Of course, all the technology described below is suitable not only for knife handles, but also for any wooden objects - from eyeglass cases and boxes to furniture.

Creating a work of art in the form of an inlaid knife handle (and, in fact, any other) begins with a sketch. Konstantin draws them himself, since thanks to his art education he is fluent in ornaments in different styles, from ancient Russian and Gothic to modern.

Wood inlay master class

The drawn ornament (1) is transferred from the template to tracing paper, then applied to the handle and pierced along the contour with a needle. This type of work quickly tires your hands (especially if the wood is hard), so it is better to use a special power tool - a small motor with a coupling on the shaft in which a short needle is attached. A rotating needle leaves a mark on the wood with less axial force than a stationary one.

The handle blank is secured in a device consisting of a clamp, a wooden lining and a machine vice. This solution is convenient because it will have good support when processing any part of the product, and it is also easy to rotate on the table.

Wood inlay with wire

The first operation is notching the metal wire. To do this, use white metal, pulling it through jewelry dies to the required diameter (2), in this case 0.65 mm. The explanation is simple: it makes more sense to buy wire of the largest diameter needed and, if necessary, pull thinner ones than to store coils of wires of different diameters. Then, by rolling through rollers, the wire is flattened into a ribbon approximately 1.3x0.25 mm (3).

Then you need to cut tiny grooves in the wood, following the chains of needle marks, into which the wire will be driven. Konstantin discovered that thin hammer cutters (they are hit with a hammer) are more convenient to use. Such hand-made tools (5) have different widths, and their cutting part is mostly flat, although there are also a few round ones. This is extremely precise and painstaking work - the cutter is placed on the future line (4), driven into the wood with a blow of a small hammer, moved further - and so on until a line or several logically connected (continuing each other) segments of it are cut.

The wire is bent according to the shape of the groove using round pliers. Just before driving in, cyanoacrylate glue is dripped into the groove and immediately begin to drive the wire (6) into it. Excess glue is removed with a miniature scraper, and the metal is finally pressed down with a small hammer.

Having driven in one line, they cut a groove for the next one. The point here is that wood is heterogeneous and soft (compared to metal), and if you cut a second line parallel to the first without first filling it, the wood will simply move and the work will be ruined. And when the groove is filled with metal glued into it, the wood has nowhere to go. Line by line - this is how a metal pattern is created in wood (7).

When one side of the handle is ready, the part of the metal protruding from the wood is cut off with a file, and the handle is wiped with a solvent. The pattern on both sides is symmetrical.

Mother of pearl inlay on wood

The next operation is cutting out mother-of-pearl parts of complex shapes and selecting nests for them in the tree.

Templates for individual inserts are glued onto shells (8), the main requirement for which is a larger thickness (it’s good if 3-4 mm, since the curvature of the shell does not coincide with the curvature of the handle and adjustment will be required). A large allowance around the template is cut off with a diamond disc in a drill so that part of the shell can lie flat on the table.

Using a small jigsaw and jewelry metal files, cut out mother-of-pearl inserts (9, 10). Files often break during such work, so you have to buy dozens of them.

The sawn fragment must be placed in the place where it will be inserted and traced along the contour in order to then make a nest for it (11). And here there is a trick - the fragment is glued with a couple of drops of cyanoacrylate, traced with a faceted needle, and then knocked down using a scraper and a hammer (12) - the damaged part of the wood will still be removed.

The scratched contour is cut through with the same micro-cutters used to make grooves for the pattern (13), and the wood in the middle is selected with a back-cone cutter. The reverse cone is needed so that the cavity expands downward, since the curvature of the fragment and the product are different, and otherwise they will not come together.

Then the most delicate and painstaking part of the work begins - the mutual adjustment of mother-of-pearl and wood. Here various cutters and discs for the drill are used. After the burs, use a “boot” type chisel, which has two 90-degree bends and a flat cutting part located below the handle and parallel to it (14). It is clear that if the mother of pearl does not coincide with the edge of the socket, which has a metal insert, then it is this that is filed down. The fitted insert is glued onto the cyanoacrylate and pressed down with a textolite hammer to the bottom of the socket (15). The protruding part of the mother-of-pearl is cut off using a narrow belt grinder Rgokhop with a belt width of about a centimeter (16) and finally finished with a file (17).

