Badger Hair Hake Brush

Badger hair roots are very robust which allows the brush to be vigorously used without breakage of the hair. The hair tips, in contrast, are very soft and this facilitates very smooth application of paints or glues. The hair shaft is very springy but stiff, allowing brushes to be made with longer hairs while still offering control. Since they are a natural hair they retain mediums far better than a synthetic and application is streak-free.

Made with Japanese cypress handle, which resists rot, and synthetic string binding.

$120

JPP Noribake

Quality Japanese paper deserves a quality brush! Here's what makes ours a winner:

• Undyed goat hair - soft, very absorbent, long lasting.

• Well secured between two paper layers made from washi and nylon; bound with synthetic string. No loose hairs or rusty metal ferrules.

• Natural hair ends are intact ­ NOT cut ­ creating a lovely taper when wet. No streaks on the page; no "bushy" ends after just a few uses.

• Japanese Cypress handle - warp and rot resistant. Custom size with shorter handle for better control and fit in your hand.

"Noribake" means paste brush, but it also works wonderfully with wet media such as inks, dyes and watercolour.

$22

Noribake #2-5

A top grade brush for pasting or paiting broad areas. Made the traditional way with cherry wood, dense white sheep hair and washi: no metal parts to rust.

14 cm wide, 1 cm thick, 3 cm bristle

$150

Paste Bucket ("Noribon")

Traditional cypress wood bucket with copper bands for making Japanese shofu paste. The cypress wood retains moisture and helps keep the paste from drying out.

11" diameter

$115

Currently out of stock

Konnyaku

Konnyaku is powdered Devil's Tongue root, a natural plant starch that, when mixed with water and applied by brush to paper, gives extra strength, waterproofing and memory to those papers. Transforms paper magically to cloth. Instructions available with purchase.

100g $34

1 kg $290

Kakishibu

Dried persimmon powder, used for centuries in the papermaking industries in Japan. When cooked with water, this natural ingredient can act as a waterproofing and strengthening agent, or be used as a dye. As a dye on paper, with repeated layers and time, the colour becomes a rich and beautiful red-brown. Instructions available with purchase.

25g $37

100g $120

Jin Shofu

From ancient times this gluten-removed wheat paste has been used as an adhesive in mounting paper. Today it is used by conservators and printmakers doing chine-collé for absolutely archival adhesion. Instructions available with purchase.

100g $8.50

500g $16

Sumi Ink

Carbon inks, known as "sumi" produce an intense black appealing to painters of all cultures. This quality of liquid sumi is very good: not all liquid sumi ink is created equal!

200 mL $24

Bamboo Ring

Bamboo ring to be worn on middle finger (up to the middle knuckle) for creasing paper; eliminates need to pick up and put down bone folder or other tool when creasing larger quantities of paper.

$4

Bamboo Creaser

This perfectly flat piece of bamboo is used to crease with the appropriate pressure and perfect smoothness when folding Japanese paper. Where bone folders sometimes chip, this banboo will increase in smoothness with time.

$20

Paste Filter ("Nori Koshi")

7.25" diameter

The woven horsehair mesh on this exquisite handmade product makes an excellent and durable filter for producing your own paste. Bring beauty to an otherwise tedious task.

$180

Iron Awl

This sturdy awl has been designed specifically for stab-sewn bindings: the single piece of iron is as solid as can be, so stands up well to hammering with a mallet, and the shaft is of a fairly uniform thickness to keep the hole sizes the same through a stack of paper.

$22

Handmade deer hair stencil brushes with no metal at all. Best for use with water-soluble pigments such as watercolour, gouache. Unsuitable for use with acrylics, as they can clog the fine hairs.

Underneath:

• Sashibake #8 Thick 24mm  $49 CDN

Top, left to right:

• Sashibake #4 Thick   12mm   $24
• Sashibake #6   18mm    $18.95
• Katabane #25  7.5mm   $8.95
• Katabane #15  4.5mm   $7.95