Yesterday, I had the opportunity and honor of demonstrating the chevalet and traditional french marquetry for the Chesapeake chapter of SAPFM (Society of American Period Furniture Makers, sapfm.org). This is a group of people very interested in period furniture, and they are all open, helpful, and eager to learn more.
The meeting started out with a bit of brief requisite business, then I was up to do my song and dance. In a little over an hour, I demonstrated the chevalet, cutting marquetry using tarsia a incastro (or Boulle technique, stack cutting, cutting in superimposition, all the same thing), the french assembly board, and putting together the marquetry. The crowd had some really great questions and was very attentive. While I was talking, I think only 2 or 3 people fell asleep out of over 30...not a bad percentage! The whole thing was video taped and mic'd. Hopefully, 6 years of having kids has trained my mouth to stay PG rated.
I am glad that I was able to spread a little knowledge of the chevalet and traditional marquetry techniques. Maybe someone will be inspired to go to San Diego, learn from Patrick Edwards, then come back and spread the knowledge a little more.
We also heard from Brian Landis, who demonstrated how he inlays shell into curved surfaces. Apparently, shell has virtually no flexibility, so you can't wrap it around a curved leg, for example. Brian's approach was to route a cavity so he could lay the shell straight into the cavity, but leave the shell proud. Then he would come back and make it flush with the surrounding wood.
After a bit of show and tell and lunch, Freddy Roman (periodcraftsmen.com) spoke for about 3 hours. Freddy touched on a bit of everything, including hide glue, laying out Louis cubes, toothing planes, laying up solid lumber for marquetry/veneer panels, and finishing. It was fantastic, and I hope I can learn more from Freddy some day.
Thanks go out to Mark Maleski (chapter SAPFM president) for inviting me to present. It was a wonderful experience, and I look forward to sharing with others again in the future.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Friday, June 5, 2015
Going high tech when using old world techniques
One of the key steps in the piece by piece method of marquetry (or element par element, or the Classic method) is to have several exact copies of the drawing. The drawing is a line drawing, and the "lines" are made up of tiny dots with small spaces between them. The purpose of using dots to make up the "lines" rather than, say, a line is that the dots make it easier to tell if you are straying away from the cut line. When I was taking the Classic method class from Patrick and Patrice at American School of French Marquetry, Patrice would pick up the pieces I cut, look at the paper glued to the front, and immediately tell how well I was cutting based on how much white he could see around the dots.
In the old days, the way this was done was a drawing was made and then pricked with a needle all along the lines. The drawing, now with tiny holes along the lines, would be placed over blank paper and carbon would be spread over the drawing using a pounce bag, I believe. The carbon would fall through the holes onto the paper beneath. The first photocopier. I'm certain Patrick Edwards has blogged about this already.
Thank goodness for computers. Today, we can use scanners and vector drawings to make this much easier. Although I'm being a little unfair...I haven't even tried the old prick method (sounds rather derogatory, doesn't it? You old prick...) Regardless, I'm going to demonstrate the method I use to get a drawing ready for use in the Classic method. This computer based method has several advantages over doing this strictly in paper, namely the drawing in the computer is infinitely scalable (since it is vector art, in the end), the file is easily stored AND BACKED UP (seriously, you're backing up your system using something like CrashPlan, right?), and the file is easy to share. It's also short order to grab pieces of different drawings and put them together. So this is also useful for tarsia a incastro, or Boulle technique.
I'd like to start by saying that I am in no way an expert at using Adobe Illustrator (or any of its alternatives). I am near certain that there are people out there who know better, faster, easier ways to execute some or all of this. If you are one of them, PLEASE leave comments and enlighten all of us on how to improve.