Round mother-of-pearl details

Round inserts (“buttons”, “plugs”) are made a little differently - by drilling the mother-of-pearl with a diamond tubular drill. It is clamped into the chuck of a miniature machine with a man-made water cooling system, and the shell is placed on a wooden stand and drilled with a slight feed (18). Moreover, having passed right through the mother of pearl, they press the feed lever, causing the resulting “button” to be pressed further into the drill tube from where it is then pushed out (simply with a wire).

The holes in the handle are made with a drill using a drill, the rotation speed is approximately the first thousand revolutions (19). Cyanoacrylate is dripped into the holes, and with curved tweezers (so you can see what you are doing), the mother-of-pearl circle is placed in place (20) and hammered flush with a small hammer.

Metal nails in inlay

Small, less than three millimeters, metal “nails” are made like this: the holes are again drilled with a drill, glue is dripped onto the edge of the vice, into which the tip of the wire is dipped, and then the wire is inserted into the hole, pressing it into it with hand pressure along the axis. The excess is cut off with double-jointed pliers (21). Having inserted several pieces of wire, hammer them all the way in with a hammer and cut off the excess with side cutters.

To get a chain of touching 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.

It is better to take thinner wires from a different alloy - after final finishing this will provide a difference in shades. Konstantin believes that in one work at least three shades of metal, that is, three alloys, should be used so that the design looks harmonious.

The eroded metal is ground (22).

Strokes and patterns
Lastly, strokes and patterns are applied to the mother-of-pearl to complete the image.

First, they are simply drawn with a pencil, and then cut with a spitztikheel sharpened in the form of a triangle with the top down (23). The sharpening angle of the gravel is approximately 45 degrees, which is due to the high hardness of mother-of-pearl.

The working methods of this tool differ from engraving with a drill, which draws lines in any direction. A graver is used to cut approximately along the axis of the hand, and the workpiece together with the vice is rotated 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 hand, which allows you to control the tool: it cannot fall forward and cause an irreparable scratch.

The gravel is sharpened on a diamond disk inserted into a drill, and then the agate is edited by hand.

The larger lines that form the main pattern are cut first. Then thin lines are marked with a pencil and cut through them with a thinner pencil. Lastly, the dots are made with a power tool called a mat (it looks most like a tiny jackhammer and strikes with the tip). When all the lines and dots have been applied, the mother-of-pearl is painted over with a black alcohol-based dye, which penetrates and is absorbed into the surfaces of the sections. Excess dye is erased from the mother-of-pearl planes with a hard drawing eraser.

Giving the knife handle a relief

The last operation is the so-called trimming, or giving relief to the under-finger part of the handle so that it does not slip in the palm. This work is performed with a spherical cutter with a diameter of 2.7-3 mm, after which the relief is smoothed by grinding (24) using a strip of sandpaper inserted into a fork-shaped holder.

By successively applying sandpapers of 120, 150, 180, 220, 250 and 320 grit, you end up with a smooth surface without the slightest scratch.

Result of wood inlay

At this point, work on the product is almost finished (25). All that remains is to wipe the wood with linseed or some other drying oil and give the product to the customer or transfer it to the next operation. In the case of a knife handle, this will be the metal work of assembling the blade, pommel, guard and handle together. But these operations are performed by another master. Metal cutting into wood is an ancient technology in which metal strips, rods and various geometric shapes are driven into a wooden base.

Vsechka is quite widely developed in Transcarpathian Ukraine, Dagestan, and some areas of the Baltic states. With the help of a carving, a variety of household products are decorated: smoking pipes, canes, bowls, goblets, staves, glasses and decanters, boxes, fruit plates, jewelry, as well as wall panels and even paintings.

Let's look at the technology for making a notch. The base is “textureless” wood, the surface of which has a high density and uniform hardness. Hard species are suitable for notching: dogwood, hawthorn, apricot tree, pear, apple tree, walnut and others, and for educational work on notching you can use wood from softer species, such as birch, black and red alder, aspen, linden.

The wood must be well dried and free from cracks, knots and rot. If the humidity is high, over time the metal will be forced out and the product, as they say, will “bristle.” Interesting compositions are obtained from end cuts of hardwood trees, for example, oak, beech, etc.

Most of the species listed here have light wood, on which metal inserts will not “play.” To color wood, various stains and black ink are used.

