In netsuke carving, the rotary tool is a commonly used power tool. It can be utilized on tusks, horns, and wood. It is an alternative for files or larger types of hidari-ba scrapers (for more info on the scrapers, click here.
In this video, Komada Ryushi, who is my father and netsuke artist, talks about burrs that he has used for many years. Below is supplementary information.
At the beginning of the video he shows a set of “アラシのバー” (burrs for arashi (roughening)). These are to roughen the surface in preparation for coloring so that the paint can stay well. We hope to more in detail at a future post.
My father modified many of the burrs he had purchased from “Kyoritsu” to make them suit his purposes. For example, the right side is a burr of 3 mm in diameter, grooved only vertically. The left side is a burr to which my father added horizontal grooves.
Kyoritsu (Kyoritsu Kiko Ltd.) is a company located in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture. My father mentions the name as a knowledge or memory. Since the company is a wholesaler of power tools, they may not do retail.
At the end of the video, you can see him using Minitor’s hand piece (the handheld part).
This is a controller (or motor). The plugs were standardized at some point so that they could be connected to other manufacturers’ products as well. The knob in the center is to control the rotational speed (RPM). (This product is old and probably no longer sold.)
These are for professional use, and there is a wide range of products from professionals to amateurs. Those who wish to be professional carvers, they need the minimum level quality for professional use (the same or higher than the highest-end amateur use) in terms of durability and power. They should look for a product with a handpiece of about 100,000 yen and a controller of 60,000 to 70,000 yen, for example.
Text, video, and photos by Komada Makiko
