The Turning Colour Story

Introduction

The beautiful town of Channapatna is located in Karnataka, around 60km from its capital Bengaluru. On the way from Bengaluru to Channapatna, from the highway, you could also see rocky hills where scenes of the movie 'sholey' were shot. 

The craft of turned wood lac-ware toys is around 200 years old and was introduced in this region during the reign of Tipu Sultan. 

Material

 Wood - Traditionally, the most commonly used wood in this process is locally available 'Aale Mara' (Wrightia tinctoria or Ivory Wood). 

 Lac - Lac is a natural and non-toxic resin, derived from the secretion from a tiny insect called 'Laccifer Lacca'. It is approved as a food-grade finish. 

Process

 1. Curing

After wood is purchased, its cured in natural environment for around a month. The bigger chunks of wood used for containers are hollowed out from inside to speed up the process.

2. Creating a Rainbow

Natural dyes consisting of kumkum, turmeric and indigo are mixed in specific proportions to get tints of VIBGYOR. The number of colour that can be created are limited to the properties of these three natural dyes. For brown colour, Katha (Catechu) is used.

Dyes are mixed with pallets of Lacquer, heated with coal over a manually regulated temperature to create sticks of coloured Lacquer.

3. Going round and round

A log of wood is turned on lath machine and carved into desired shape and size with the use of tools. This traditional technique of creating circular forms out of a wooden log requires control over tools and hands along with visual perception and intuition.

4. And a little bit of friction

A stick of coloured lacquer is rubbed against the revolving wooden form. Lacquer transfers to the wood due to friction and heat produced by it. The coating is then finished with dried palm leaves. Oil secreting from the palm leaf mixes with the lacquer, giving it a smooth, shiny

The most important tools are an artisan`s hands and eyes. Even watching an artisan at work is like meditation. It provides immense peace and satisfaction, an experience that is difficult to describe.