The method I'm going to discuss involves using Adobe Illustrator (CS4, specifically, since that's what I have). The retail price on Adobe software is pretty ridiculous, so if you want it, I suggest looking into some discounts. Students used to be able to get discounted Adobe software, and some employers offer discounts on it (which is how I obtained it). There are also alternatives. See this Lifehacker post: http://lifehacker.com/5976725/build-your-own-adobe-creative-suite-with-free-and-cheap-software
The first place to start is with a drawing. If you're doing something original, well, pick up a pencil (or pen) and start drawing. You're going to want clean lines in the end, nothing sketchy. If you're copying something, I find it easier to trace it if it isn't already a clean line drawing. If it's out of a book, sometimes I'll photocopy it, then trace it on a light table. The important thing here is to end up with clean lines so that Illustrator can easily tell what's a line and what isn't.
Next, you've got to get your drawing into the computer. I scan it into a pdf file. From there, I will open the pdf in Photoshop to clean it up, if necessary, and convert it to a jpg. (See the Lifehacker link above for alternatives to Photoshop.) By "cleaning it up", I mean trying to eliminate stray pixels. I find it really helps to have the cleanest lines possible at this point. Try messing with the Levels in Photoshop. Once you're satisfied (or just plain done with it), save it as a jpg. You may be able to just save it as a psd file, and go right to the next step.
Now that you have a jpg of your clean line drawing, open up Illustrator. Place the image in Illustrator by using File/Place.
Once it's placed, select the image and go to Object/Live Trace/Tracing Options.
This will open a Tracing Options dialog box.
I like to check the Preview box so I can see the changes as I monkey around with the settings in the Tracing Options dialog box. Having Preview enabled slows things down a lot, so be prepared to take your time. Now monkey around with the settings in the Tracing Options box. For our marquetry purposes, we are only going to want paths in the end, so I check Strokes and uncheck Fills. Then I play around with the settings until I minimize the artifacts and get the best lines. This will pay dividends later as you clean it up in Illustrator.
Once you're satisfied with the settings in the Trace Options box, select Trace. Now select Object/Live Trace/Expand. This removes the original image and replaces it with vectorized line art. At this point, you've probably got a lot of cleanup to do in Illustrator. I'll show you an example of cleaning up, then move to making the picture into dots.
In the image below, you can see a bunch of artifacts (or junk) that Illustrator interpreted as paths based on the settings we used in Live Trace. Note that I am viewing the Outline (View/Outline), rather than Preview.
I first use the Selection Tool (V) to select and delete this trash. Then, armed with the original drawing, I start moving anchors and handles to connect and smooth out the lines. I may even join lines, add anchors, and delete anchors as necessary.
Once the drawing is all cleaned up (which this example is not), it's time to turn the lines into a series of tiny dots. At the top of the screen is a Stroke selection (see picture below). Click on the blue Stroke. A small panel will pop up. For the tiniest of dots, I use the settings shown below. I'm not entirely sure if the Miter Limit does anything, I've tried it with different values and didn't see any difference.
Now go to View/Preview, and your picture should be shown as a series of tiny dots.
When you cut out the parts for the Classic method, glue them to your veneer packs and start cutting, I recommend a pair of diopters. These dots are tiny. I have really good eyesight, but I find the diopters invaluable. I think I picked mine up on Amazon (hell, I buy nearly everything off Amazon). As a bonus, the diopters are awesome when trying to remove splinters.
In the old days, the way this was done was a drawing was made and then pricked with a needle all along the lines. The drawing, now with tiny holes along the lines, would be placed over blank paper and carbon would be spread over the drawing using a pounce bag, I believe. The carbon would fall through the holes onto the paper beneath. The first photocopier. I'm certain Patrick Edwards has blogged about this already.
Thank goodness for computers. Today, we can use scanners and vector drawings to make this much easier. Although I'm being a little unfair...I haven't even tried the old prick method (sounds rather derogatory, doesn't it? You old prick...) Regardless, I'm going to demonstrate the method I use to get a drawing ready for use in the Classic method. This computer based method has several advantages over doing this strictly in paper, namely the drawing in the computer is infinitely scalable (since it is vector art, in the end), the file is easily stored AND BACKED UP (seriously, you're backing up your system using something like CrashPlan, right?), and the file is easy to share. It's also short order to grab pieces of different drawings and put them together. So this is also useful for tarsia a incastro, or Boulle technique.
