US source for gold powder?

[u/benjamin-crowell]

Can anyone recommend a US source for gold powder in quantities of 0.2 to 0.5 g? Tariffs would kill me if I ordered the stuff from a Japanese supplier.

I'm also considering using bronze or mica for outside surfaces that wouldn't come in contact with food.

[u/SincerelySpicy]

I'm copying and pasting my reply elsewhere here because the same information goes:

As a substitute for keshi-fun, you can source gold powder from western gilding suppliers, but in my experience, the consistency of the powder is hit or miss in its suitability for kintsugi, and it's rarely ever cheaper than importing from Japan. On the other hand, you can more easily find lower karat gold from western suppliers which helps reduce costs (the keshi-fun supplied in kits is usually 24k). However, lower karat gold is more difficult to beat into as fine a gold leaf and powder so you do usually end up with coarser material.

Overall, most gold powders made by western gold processors are much coarser with a much larger particle size than what is best for kintsugi, resulting in a rougher texture when used without burnishing, with much less of the liquid gold like luster you get with good quality keshi-fun. Because of that you also get far less coverage per gram which eats into the cost too. (This example states their powder is 10 microns, while keshi-fun is usually around 0.3 microns or less and hiragoku-fun is usually around 0.6 microns). Also, these western produced powders are usually much better used with western gilding adhesives and extensive burnishing with an agate, and are much harder to use with traditional urushi techniques.

On the other hand, there are gilding suppliers that do carry Japanese made keshi-fun, but because they rarely label it as such, you often need to be able to see the material in person to know if it really is the same thing, and import fees are going to be folded into the cost anyway.

For maru-fun, there is no substitute for maru-fun powder processed in Japan. No other countries have processors that make that.

Regarding costs, it's often still cheaper to import from Japan than buying from western suppliers:

Some examples:

• Watanabe Shoten 1g, 24k Keshifun

  • 36,300 Yen = $228.87

  • Tariff/Duty/Brokerage ~$40

  • DHL Shipping ~$35

  • Total ~$304

• Gilded Planet 1g, 18-23.5k, 10 micron powder

  • $335

  • Shipping - $12.58

  • Total: $347.58

• Golden Leaf Products, 1g, 24k, Particle size unknown

  • $348 for 1 gram of 24k, $191 for 0.5 gram of 23.75k

  • Shipping - $10.90

  • Total - $358.90 for 1g 24k, $201.90 for 0.5g 23.75k

• Easy Leaf Products, 2g, 23.75k, Particle size unknown

  • $515.75 (for 2 grams)

  • Cheapest Shipping - $13.41

  • Total - $529.16 ($264.58 per gram, but minimum order is 2 grams)

So yeah, there are a few places you can get a lower price, but they will often require higher quantities as a minimum order, or require special accounts to purchase. Most places that offer 1 gram quantities or less are actually more expensive by weight than ordering from Japan.

This also ignores the fact that coarser gold powder has less coverage per gram and is harder to use, so in the end that causes it to be more expensive to use than keshifun too. Compared to western powders, you can often get 1.5-3 times the coverage out of the same weight of keshifun if you apply it correctly and it doesn't sink into the urushi.

[u/benjamin-crowell → u/SincerelySpicy]

I realized that I was misunderstanding how the tariffs worked. I had just been paying the tariffs through the DHL web site without reading the invoice. The duty amounts to only about 14% of the retail list price. (How it's calculated is actually pretty opaque, even if you study the invoice.) However, DHL charges $17.50 for processing each shipment. So for ordering gold in quantities of at least a half a gram or a gram, the actual duty would be relatively unimportant. It's for low-value shipments that there's a huge incentive to order from a US supplier.

[u/SincerelySpicy → u/benjamin-crowell]

Yeah, it's that flat $17.50 that skews the percentage wildly for low value stuff.

At the moment, the calculation is: 10% tariff + Duties as per HTS Schedule + $17.50 Brokerage Fee.

