What's the "correct" fabric for lining fittings boxes

[rkg]

Hey guys,

 

What are the "right" materials to be using for lining tosogu boxes? What have you used with success?

 

I had a moment and was looking (again) at making some custom tsuba box liners (even found somebody local to me

who would do the little pillows and hand over a swatch of material for the box liner, etc), and it occurred to me that maybe

some materials are "better" than others. Are there any fabrics that sometimes get used that should be avoided due

to issues with outgassing, friability, tendency to hook/rip uttori off of pieces, tendency hold/attract moisture, etc?

I've gotten a couple of boxes in the past with rust on the surface of the liners in the shape of features on a tsuba, and...

 

Also, are there any preferred materials for the padding? I can probably figure it out from the MSDS (to check for

outgassing or whatever), but if there's something you've used that works I'd like to hear about it...

 

Thanks in advance,

 

rkg

(Richard George)

[cabowen]

I have seen silk used quite often....

[Curran]

Other than the silk we usually see:

 

I recently got to see this one in the collection of a Japanese oldtimer who doesn't do internet.

Many of his boxes used felt, but this large katchushi (11cm) had a fitted box done with Japanese indigo material.

The Indigo certainly made the Iris sukashi pop.