I'd like to start by saying that I am in no way an expert at using Adobe Illustrator (or any of its alternatives). I am near certain that there are people out there who know better, faster, easier ways to execute some or all of this. If you are one of them, PLEASE leave comments and enlighten all of us on how to improve.
The method I'm going to discuss involves using Adobe Illustrator (CS4, specifically, since that's what I have). The retail price on Adobe software is pretty ridiculous, so if you want it, I suggest looking into some discounts. Students used to be able to get discounted Adobe software, and some employers offer discounts on it (which is how I obtained it). There are also alternatives. See this Lifehacker post: http://lifehacker.com/5976725/build-your-own-adobe-creative-suite-with-free-and-cheap-software
The first place to start is with a drawing. If you're doing something original, well, pick up a pencil (or pen) and start drawing. You're going to want clean lines in the end, nothing sketchy. If you're copying something, I find it easier to trace it if it isn't already a clean line drawing. If it's out of a book, sometimes I'll photocopy it, then trace it on a light table. The important thing here is to end up with clean lines so that Illustrator can easily tell what's a line and what isn't.
Next, you've got to get your drawing into the computer. I scan it into a pdf file. From there, I will open the pdf in Photoshop to clean it up, if necessary, and convert it to a jpg. (See the Lifehacker link above for alternatives to Photoshop.) By "cleaning it up", I mean trying to eliminate stray pixels. I find it really helps to have the cleanest lines possible at this point. Try messing with the Levels in Photoshop. Once you're satisfied (or just plain done with it), save it as a jpg. You may be able to just save it as a psd file, and go right to the next step.
Now that you have a jpg of your clean line drawing, open up Illustrator. Place the image in Illustrator by using File/Place.
Once it's placed, select the image and go to Object/Live Trace/Tracing Options.
This will open a Tracing Options dialog box.
I like to check the Preview box so I can see the changes as I monkey around with the settings in the Tracing Options dialog box. Having Preview enabled slows things down a lot, so be prepared to take your time. Now monkey around with the settings in the Tracing Options box. For our marquetry purposes, we are only going to want paths in the end, so I check Strokes and uncheck Fills. Then I play around with the settings until I minimize the artifacts and get the best lines. This will pay dividends later as you clean it up in Illustrator.
Once you're satisfied with the settings in the Trace Options box, select Trace. Now select Object/Live Trace/Expand. This removes the original image and replaces it with vectorized line art. At this point, you've probably got a lot of cleanup to do in Illustrator. I'll show you an example of cleaning up, then move to making the picture into dots.
In the image below, you can see a bunch of artifacts (or junk) that Illustrator interpreted as paths based on the settings we used in Live Trace. Note that I am viewing the Outline (View/Outline), rather than Preview.
I first use the Selection Tool (V) to select and delete this trash. Then, armed with the original drawing, I start moving anchors and handles to connect and smooth out the lines. I may even join lines, add anchors, and delete anchors as necessary.
Once the drawing is all cleaned up (which this example is not), it's time to turn the lines into a series of tiny dots. At the top of the screen is a Stroke selection (see picture below). Click on the blue Stroke. A small panel will pop up. For the tiniest of dots, I use the settings shown below. I'm not entirely sure if the Miter Limit does anything, I've tried it with different values and didn't see any difference.
Now go to View/Preview, and your picture should be shown as a series of tiny dots.