Non-ferrous metals and alloys are used as metal inserts: copper, bronze, brass, aluminum in the form of wire, rolled wire (wire rolled in a roller) and narrow strips. In the most critical cases, you can use gold or silver in the form of wire or thin sheet.

Tools for notching are jamb knives, which are used by wood carvers, and cutter knives (Fig. 1). Longitudinal cuts are made with blunt knives, and cuts for round and shaped plaques are made with a butt knife-cutter. It is necessary to have several cutters with blades of different widths and with different sharpening of the cutting part.

To cut out recesses for round plaques, you can take cutter compasses (Fig. 2). If your composition contains a large number of identical round plaques, then to prepare nests for them you can use specially sharpened tubes of a given diameter or punches (Fig. 3).

Narrow strips of metal are cut from the sheet with scissors and “nails” from the wire - with wire cutters, side cutters, pliers or scissors. To drill holes you need a drill with a set of drills and several awls for making holes for the “nails”. You may also need pliers and tweezers to hold small parts.

The basics for a spherical or cylindrical shape - a cup holder, a vase, a plate or a jug - are made on a lathe, a flat one - with a plane, and a more complex shape - with a knife, chisels and other carpentry tools. However, we must remember that the notch “looks better” when the surface is somewhat convex. If it is not possible to make a base or “linen” at home, as the craftsmen call it, then the base can be bought on the market.

The design process, like any creative process, begins with the development of a sketch. You need to decide what you want to make: a small keychain for your beloved girl, a pipe or stick for your grandfather, or maybe a beautiful dish for your mother. Based on this, they make or purchase the required product blank - “linen”. Then they determine the places for the notches, their sizes and shapes, and then make drawings for each area in the same style.

The prepared drawing is transferred to tracing paper, and from it to the base. Transferring the drawing onto a flat base through carbon paper with a pointed stick or ballpoint pen, which has used up all the paste. If the drawing is symmetrical, then you can draw only one part of it.

On a base with a convex surface, the drawing, transferred to tracing paper, is applied to the place where it needs to be transferred, and pressed, cutting along the edges for a tight fit. The notching process depends on the elements used.

To cut the ribbon, use a joint knife to make a slot with a width equal to the thickness of the ribbon and a depth slightly greater than the width of the ribbon. If several ribbons are connected at their ends in one place, then it is necessary to tap their ends with a hammer to reduce their thickness so that they connect into one sharp corner (Fig. 4).

The ribbon must be driven in very carefully with a light hammer so that it fits completely into the slot and its upper edge does not bend. If the edge does bend, then you need to remove the ribbon and lightly tap it with a metal hammer on a steel plate.

It will harden, that is, it will become stiffer and then fit into the slot better. When cutting short strokes, the slot is made with a butcher knife. The end of the metal strip is inserted into the slot until it stops. Using scissors or side cutters, cut it off from this plane and hammer it into the base (Fig. 5). The top edge of the insert must not be allowed to bend. Only the end of the driven metal should be visible at the base.

Carnations perform a dual role when cutting. Firstly, the main one, when dots are used to decorate any ornament. And, secondly, auxiliary, when metal plaques are attached with nails. In the first case, a hole is made in the base with an awl in the right place, the end of the wire is inserted into it and bitten off with a side cutter. After this, with a light blow of a hammer, the protruding end of the wire is driven into the wooden base.

The method of installing metal plaques into the base depends on their shape and size. If the shape of the plaque is round, then the recess is made with a drill, notch or punch to a depth of 2/3 of the thickness of the metal plaque. A plaque is placed into the socket and the required number of holes for the “studs” are pierced (or drilled).

To ensure that the carnations do not differ in color from the plaque, they must be made of the same metal. If the plaque is not round, but of a different shape, it is cut out with scissors, the burrs are filed off, placed on the base and carefully traced with a sharp scriber. Then, using a narrow chisel or chisel, a recess is made under it and secured in the same way as a round insert.

Plaques can not only be nailed, but also glued. In this case, it is necessary to allow time for the glue to dry, and therefore the work will proceed intermittently. For gluing metal to wood, we can recommend nitrocellulose glue, synthetic adhesives such as BF, 88, epoxy resin, and PVA.

The cutting process is quite complicated. Therefore, first you need to practice on some simpler designs: Christmas trees, snakes, meshes, and then move on to simple ornaments.

