Intarsia making technique
Intarsia was the forerunner of marquetry. It was used as far back as Greece, Rome, Egypt and the East. Most often, this technique was used to decorate dishes and furniture for the church and noble gentlemen. Previously, common ornaments were geometric shapes, as well as images of plants and animals. Now you can pick up a unique pattern both in shape and color.
Stages of creating a product using intarsia technique:
- Wood intarsia is difficult to execute, so you first need to create a diagram and cut out details from it. To make it more convenient, the color of the tree is marked on the diagram. How many colors, the same number of sheets with a diagram should be.
- The surface of the object should be cleaned of dust and dirt. The prepared elements of the scheme must be glued to the fragments of the tree according to the color scheme. Use the most common glue (PVA), since the paper will then be removed.
- Saw off the fragments clearly according to the scheme, polish and grind them. File or sand the edges where necessary.
- At the base of the product, recesses are made for existing parts. It is necessary, like a mosaic, to fold the elements into a single structure using glue. At the end of the work, if desired, the item can be varnished.
To make the product interesting, beautiful and of high quality, special attention is paid to creating a drawing scheme, only with its help you can make the exact shapes of objects. Studying wood intarsia patterns is the foundation of this skill
It will also be useful to experiment with the choice of wood, because there are exotic types of wood with a very interesting texture.
In terms of the technique of execution, intarsia is similar to a block mosaic in which parquet is made, walls are decorated. Thin plates are prepared in advance from different types of wood, differing in color, size, structure. Then you need to combine everything into a single composition. How it works: pieces of wood are inserted into the grooves prepared in advance and glued to the base. Block mosaics are also three-dimensional (decorated with carvings). It is ideal for making jewelry boxes.
Application options
During the entire existence of the marquetry technique, experts have come up with many methods of creating a mosaic. Some of them:
- Mosaic principle. First, the master cuts the finished model into pieces, which are then applied to the veneer. The first step is a set of basic parts. The latter in most cases serve as a background. Then, a tie-in of small elements is carried out. After the end of the manipulations, the drawing is collected on a paper model and the mosaic is fixed with adhesive tape on the front side. The main thing in the process of work is to minimize the likelihood of gaps and cracks. In addition, you need to glue the adhesive tape very carefully, because shifts on the surface are unacceptable.
- Set in veneer. The essence of the method is that the pattern is applied to the wood using a carbon copy, and then the elements are cut out along the contour. Then, inserts are made from other wood for the subsequent filling of voids on the background board. All parts are connected to each other using paper tape.
- Reverse dialing. First of all, a sheet of paper with a sketch of the future ornament is attached to the board. Then, curly parts are cut out of the veneer. On the front of each element with a soft brush, the master applies a gluten adhesive composition and sets it in the right place. The specialist tries to fit the pieces of the mosaic tightly. You can check the quality of the work in the world. This is the simplest method for creating marquetry.
- Set in paper.First of all, the specialist draws the thin contours of the details on a dense Whatman paper. Then, by vertical installation of a sharp knife, the master cuts through each element in order to subsequently fix it on the veneer. A piece of paper that has fallen out on wood is carefully traced around the contour. All parts of the composition are made in the same way.
Today, novice masters with great pleasure study all the nuances of this technique, inspired by the works of their predecessors.
Process of creation
Marquetry is translated from French as "mosaic". The essence of the technique consists in collecting thin plates from elite wood species and gluing the latter to the base in the form of an ornament. The thickness of the workpieces varies from 1 to 3 mm. They are distinguished by a variety of colors and textures.
First of all, a sketch of the drawing, which will later be made in the form of a mosaic, is applied by the master on graph paper. After that, the specialist chooses a color and, using watercolors, paints the picture in accordance with the idea.
A popular material that is most often used for making templates is thick cardboard. The master applies the resulting stencil to the veneer, and then outlines the contours. Wooden elements are cut with a special sharp knife or jigsaw. After that, all fragments of the image should be glued to the template, and they should be placed as tightly as possible. This is due to the fact that even the smallest gaps between parts in the marquetry technique are unacceptable. For work, you must use wood glue.