When you cut out the parts for the Classic method, glue them to your veneer packs and start cutting, I recommend a pair of diopters. These dots are tiny. I have really good eyesight, but I find the diopters invaluable. I think I picked mine up on Amazon (hell, I buy nearly everything off Amazon). As a bonus, the diopters are awesome when trying to remove splinters.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Bandsaw "adjustment"
Last year, my family and I moved from Washington (state) to Maryland. The rental house we moved into has a 2 car garage, so that became my shop. I have 4 big tools with 220 volt motors. The tablesaw, the bandsaw, the air compressor, and the dust collector. Unfortunately, and to no surprise, the garage of the rental house did not have 220 volt circuits. I decided to mothball the air compressor and dust collector. I have a small pancake air compressor I could limp by on, and I could purchase a dust collector that operated on 110 volt. But I wanted the bandsaw and tablesaw operational.
I got a quote from an electrician to install a 220 volt circuit in the garage. The existing electrical panel is on the far end of the house from the garage. The quote came back at $1500 if I dug the 18" deep trench across the length of the house. That idea quickly died.
Instead, I decided to swap the motors on the tablesaw and bandsaw for 115 volt motors. The tablesaw, a circa 2000 Powermatic 66, was fairly easy to swap. Maybe I'll post about that another time.
The bandsaw, an 18" Jet JWBS-18X-3, was a bit more challenging. It seems that the manufacturer chose to use a custom motor with non-NEMA face mount, so that the bolt holes do not line up with NEMA motors. Brilliant. So when your motor craps out on you, you are forced to buy a replacement from them. Or do what I did as I describe below.
Overall, the motor replacement on the bandsaw went like this:
The original motor had a non-standard motor shaft, too, so I had to buy a new sheave (the pulley that goes on the end of the motor shaft that the belt rides on). For the motor I bought, I got a BK-28 sheave with 7/8" bore.
The original starter on the bandsaw (the switch, if you will) was for a 220 volt motor. So, I had to buy a new magnetic starter. Grizzly had a good one... the G8291 magnetic switch.
Now came the interesting part. How to mount the new NEMA motor to the bandsaw, given that the original motor mount was not for a NEMA motor bolt pattern. I discovered a fantastic service online. Emachineshop.com. This is an online machine shop, out of New Jersey I think. Using their free 3D modeling software, you design your part, cost it, pick materials, and submit it all online. I was able to choose an adequate material that was strong enough but inexpensive. Something steel. I am not a metallurgist. The cost, including delivery, for my custom motor mount bracket was around $75. I ended up priming it and painting it black with spray can paint. It fit PERFECTLY.
The next problem was the hole in the side of the bandsaw for the motor to go through. You might be able to tell from the photo above that the bolt holes for the motor in the new mount plate were covered up by the bandsaw side. I had to cut away the side of the bandsaw with my recip saw. There is some support steel around where the motor comes through the side. I just cut all the sheet metal away inside that square. It was an ugly operation. I used a file to dull the cut edges. Whatever, it's just a tool and it works fine.
The new magnetic switch also needed a different mount to the bandsaw. I just took a piece of scrap cherry plywood, screwed it to the bandsaw through the original holes (or maybe I tapped some new holes, I can't remember), and surface mounted my new switch to the plywood. Works great.
All in all, I'm pretty pleased with this "adjustment" to the bandsaw. When I get in a more permanent shop with 220 volt circuits, I'll put the original motor back on. All the original bolt holes are still there. But I've been able to resaw 8" wide poplar with this setup on a 20 amp circuit. Not too bad! And the experience with emachineshop.com was incredible.
I got a quote from an electrician to install a 220 volt circuit in the garage. The existing electrical panel is on the far end of the house from the garage. The quote came back at $1500 if I dug the 18" deep trench across the length of the house. That idea quickly died.
Instead, I decided to swap the motors on the tablesaw and bandsaw for 115 volt motors. The tablesaw, a circa 2000 Powermatic 66, was fairly easy to swap. Maybe I'll post about that another time.
The bandsaw, an 18" Jet JWBS-18X-3, was a bit more challenging. It seems that the manufacturer chose to use a custom motor with non-NEMA face mount, so that the bolt holes do not line up with NEMA motors. Brilliant. So when your motor craps out on you, you are forced to buy a replacement from them. Or do what I did as I describe below.