Having learned how to make them, you can move on to more complex ones (Fig. 6), and then to planar compositions. A more complex process of carving is working with volumetric bases such as bowls, dishes, cups, glasses, jugs and mortars. In this case, it is necessary to first deform the inserts according to the shape of the base surface.

You can enrich the “palette” of carvings by using combinations of several metals and alloys, for example, copper and aluminum, cupronickel and bronze. After the final notching of all metal elements, the product is ground with a personal file (a file with a fine notch), then sanded with sandpaper. After sanding, metal and wood dust is brushed off with a bristle brush. Under no circumstances should you brush off the dust with your hand, as this may cause cuts to your fingers.

The sanded surface should not be touched with hands, so that there are no grease stains left on it, which will prevent high-quality coverage of the base with coloring solutions.

In order for the product to look beautiful, it is coated with a dark mordant. The color of the coating can be selected by mixing several mordants.
Currently, the following colors are available for sale: black, crimson (mahogany) and brown (walnut). The paint is diluted with warm water and the color intensity is checked on a test board. If black mascara is used, it is diluted with warm water in a 1:1 ratio.

The selected coloring solution is applied with a wide brush, swab or piece of foam rubber to the entire surface of the product, including the metal pattern. It is necessary to cover the product evenly, avoiding gaps and being careful not to overly moisten it, as this may warp the product.
You can dry the product using any heating device: a lamp, an electric towel, etc.

After drying, wipe the product thoroughly with a damp cloth. At the same time, the stain deposits are removed from the inlay elements, the pile is smoothed, and the stain is distributed more evenly over the surface of the wood. After this, the product is left to dry at natural temperature for about a day.

After drying is complete, the product is carefully wiped with the finest sandpaper, reviving the shine of the metal pattern. The product is ready for a transparent finish.

If the product is small, it is varnished by dipping it into a vessel with varnish. Then hung to dry. It is necessary to immerse 2-3 times to obtain an evenly shiny surface. Each previous layer should be well dried and sanded with fine sandpaper. If the product is large and cannot be lowered into a bath of varnish, a transparent film is applied with a swab.

It should be borne in mind that it is better to rub products intended for interior use with wax mastic.
The coating protects the metal surface from oxidation and reveals the beautiful structure of the wood.

Based on materials from the magazine "Do It Yourself"

The word inlay is of Latin origin. Since we are talking about Latin, it is already clear that this art has been known for a long time. It means decorating any covering with pieces of glass, marble, ceramics, metal, etc. These pieces are laid out on the surface, differing from it in composition and color. And although a variety of materials are used, wood is still the most common.

People of the older generation remember how 30-40 years ago the most common hobbies were embossing, intarsia and marquetry. True, many had not heard of such names, but everything looked very decent and everyone liked it. Oddly enough, over time, nothing has changed; these crafts still exist, and the products are not only in great demand, but also cost a lot of money.

Wood intarsia

This type of inlay in modern language can be called 3D technology. Such images are created from wooden pieces, selecting them according to texture. Such pieces are cut into a wooden surface:

• selected pieces are cut from a single piece or different wood species;
• the cut out parts of the future mosaic are sanded and, if necessary, painted;
• a recess is made in the surface in thickness equal to the typesetting image;
• The details of the picture are assembled into one whole, glued to each other and placed in a cut-out recess.

There is the simplest method, which is used by more and more masters - the set is glued to plywood. In this case, plywood is prepared according to the required dimensions. A lining is made around the perimeter, and a picture is placed inside. The cover and picture are selected in advance so that all the details match and make up one story.

If someone decides to do something similar on their own, they will need to adhere to a number of rules:

• the texture of the laid pieces should be directed strictly according to the intended pattern;
• the work uses parts of various types of wood or they will need to be painted;
• volume is achieved by grinding corners, raising and lowering entire areas of the picture;
• thickness greatly affects the appearance of the canvas and its quality - use blanks of small thickness.

Gallery: mosaic on wood (25 photos)

Marquetry on wood

The word is quite little known, although this is the same intarsia, only made of veneer. Now everyone immediately understands what we are talking about. Although the technique is considered simplified, firstly, it is very expensive; secondly, it requires certain experience; thirdly, it is labor-intensive.