The finished set of wood parts in the next step is turned over with the paper up and glued to the plywood base
It is very important to carefully remove any residual adhesive. Then the product must be placed under a press for at least 4 hours so that it is completely dry.
After the processing of the front of the elements is carried out
Using coarse sandpaper, carefully remove the paper layer. The resulting blanks are ground and varnished several times.
Then the mosaic is polished.
To make the finished image look spectacular, experts use various types of wood. Some of them:
- pear;
- nut;
- Birch;
- Red tree.
Wood painting
Wood inlay with metal (copper, silver, aluminum, brass, etc.) is a fairly common type of technique. Depressions are made in the tree according to the scheme, wire or liquid metal is laid in them. The main condition is that the wood must be strong and dry so that it can withstand the effects of molten metals. The grooves are made with a knife or chisel. Before putting the wire, the grooves are greased with glue, and then it can be carefully hammered in with a hammer.
This type of inlay is the most difficult, so you need to carefully adhere to safety precautions. When working with straightening the wire, use protective goggles to protect your eyes from possible damage. Basic protective equipment should be at hand, because the work is difficult, and any thoughtless movement can lead to injuries or burns.
Mosaic looks very impressive on wood products. Working on it, you can creatively reveal yourself, give free rein to imagination. The process of creating even the smallest thing (for example, a souvenir) is very interesting and exciting. You can start small, and then expand your horizons and move on to planning large projects.
The interior in the room will change dramatically if at least one wall is decorated, or if an element of decor is present in the room.
Wood inlay result
The art of inlay has been known to mankind since ancient times. For inlay, you can use different materials (ceramics, marble, metal, etc.), but one of the most malleable materials is wood. That's why wood inlay on wood
(marquetry
and intarsia
) is very popular among craftsmen.
Intarsia
Of the two types of wood inlay, intarsia appeared earlier - it can rightfully be considered the “mother” of marquetry. When intarsia is performed, wooden plates of different colors and textures crash into a wooden surface
, which allows you to get a complex figured image.
It is believed that intarsia originated in Ancient egypt
, where wood was first used for incrustation along with more "noble" materials. But intarsia reached its peak in Of Italy
in the Renaissance. This technique was most often used to decorate church furniture and utensils.
Initially, the predominant ornaments were geometric and floral, but gradually the complexity of works performed in the intarsia technique increased. Craftsmen began to make whole pictures of wood
... In order to make them more effective, they used not only the "game" on the contrast of light and dark wood, but also firing, engraving, etching of wood.
How is an intarsia product made?
First, a drawing is selected and a sketch is made, which is divided into separate elements (plates) - like a mosaic. Then these elements are cut from wood of different colors and textures. The main (background) for the product is an array of wood, in which, using a special cutting tool, recesses for mosaic pieces are cut out.
The front side of the wooden plates is sanded and polished, and the back is left rough so that it adheres better to the background. Then you need to tightly fit the plates along the edges, glue and insert into the base array. The product is ready! If the pieces of the mosaic protrude above the base, this is called embossed intarsia
... And if they are on the same level with her, this is picturesque intarsia
.
Marquetry
Marquetry is simplified technique
intarsia. In fact, this is also a mosaic made of wood, but the pieces of the mosaic are made of thin veneer, assembled together along the edges, like a puzzle, glued and glued on a flat base.
Marquetry is a less laborious and costly technique than intarsia, but this does not mean that it is too simple. For the manufacture of products using the marquetry technique are also important neatness, patience and artistic taste
.
For marquetry use natural veneer
- single-layer facing plywood made from various types of wood. The thickness of the veneer can be different (from 0.5 to 1.2 mm), and its color and shade depend on the type of wood used to make the veneer. In addition, chemical methods are used to paint wood - for example, staining with wood stain.
As with the intarsia technique, you must first think over a pattern and draw a drawing (template) on thick paper
... Then, using special tools, pieces of mosaic are cut out of the veneer and greased with carpentry glue. Then the "puzzle" must be glued to the paper drawing template, tightly fitting to each other. After collecting the mosaic, it is turned over and glued to the base - the item to be decorated.