Overall, the motor replacement on the bandsaw went like this:
- purchase a 115 volt, 2 hp NEMA motor
- purchase a new sheave
- purchase new magnetic starter
- have a custom motor mount made
- enlarge the through hole in the side of the bandsaw for the motor
- install everything
The original motor had a non-standard motor shaft, too, so I had to buy a new sheave (the pulley that goes on the end of the motor shaft that the belt rides on). For the motor I bought, I got a BK-28 sheave with 7/8" bore.
The original starter on the bandsaw (the switch, if you will) was for a 220 volt motor. So, I had to buy a new magnetic starter. Grizzly had a good one... the G8291 magnetic switch.
Now came the interesting part. How to mount the new NEMA motor to the bandsaw, given that the original motor mount was not for a NEMA motor bolt pattern. I discovered a fantastic service online. Emachineshop.com. This is an online machine shop, out of New Jersey I think. Using their free 3D modeling software, you design your part, cost it, pick materials, and submit it all online. I was able to choose an adequate material that was strong enough but inexpensive. Something steel. I am not a metallurgist. The cost, including delivery, for my custom motor mount bracket was around $75. I ended up priming it and painting it black with spray can paint. It fit PERFECTLY.
The next problem was the hole in the side of the bandsaw for the motor to go through. You might be able to tell from the photo above that the bolt holes for the motor in the new mount plate were covered up by the bandsaw side. I had to cut away the side of the bandsaw with my recip saw. There is some support steel around where the motor comes through the side. I just cut all the sheet metal away inside that square. It was an ugly operation. I used a file to dull the cut edges. Whatever, it's just a tool and it works fine.
The new magnetic switch also needed a different mount to the bandsaw. I just took a piece of scrap cherry plywood, screwed it to the bandsaw through the original holes (or maybe I tapped some new holes, I can't remember), and surface mounted my new switch to the plywood. Works great.
All in all, I'm pretty pleased with this "adjustment" to the bandsaw. When I get in a more permanent shop with 220 volt circuits, I'll put the original motor back on. All the original bolt holes are still there. But I've been able to resaw 8" wide poplar with this setup on a 20 amp circuit. Not too bad! And the experience with emachineshop.com was incredible.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Online store
I do a lot of shopping online. If I could buy all my groceries and gas for my car online, I might never buy anything in person. Heck, I might not ever leave the house (except to buy hardwood...that's something I still think must be done in person). I am also up very early in the morning, and sometimes that's when I do my shopping. Maybe there are others like me out there, so...
I have done a little revamping of my website. I now have an online store set up. At least, I'm pretty sure I do. It tested pretty well, with shipping through UPS and US Postal, payment through Paypal. I'm working on getting Fedex available, but they seem to be a challenge. I must say, I now have a deep appreciation for sites like Amazon and eBay.
Currently, I am only selling the European Kraft paper online. Maybe someday I'll expand, but for now I thought some people might like to be able to order online. Check it out, and if anything seems buggy, please email or call. My website is www.highfillcustomwoodworks.com, click on the STORE option to the left.
I have done a little revamping of my website. I now have an online store set up. At least, I'm pretty sure I do. It tested pretty well, with shipping through UPS and US Postal, payment through Paypal. I'm working on getting Fedex available, but they seem to be a challenge. I must say, I now have a deep appreciation for sites like Amazon and eBay.
Currently, I am only selling the European Kraft paper online. Maybe someday I'll expand, but for now I thought some people might like to be able to order online. Check it out, and if anything seems buggy, please email or call. My website is www.highfillcustomwoodworks.com, click on the STORE option to the left.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Homemade Veneer Hammer
I was recently making a marquetry panel and needed (or wanted) to veneer the back in a cheap veneer to balance the panel. My vacuum pump was out of commission, so I turned to the idea of hammer veneering (at least for the backer veneer...hammer veneering the marquetry to the front of the panel would likely be a good exercise in ruining marquetry). I'd never tried hammer veneering and didn't have a veneer hammer.
