[talkingtab]

I have worked with Urushi, aka Japanese lacquer. You get a rash, some people never get over it. Others do get over it, and I did. Years ago I was in the black thumb club. I could stick my thumb in Urushi, and not get a rash. Since Urushi was a big thing in Japan (and other places), people who worked harvesting or packaging or using it either got over or did not. I have a friend who did not. He said he could walk down the street and detect if there was raw Urushi anywhere near by.

I still got a "tingle" even when I did not get a rash.

The way to tolerate the adaptation is hot water - spray water as hot as you can stand (without damage) on the affected area and you will get substantial relief for about 12 hours. The relief of hot water on an affected area cannot be understated. A friend used the word "orgasmic" and it fits. I can almost imagine someone purposefully getting the rash just to take a shower.

Finally in this bizarre world of Urushi - when it is cured (warm & humid), NOT dried, the chemical properties change so the coating does not cause problems. If you see photos of Chinese or Japanese rice bows ls that are red or black they are probably wooden bowl coated with Urushi and cured. Urushi as used to make eating utensils.

There is more. There are an incredible number of decorative techniques. Supposedly each village had its own. One of the best is Rankaku. Tiny chips of quail egg shells are placed to form a pattern.

[rallison]

> The way to tolerate the adaptation is hot water - spray water as hot as you can stand (without damage) on the affected area and you will get substantial relief for about 12 hours.

Yes. Similar to poison oak (in irritant effect), we've also got poodle-dog bush out in California. It thrives in post-fire environments, and isn't as well-known as poison oak. The reaction to it is often even worse than for poison oak. And so, before I was better versed in the "fun" plants of our local mountains, I had a run in with some poodle plants, and.. that was a rough few weeks.

I tried everything to make it more tolerable, and hot water was by far the best. The effect didn't last forever, but it was remarkable how it a) was actually pleasurable and b) muted the itchiness for a fairly significant amount of time (although still not as long as I would have liked..).

It's probably still best to avoid hot water until you've done a good job of getting the offending substance off (as best as possible). And near scalding water isn't otherwise great for the skin, so it's probably not something one should do all the time.

But wow, it was amazing for poodle-dog bush.

[b112]

A note, if you don't want to dry your skin out by removing your own body oils (after you've cleaned the offending substance off, of course!)... use a hair dryer.

Same result, without having to get wet. Can spot-kick the "too hot" -> remove the itch phenomenon any time, any place.

[stcredzero]

> I tried everything to make it more tolerable, and hot water was by far the best. The effect didn't last forever, but it was remarkable how it a) was actually pleasurable and b) muted the itchiness

I've been thinking of a "low fantasy" story, which is actually Sci-fi under the covers. In it, the "fey" characters are just indigenous people who have immunity to a plant which is similar to poison oak, but which grows in nigh impenetrable hedge like clumps and walls. Your mention of hot water for relief gave me an idea for a story beat, where another character discovers the hot water effect, and simultaneously discovers how to infiltrate the "fey" character's territory and bathing practices similar to Japanese and Finnish bathing.

[mywacaday]

Hot water also used for weaver fish stings, https://firstaidtrainingcooperative.co.uk/weever-fish/#:~:te....

[atombender]

I wonder if the benefits you get from applying hot water is from the heat itself. Heat activates heat shock proteins in the skin and suppresses/alters inflammation. [1] There are people who use infrared heat lamps to treat autoimmune skin disorders.

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34781874/

[rolandr]

Back when I had a really nasty run-in with poison oak, my friend’s father who was a doctor suggested the hot water trick. AMAZING. His explanation was that it depleted histamines that caused the itching. Appears to bear out:

“ a poison ivy rash (like any other allergic reaction) is caused by the body releasing the chemical histamine to the affected area as part of your immune response. Heat will stimulate the production of histamine, and although this creates an unpleasant itching in the moment, the heat will eventually deplete the affected cells of their histamine, which can provide up to 8 hours of itch relief afterwards. This can be achieved by aiming warm water at the affected area, and slowly increasing the heat to the maximum tolerable temperature until itching stops.”

https://teclabsinc.com/why-you-shouldnt-use-hot-water-on-a-p... (article title referring to not using hot water when washing off oils after initial exposure)

[lupire]

I'd like a better source for that information than an ad for a commercial product.

[pests]

Half the articles and sources here fall under that category, FWIW.

[snarfy]

Interesting. I was a long time heavy cannabis user and developed cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome over the years. It causes severe gastrointestinal issues and vomiting. Relief comes from taking scalding hot baths or showers. I wonder if I simply became allergic to it.

[robin_reala]

You can get a little smartphone dongle for insect bites too: https://heatit.de/en

[shriphani]

would love to see some pics of your work. Since you seem to know about Japanese craft techniques - do you know what sort of adhesive is used in Japanese gold leaf application? I am not able to use bole or animal hide glue due (vegan) but was curious if the Japanese have some rice-paste based method.

[talkingtab]

Urushi is an adhesive. So for gold leaf the (egg shell) the idea is that you put down urushi, then put the gold leaf on it while it is still not cured. I tried rankaku - egg shell - and you just build up a base coast of lacqure then start placing the egg shell on a new thin, uncured coat. That is after you have prepared the quail egg shells. Then you add thin coats, curing and sanding after each, until the level of the urushi is up to the eggshell. The eggshell leaves U shaped channels with the sides of the U formed by two adjacent pieces of shell and that has to be filled but with thin coats. Sigh.

If you want to try urushi, you can go the hazmat suit method (apron, arm length gloves, etc.) Just have situational awareness. I had a friend who tried this. Her cell phone in her pocket rang and without thinking she reached in with her gloved hand and got it out. The urushi went through the pocket and she got a horrible rash! I just bit the bullet and got the rash.

I am no expert on urushi at all - I dabbled mostly. You can mix urushi with all kinds of things and there are perhaps 250 grades, including the most refined which is clear. Urushi was and is used in sword making. So the answer is out there, but I have not done any for a long time. I sort of remember mixing rice-paste and urushi at one point but I might be making that up.

I raised bronze and copper vessels and was trying to come up with ways to complete them. I found out about Jean Dunand, art deco guy, who decorated vessels with urushi and egg shell among other things. I highly recommend finding a good museum nearby and asking them if they have work and know of anyone who does restoration. Then follow those leads.

There are people out there who know and will share knowledge but I am out of touch. My sense is that many people who are interested in Japanese sword making (Katana) end up knowing about lacquer because it was used for handles.

[throwaway2037]

Did you read about maki-e? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maki-e

    Asian lacquerware, which may be called "true lacquer", are objects coated with the treated, dyed and dried sap of Toxicodendron vernicifluum or related trees, applied in several coats to a base that is usually wood.