The work uses natural wood veneer. Creating a painting is very similar to the procedure used in intarsia:

• first a template is made on paper;
• using carbon paper, the design is transferred in detail onto veneer of various shades;
• if you don’t have the desired color, you can cover the part with stain;
• the cut out pieces are glued onto the template, fitting tightly to each other;
• the canvas glued to the paper is smeared with glue and glued to the surface;
• paper is placed on top and pressed in a press;
• After drying, the product is sanded and treated with mastics or varnishes.

Working conditions with veneer will require familiarization not only with working techniques, but also with:

• with the behavior of different woods in a variety of conditions;
• using glue and varnish;
• proper grinding;
• presence of artistic taste;
• perseverance and accuracy.

Most of all, of course, experience influences the masterpiece created. Specialists in this field create beautiful furniture and use marquetry techniques in parquet elements. A novice artist will first have to learn how to make small paintings. When such a picture is not embarrassing to hang on the wall, you can move on to the next more complex technique.

Mosaic on wood

The easiest and most affordable way to decorate your interior with your own hands is to use wood of various species. Any mosaic made of wooden pieces is a type of inlay. The accessibility of the wall type of inlay is that when creating a new interior, they take wood tiles of any shape. The mosaic is made from these tiles.

The ideal budget option would be use of production waste. Carpentry shops always have a wide variety of pieces of wood. Sometimes even shavings mixed with cement and dyes are used.

Good wall mosaic panels are assembled from sawn squares, triangles and polygons. Mosaics began to be often used for cladding the facade of a house. It is enough to cut slats of different thicknesses from boards and stick them on the surface so that they have no gaps between each other and alternate in size. Afterwards, this “masonry” is painted with stain and covered with a protective varnish.

Block mosaic is basically the same, but it’s just much easier to work with. A drawing is drawn according to which the bars are glued together. After drying, the bars are sawn crosswise into several identical tiles. The bars are glued so that they contain a variety of wood species. Externally incompatible rocks create a pattern on the surface when combined. Such a mosaic is glued according to the drawn up sketches and acquires the required pattern in the end section.

DIY wooden mosaic

To create some products yourself, you can start small. So, It’s worth trying a couple of workshops on creating wood mosaics. Examples of creating a butterfly or a fish are usually used. The methods for making marquetry with your own hands were described above, so there is no point in repeating them. With veneered paintings the principle is the same and it coincides with the first one.

However, there is one mosaic option that is slightly different and can be done by everyone. This making a children's toy with your own hands. For work you will need a furniture board, a hacksaw, a jigsaw (manual), sandpaper and PVA.

The scheme is quite simple:

1. A circle is drawn directly on the wooden shield. Two or three more circles are drawn in the circle. All this is done with a compass, since the circles must have one center.
2. Wavy lines are drawn from the center to the edges of the largest circle. It looks like petals divided into several parts by lines.
3. Saw off the fragment with the circle from the main sheet with a hacksaw. You will have to work with a hand jigsaw and therefore need an approach from all sides.
4. The sawn-off part with the pattern is pressed against the table with clamps.
5. Using a jigsaw, we cut out each fragment along the lines.
6. The resulting set of parts needs to be sanded and painted. Each set of “petals” is painted in its own color. Any paint will do (gouache, watercolor, etc.). To prevent the paint from wearing off, the top is coated with a water-based varnish.
7. The sides are made from the same material, and the base of the box is made from a plywood sheet. The sides with the plywood circle are glued together and painted or varnished. In order for the mosaic set to coincide with the box, another circle is drawn in advance on the drawing for the sides and bottom.

On one's own veneer inlay is also done at home. Let's say you decide to decorate your old favorite box:

• the simplest drawing is drawn;
• the part is cut out and placed in the insertion points;
• a small notch is made in the outlined outline;
• an insert coated with glue is inserted into the recess;
• After the glue has dried, the insert is sanded and varnished along with the entire surface.

Mosaic on wood products

In addition to wood, other materials are also used in mosaic compositions. In the Middle Ages, bone and stones were widely used. Now, for example, metal is used more.

In products made from expensive wood, special grooves are made with a cutter. The craftsman drives rolled wire into these grooves so that it forms any pattern imagined by the artist.

Typically, such equipment is needed in the production of custom souvenirs. Most of all it can be seen on expensive weapons and boxes for exclusive watches. These types of work are difficult to do at home yourself, if only because special equipment is required.