Perusing the internet for a veneer hammer to purchase, I wasn't overly excited by what I saw. I decided I'd make my own. The veneer hammer you see below is entirely out of scrap except for the 1/4" brass strip at the business end of the hammer. The head is a scrap of oak left over from building the chevalet; the handle is an extra cherry leg from a coffee table. The brass strip is 1/8" thick, 1 1/4" wide. I bought a 12" length off Amazon for $6.
I took the basic dimensions and shape of the veneer hammer from Tage Frid's article in FWW #10. I think there's about 1/4" of brass sticking out of the head. I eased the edges and corners of the brass strip with a file. I used a double wedged tenon to secure the handle to the head. I did some rough shaping on the handle using rasps and a spokeshave, just to make it comfortable.
I did not bother securing the brass strip into the head of the veneer hammer. It's just press fit in a snug groove. (One reason I left it proud on the ends: so I can easily pry it out if I ever choose to.)
This is not a tool to show off at an art show...it's for working. The next one I make, I'll be sure to start with enough material at the end of the handle to flare it out a bit, but I don't imagine I'll be so vigorous with this one as to lose my grip. It's really just a squegee.
I used a brass strip so that I can put the veneer hammer in a dish of hot water to keep the metal warm. The brass won't rust. What I did was put a little water in a small pan on a hot plate, then stuck the brass of the veneer hammer in the water.
This worked out very nicely. I'm glad I tried hammer veneering, and I'm glad I made my own veneer hammer (total cash outlay = $6...not bad). I intend to use this technique on work in the future. If you want to see a good video on hammer veneering, go to www.woodtreks.com and search for hammer veneer (or click here).
Perusing the internet for a veneer hammer to purchase, I wasn't overly excited by what I saw. I decided I'd make my own. The veneer hammer you see below is entirely out of scrap except for the 1/4" brass strip at the business end of the hammer. The head is a scrap of oak left over from building the chevalet; the handle is an extra cherry leg from a coffee table. The brass strip is 1/8" thick, 1 1/4" wide. I bought a 12" length off Amazon for $6.
I took the basic dimensions and shape of the veneer hammer from Tage Frid's article in FWW #10. I think there's about 1/4" of brass sticking out of the head. I eased the edges and corners of the brass strip with a file. I used a double wedged tenon to secure the handle to the head. I did some rough shaping on the handle using rasps and a spokeshave, just to make it comfortable.
I did not bother securing the brass strip into the head of the veneer hammer. It's just press fit in a snug groove. (One reason I left it proud on the ends: so I can easily pry it out if I ever choose to.)
This is not a tool to show off at an art show...it's for working. The next one I make, I'll be sure to start with enough material at the end of the handle to flare it out a bit, but I don't imagine I'll be so vigorous with this one as to lose my grip. It's really just a squegee.
I used a brass strip so that I can put the veneer hammer in a dish of hot water to keep the metal warm. The brass won't rust. What I did was put a little water in a small pan on a hot plate, then stuck the brass of the veneer hammer in the water.
This worked out very nicely. I'm glad I tried hammer veneering, and I'm glad I made my own veneer hammer (total cash outlay = $6...not bad). I intend to use this technique on work in the future. If you want to see a good video on hammer veneering, go to www.woodtreks.com and search for hammer veneer (or click here).
Friday, January 23, 2015
European kraft paper in America
I recently dropped a bundle of money to import brown kraft
paper from France. Why would I do this?
Because life is ephemeral.
People die, businesses disappear, products vanish. Things that were once available are no longer
there when you want them. Some notable
examples include Pierre Ramond’s “Marquetry”, which is no longer in print but
can be bought used (the price continues to climb); cast iron glue pots, which
are no longer made but can be bought on sites like eBay; veneer nails, which
Patrick Edwards discussed in his blog here
http://wpatrickedwards.blogspot.com/2013/10/weve-got-nails.html.
http://wpatrickedwards.blogspot.com/2013/10/weve-got-nails.html.