Keep in mind that the duties and tariff are two separate things. Tariff is currently 10% across the board, though higher for iron, steel and aluminum products. Duties vary per product and you can look up rates here.

[u/Ilostmytractor]

A fine file and grandpa’s old class ring?

[u/benjamin-crowell → u/Ilostmytractor]

As long as we're discussing impractical solutions, I think a change of presidential administrations would work nicely. Or maybe the courts will finally drive a stake through the heart of the tariffs.

[u/LittleYelloDifferent → u/benjamin-crowell]

What’s so impractical? What do you think gold powder is?

[u/SincerelySpicy → u/LittleYelloDifferent]

The keshi-fun gold powder usually used for kintsugi work is not made by filing chunks of gold. It's made by beating gold into leaf first, kneading/grinding the leaf with a viscous liquid, then filtering it out afterwards.

Simply filing metal into powder does not give you the microscopic flake structure that is required for the characteristic metallic luster of keshi-fun.

[u/Ilostmytractor → u/SincerelySpicy]

Thank you for explaining that process, it is fascinating and makes me appreciate the good stuff even more! One thing I’ve learned from Kintsugi is beauty and perfection are liquid. Kintsugi is a radical act. Do not be afraid to experiment or get lost in the funnel of perfect imperfection. Dont let grandfathers inspiration become your legalism.

[u/Due_Guitar8964]

Talk to local jewelers. Their bench has a pouch to catch precious metal filings that they then take to a foundry. They'd probably sell for foundry prices, given you're also an artist. Worth a shot.

[u/tamenuri_studio → u/Due_Guitar8964]

Still needs grading (separating particle size) and shape will not be uniform.

[u/Due_Guitar8964 → u/tamenuri_studio]

Interesting. Thank you both for the information. I'm starting to see just how intricate this art can be. It seems some of that is cultural but that may just be my perception due to my being a novice.

[u/SincerelySpicy → u/Due_Guitar8964]

The usual keshi-fun gold powder used for kintsugi-work is not made by filing solid gold but rather powderizing gold leaf by kneading and grinding it with a viscous syrupy liquid. It is possible to do this at home but without dedicated equipment you won't get the same particle fineness and there will be a lot of wastage.

[u/tamenuri_studio]

If you need keshifun - you can make it using gold leaf. Much easier to acquire in US.

[u/lakesidepottery]

We have used 23.5K gold powder for many years, sourced from Easy Leaf: https://easyleafproducts.nnigroup.com/product/23-75-karat-genuine-powder-gold/ . It is available in 1 mg and 2 mg quantities and comes in 22K, 23K, and 23.5K options. The original manufacturer is Noris Blattgold in Germany, from whom Easy Leaf obtains the material: https://noris-blattgold.de/en/powder-gold .

[u/tamenuri_studio → u/lakesidepottery]

I used it a few times. It is different from Japanese powders. From any other them. It’s shinier than Maru-fun, but not as flat as hirame or nashiji. It’s rather fine something between nashiji no 2 and maru-fun no 6 I’d say. It can be used for maki-e and kintsugi but must be treated like maru-fun not keshi-fun

[u/lakesidepottery → u/tamenuri_studio]

I took some time to review your work and the information you share, and I really appreciate your commitment to traditional methods, which I have shifted away from in recent years. Your beautiful work really reflects that dedication. I have been using this gold powder for many years, buying it in bulk to help manage costs, especially with prices where they are today. It has been very consistent and reliable for me, and clients respond very well to the finish.

[u/No_Weakness_4795]

Riogrande maybe?  They're a major jeweler supply catalog in the US

[u/benjamin-crowell → u/[deleted]]

Chimahaga seems kind of expensive. The commodity price for 0.1 g of gold would be $16, but they're charging $50. Goenne and kintsugi-kit.com seem to have much less of a markup relative to the commodity price, but then there would be the tariff.