Craftsmen have come up with other ways to combine various materials in mosaic compositions:

1. The design is burned into the wood using a burner. The burnt grooves are smeared with glue and pre-prepared metal filings are poured into them. When the glue dries, its excess along with sawdust is sanded off.
2. How wood inlay is done on wood using the example of jewelry boxes is also clear.
3. Inserts made of metal or stones are used in various jewelry such as pendants.

Often in books or articles you can see the words “inlaid” or “inlay”. It happens that they write about furniture and various products: “inlaid with gold” or “silver” or “beautiful stones.” So what does this mean? Once you figure out what it is and how to make wood inlay with your own hands, you can create amazing masterpieces.

basic information

Inlay is one of the types of mosaics, when patterns from plates of another material, mainly precious metals, are applied to a wooden base using the cutting method. The name comes from the old word "incrustatio", which means "covering".

During this work, the inserts should be flush with the entire surface of the object. A variety of materials are used for coating: metals, expensive stones, marble products, ceramics, wood and mother of pearl. Inlay is an art that has been popular since ancient times and is still developing beautifully.

Materials for work

The first step is to prepare the materials for work. To create the inlay you will need special tools:

• Cutters.
• Chisels and chisels of different types.
• Thicknessers, drill.
• Special marker and compass.

Material for making the ornament:

• Pear.
• Maple.

For inserts, material of a natural shade is most often used and only sometimes it is painted. From one type of wood you can choose not only different tones, but also colors. If black is required, use dark walnut and pickle it in oak bark with iron particles or rust for several days. You can display any wood color close to the natural color, if you cook thin slices of pear in certain dyes. To create the inlay, blocks of selected wood are cut into plates two mm thick. To do the job well, it is also worth using a drawing, wire, veneer and plywood.

Stages of inlaying wood with metal

The order of inlaying: an ornament or other selected design is applied to a taken board using a compass or a special marker. After transferring the image onto the object and marking it, they move on to inlay. First make straight lines, between which it is necessary to place a strip of other wood, and select the material between the cracks to a depth of two or three mm.

Straight lines on uniform planes of the object are cut with a special tool using a thickness planer; two cutters are placed in its movable block at a selected distance.

With this device, with a prepared board of the same color, a strip is made a little longer than necessary, then, using a chisel or knife, it is cut to the selected length. The finished strip is treated with special glue and inserted into the prepared socket. To make flower petals or “wheat”, use a round chisel. The arc is cut off on both sides, then the recess is selected with a thin chisel.

In the same way, an insert is made from colored material. Having coated the element with glue, insert it into the prepared socket and tap it with a mallet or hammer.

To insert a round insert, prepare paired drills of the selected diameter for the external edge, make a circle on the object with the inner part, and an insert made of other wood with the outer part. Select the cut circle with a small chisel.

If you need to lay out a couple of block circles, then first insert a circle of huge diameter onto the glue. It is better to lubricate only the edges of these circles to make it easier to remove a particular socket.

Then they cut and pull out circles of smaller radii. This manipulation is done as many times as the number of circles will be inserted; beads are placed in the central part. The adjacent parts are lubricated with special glue and finished off with a hammer. When the adhesive has dried, the protrusions above the surface are cleaned with files and special paper. After sanding (with small sandpaper), the surface of the object is varnished or polished. So the topic of making mosaics on wood products has been discussed.

Creating strokes and patterns

At the end of the work, strokes and patterns are applied to the mother-of-pearl to complete the image.

First, they are drawn with a regular pencil, and then they are cut through with a device with a sharpening in the shape of a triangle, with the tip down. The sharpening angle of the gravel is about forty-five degrees, which is due to the good strength of mother-of-pearl.

The methods of working with such a device differ from engraving with a drill, which makes lines in any direction. They work with a graver somewhere along the axis of the hand, and the workpiece, together with a vice, is turned over on the table so that the cut takes place in the direction that is easiest for a person. In this case, the thumb of one hand rests on the finger of the other, which helps control the device: it cannot run forward and cause a real scratch.

The device is sharpened on a special disk inserted into a drill.

