Saturday 15 April 2023

My First box

 

As I mentioned a while ago, it is my intention to use Marquetry to make a Jewellery/Keepsake box for my granddaughter. Having settled on which method I shall use, and having done a practice piece of the main 'character' for the box, it is time to turn my thoughts to the box itself. 

a cheap wooden box bought to be decorated using Marquetry
Being a novice I have many questions about how to veneer a box so clearly the sensible course is to do another practice run. To that end I picked up a small and extremely cheap plain soft-wood box from a local discount store. 

To start I removed the imitation brassware, measured the box carefully, and then spent several hours drawing out a design on paper, a task that proved to be less easy than I expected. Obviously, had I thought this through properly, I could have used the 'character' for the lid and covered BOTH practice sessions at the same time, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

a photograph of a small wooden box that has been decorated using Marquetry
Cutting out the veneer shapes from the template was relatively straightforward and I applied them to the sides first and the lid last. I sanded the edges as I went and ran into a zillion issues I hadn't expected. At times I was wrestling with glued shapes and getting more on me than the box. 

Gradually the box took shape and all that remained was to apply a polish and reattach the brassware. 

The end result is far from perfect and there is no question that a practice run was well worth the effort. There are things about this box I definitely want to get better the next time around.

9 comments:

  1. Well, it looks perfect! I can totally understand the problems you encountered. I am a big fan of The Repair Shop and your work reminded me of that.

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    1. Thank you Judy. I'm also a massive fan of The Repair Shop and was quite taken aback when you mentioned it. I had no idea you could get it over there. Amazing!!

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    2. I get BBC 1 and 2. And I watch regularly.

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  2. Wow now look at this gem !!

    If that would be a pochade I would die to own one, ...

    Just an idea ;-)

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    1. What a great idea Rene. A bit beyond me at the moment but never say never. It's lovely of you to visit my blog, thank you very much.

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  3. John the box looks wonderful. What a great idea for your granddaughter. I am sure the one you make for her will be perfect. Hope you are having a good day. Hugs!

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    1. Thank you very much Debbie. Have a great day.

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  4. From here the box looks great! I can just imagine what it will be like once you make the adjustments to the process. Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Thank you Joan. I always expected this craft to be difficult but it's very satisfying when something works out right. Looking forward to my next one.

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