I'm really curious, how do they make these lacquered doukake? Or has anyone else tried to make one on their own? I know In Kyle's book it shows you how to make one but it's for fabric.

The book only tells you how to make a fabric type. I have a doukake which is hard like plastic, makes me think that they have molds for it

Many laquered doukake use a plastic base.

Some doukake are then finished with urushi. Some use a clear-coat/resin finish.

I am unsure about the store versions

Is it possible to make one at home? I've been thinking for quite some time.

I'm surprised that Kyle doesn't chime in on this subject.

For a laquered doukake, I personally would go one of these routes.

Either you keep it natural, using shellac and staghorn resin mixed with iron oxide and clay powder, which gives a nice red to dark brown tone, depending on the mixture and additives, like pearl and deer horn grindings. But this is really really messy, did it once, just to fix a dent in my Guqin.

Otherwise I'd recommend artificial resin or epoxy resin. You just take off the dou, wrap it in clear foil for protection and then model a doukake made of gypsum/cast-wraps, wait until in is hardened, laquer it with a few layers of coloured epoxy resin, drill small holes for the straps and use a little epoxy glue to fixate some fabric (wool or maybe silk) to the inside of the doukake to prevent the gypsum layer to cause damage to skin or wood.

That would be my personal approach, which I'm gonna try for my nagauta shamisen.