The large lines that create the main pattern are made first. Next, mark small lines with a pencil and cut them with a thinner pencil. At the end, the points are set with an electric tool (matte, it is very similar to a small jackhammer and produces blows with the tip). When all the lines and dots are made, the mother-of-pearl is painted with alcohol-based black paint, which can penetrate and be absorbed into parts of the cuts. Remove unnecessary dye from the surfaces of the mother-of-pearl using a thick rubber band.

At this point, work on the product is almost complete. All that remains is to wipe the wood with linseed or some other drying oil, and you can take the item to the customer or transfer it to a new operation. Well, in the end, many should remember that do-it-yourself wooden mosaic for walls is suitable for decorating rooms in the Country, Provence style and is considered an excellent alternative to wallpaper.

To decorate products, you can also use the wood marquetry technique for beginners; it is performed in a similar way and does not require any special skills.

Attention, TODAY only!

Tauching is an original technique of inlaying wood with metal: the grooves are filled with wires, strips, and sometimes with liquid metal. Products can be decorated with silver, copper, brass, aluminum, mother-of-pearl, and plastics. The grooves are filled with tin, lead, and low-melting alloys. The wood should be dense, preferably fruit species (Fig. 1).

The wood must be completely dry. A pattern is placed on the planed, shaped and smoothed surface of the wood, along the contour of which grooves about 1 mm deep are made with a knife or chisel. These grooves are filled with glue and then with wire or strips. When poured with metal, the depth of the grooves is 5 mm, and the cross-section has a dovetail shape. For pouring, sprues are made (for example, from clay), and all grooves are gradually filled with liquid metal. Sometimes dentacryl or epoxy is used, mixed with bronze filings, non-ferrous metals, non-ferrous shot, etc.

After cooling, excess glue is removed, the surface of metal and wood is sanded and preserved.
Notching (tauching) is a very ancient technique of decorating bronze and steel products with precious metals. This method was used to decorate artistic products, household items, military equipment: swords, daggers, shields, helmets, and later firearms.

The essence of the process is that the outer surfaces of objects are incised and a gold or silver pattern is stamped onto these surfaces - the finest ornament of curls and stylized plants, images of animals, birds or humans, or ornamented inscriptions are made.

Historically, notching comes from the ancient Greek “chrysography” - inlaying bronze items with gold and silver. The most ancient examples of chrysography date back to the ancient Egyptian and Cretan-Mycenaean cultures.

From 9th to 12th centuries The technique of gold notching spread to iron and steel objects, and reached its peak by the 17th century, which is confirmed by the remarkable monuments of ancient weapons stored in the State Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.

There are several different independent methods of gold notching:

Mortise tauching: consists of engraving an in-depth design on the surface of a steel product, the edges of which are trimmed slightly so that the design holds, and the bottom is notched. Depending on the tool used and how the in-depth design is made and the precious metal is applied, inlay is divided into two types:

The design is cut out with a graver (cutter); appropriately prepared fragments of a pattern made of precious metals are driven into it with a hammer;

The drawing is made with a notch chisel: the technology is not much different from the previous one, but it is easier to execute, and the drawing is simplified and less clear.

Printed or surface tauching (notching): this technology differs from mortise tauching in that it does not require pre-cutting a recess for the design. Gold is hammered directly onto the surface of the product, which is previously cut with a chisel.

Tape tauching (notching): this is the most ancient technique of printed tauching. It dates back to the times when they did not yet know how to draw wire and instead made thin strips cut from forged gold or silver sheets. The width and thickness of such rectangular ribbons did not exceed a few tenths of a millimeter;

Touching with drawn wire: used since the 16th century. (since the invention of drawing machines). The wire is applied to the design directly from the skein and cut off after a certain section of the design is completed. Then they press it with a chisel, while driving the wire in with a hammer;

Sheet tauching with dissection: the design, just as with inlay, is cut out entirely or in parts from sheet metal, but no prepared recess is made on it. The design is applied to the surface ruffled with a notch and driven in with a hammer, and then cut with a chisel;

Tauching with subsequent overlay: in order to hide individual rows of wire and give the ornament greater unity and integrity, subsequent overlay with amalgam is used, which slightly increases the relief, and this gives a peculiar effect to the entire design, as if painted with a brush. The amalgam is carefully applied along the lines of the design, and the product is heated to evaporate the mercury.
In addition to notching with gold, silver and precious alloys, ordinary non-ferrous metals (for example, aluminum) and their alloys (copper, brass, etc.) are also used. Notching is also performed on hard wood.