product was only handled by people wearing gloves. This is, of course, speculation rather than evidence. 

[MartinPauli]

Namiki uses traditional high quality lacquer. If the maki-e is still healthy you can clean it with ultra sonic or even acetone. urushi is resistant to all common acids and alkalis and urushi has high antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Cheers, Martin

[Doc Dan]

Wash with warm water and mild soap. Something else I use is Dettol wipes. They have no alcohol, but I'm not sure how it would be on Urushi. Soap and water will kill most things.  I well understand the need to sanitize new pens. You never know who has been handling them with what contagion. 

[Karmachanic]

I usually lick them.  Strengthens the immune system.

[PJS_prog]

54 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

I usually lick them.  Strengthens the immune system.

[Penava]

Thanks for all the help all that answered. I didn't lick it, but I shoved it up my nose. Lol! But it's arrived. I've wiped it down and polished it up and it's lovely. 🙂

 

 

[Penava]

On 6/29/2024 at 5:34 PM, inkstainedruth said:

I'm so massively allergic to the stuff that urushi is made from (it's the same oil that is in poison ivy) that I admire the artistry of urushi pens from a safe distance (and some of the maki-e pens sealed with urushi are drop-dead GORGEOUS). 

The last time I accidentally got into poison ivy it took 3 runs of steroids to knock it out of my system and I had a $400 water bill for that quarter (I was washing all the bedding every day (not to mention all my clothes) so I wouldn't re-infect myself).  I had a reaction in a relatively short amount of time (a matter of a few hours at MOST), and the first stuff I was given at the ER near where my husband and I were living at the time, Prednisolone, did NOTHING.  So then went to my regular doctor and was given a prescription for Prednisone -- which suppressed the symptoms but then it came back when the Prednisone run was done with.  After that, the doctor sent me to an allergist, and SHE said, "Oh, they just didn't give a big enough dosage for long enough -- HERE!"  And the second round of Prednisone?  Started with five pills a day and worked down to half a pill a day....  

That finally got rid of it -- but it took a couple of MONTHS....  So when people tell me I'm over-reacting about whether or not the urushi is "sufficiently" cured?  No, no I'm NOT....  I wouldn't poison ivy symptoms on my worst enemy.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

It wasn't until recently I found out that you could be allergic to urushi. I'm glad you can at least enjoy them from afar. 🙂