The finished product is covered with paper and for several hours put under the press
... After two days, the marquetry is polished, covered with several layers of varnish or special mastic. A day later, the mosaic is polished with a polishing paste and fabric (cloth, felt, drape).
You can do marquetry a little differently, embedding mosaic elements into the veneer background
... The resulting mosaic is fixed with greased paper and glued to the surface of the decorated product. This type of marquetry is closer in technique to its "parent" - intarsia.
Marquetry and intarsia are used to decorate furniture, in the manufacture of artistic parquet, original paintings, panels and souvenirs. Learning to work with these techniques requires more than accuracy and artistic taste.
It is very important to know how certain types of wood will "behave" during processing, varnishing, etc.But if you try very hard, you can end up with a real work of art.
Inlaid metal carnations
To get a chain of contiguous circles, the wires are first inserted through one, and after they are glued and sanded, holes are drilled in the gaps and the rest are inserted.
Thinner wires are best taken from another alloy - after finishing, this will provide a difference in shades. Konstantin believes that at least three shades of metal should be used in one work, that is, three alloys, so that the drawing looks harmonious.
The whole metal is ground (22).
Strokes and patterns
At first, they are drawn simply with a pencil, and then cut with a spitz-pin with a sharpening in the form of a triangle with the top down (23). The angle of sharpening of the graver is approximately 45 degrees, which is due to the high hardness of the mother-of-pearl.
Techniques for working with this tool differ from engraving with a drill, which draws lines in any direction. The cutter is cut approximately along the axis of the hand, and the workpiece, together with the vice, is turned on the table so that the cut goes in the direction most convenient for the master. In this case, the thumb of the working hand (by the way, the master is left-handed) rests on the finger of the right, which allows you to control the tool: it cannot break forward and inflict an irreparable scratch.
The graver is sharpened on a diamond disc inserted into the drill, and then hand-straightened on the agate.
The larger lines are cut first, forming the main pattern. Then thin lines are marked with a pencil and cut through them with a thinner grader. Last but not least, dots are put with a power tool called a matting tool (it most of all looks like a tiny jackhammer and strikes with a point). When all the lines and points are drawn, the mother-of-pearl is painted over with a black alcohol-based dye, which penetrates into the surface of the sections and is absorbed into them. From the planes of mother-of-pearl, the excess dye is wiped off with a hard drawing rubber.
Marquetry technology
So, the marquetry technology begins with the fact that veneers of various color shades with a thickness of 0.6 to 3.0 mm are taken. Then, mosaic details are cut out of the veneer using a cardboard template. In this case, it is better to use a v-shaped cutter: its leading edge should be perpendicular to the horizontal axis, and the rear edge should have an angle of 45 degrees
It is also important that the cutter is as sharp as possible, since a blunt tool will simply crush and destroy fragile veneer
You need to cut out the mosaic parts with a certain margin, and not exactly in size, so that later you can grind them and fit the most tightly in size. It is interesting that the marquetry technology consists not only in the use of natural wood colors, but also in order to obtain veneer with an unusual color, it uses various chemical methods of wood processing: pickling, soaking in solutions, staining with stain.
Subsequently, the pieces of the mosaic obtained according to the template must be greased with carpenter's glue and glued to the paper drawing-template, fitting them together as tightly as possible. When the entire mosaic is assembled, it is turned over and glued to the required wooden base with the help of wood glue. Then the wood marquetry is covered with paper and put under the press for several hours.
After two days, the semi-finished product can be sanded. Then the product can be coated in four layers with nitro varnish with intermediate drying from one to three hours and with intermediate grinding. After another day, the created mosaic needs to be polished with polishing paste and cloth. Some craftsmen, instead of varnishing, cover the product with a special mastic made from turpentine and wax.
Today, craftsmen use the technique of marquetry to create unique works of art. If you have the opportunity, why not decorate your home with such luxurious wood mosaic tiles as marquetry? After all, it's hard not to admire her, and the beauty of marquetry is timeless and always in fashion.