After taking Patrick Edwards’s classes on Boulle marquetry
and the Piece by Piece method, I’m all in with French marquetry. Previous to taking Patrick’s classes, I tried
marquetry using a knife and the window method.
It turned out OK. See the
pictures of the dandelions and what I call the Hebrew
box. These were done with an X-Acto
knife and a bunch of veneer tape.
 |
| Dandelion picture done using a knife and the window method |
 |
| Hebrew box - don't ask me what it says, because I don't know |
I also tried the double bevel method on a scroll saw, but I
was never able to control the cut very well.
It really wandered, and sharp turns were a challenge for me. Then I sat down on a chevalet; by the end of
the first week, I felt like I could control my cut. The picture below was made using my chevalet and is mounted to the front of it. I never would have been able to do this with a knife, but maybe others could.
Well, if you’re going to do Boulle or Piece by Piece
marquetry, you might as well adopt the whole French method. And that means assembling the pictures using
kraft paper stretched over a board. This
is called an assembly board. Patrick has
written about this in his blog, and he and Patrice have made videos about it. Visit their YouTube site at 3815utah.
There are 2 critical elements to the assembly board: hot
hide glue and kraft paper. Hide glue is
still available in the US; glue pots can be obtained off eBay for fairly decent
prices if you keep your eyes open. The
kraft paper that the French use is another story. It is a special kraft paper that is shiny on
one side, dull on the other. You use it by
wetting the shiny side, which is somewhat resistant to the water. It absorbs some of the water, but doesn’t totally degrade. You then glue the board to the dull side of
the kraft paper. As the paper dries, it
pulls tight across the board. Voila, an assembly board is ready for a
picture to be glued to it. The kraft
paper is also fairly strong, which is useful when you’re slathering hide glue
on it. The hide glue tends to pull on
the paper as it dries; if the paper is weak, it will rip due to this pulling.
When I left Patrick’s first class, I thought I might be able
to find a different paper that could be used.
Something available in North America.
I searched across the internet and purchased several different types of
paper that I thought might work. Most
didn’t work at all. When I wetted them, they turned to mush. One paper almost
worked; it had a shiny side and a dull side, I could make an assembly board
with it, I could mount pictures to it, but it is weak and tears easily,
especially when the hide glue dries.
Apparently, Patrick was right when he said that papers in
North America just don’t work.
Having seen so many things disappear in my relatively short
time, and knowing how much has disappeared in the past, I thought about the European
kraft paper. It’s not available in North
America (that I can find). What if
Europe suddenly moved away from it? What
if it, too, disappeared? I enjoy
marquetry and have found a method that works for me. I decided I needed a stock pile, enough to
last me.
I searched all over for a cheap way to get the European
kraft paper. There just wasn’t an easy
way. I finally contacted a company in
France. They had a minimum number of
rolls they would ship to the US. Geez, I
really only wanted one roll. But maybe
other people wanted just one roll?
So I bit the bullet. I
now have several full rolls of kraft paper, the exact same stuff that Patrick
Edwards uses, sitting in my shop. Well,
they’re standing really, like soldiers on guard.
 |
| Ten-hut! |
These rolls are 250 m (that’s about 275 yards) long, 120 cm
wide, 90 g/m2, just like what Patrick uses.
I am making these rolls of European kraft paper available to
the marquetry community at a great rate.
You won’t need to wire money to a company in France, hire a company to
get the paper through customs, or store multiple rolls in your shop which are
far more than you’ll ever use. For $550
plus actual shipping charges, I’ll crate a roll and ship it to you. Contact
me with an address and I’ll find out the shipping charge for you.
UPDATE: I will also sell lengths of kraft paper at $3/yard plus shipping.
UPDATE: I will also sell lengths of kraft paper at $3/yard plus shipping.
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