How to Do an Inlay Work?

Handicrafts as a treasure of the reflection culture and tribal civilization making fine the violate and empty space of machinery and industrial life and because of that we call it the beat pulse of artistic cultural and economical goods basket. The inlaid industry is one of the elegant arts that have an old origin and record. The inlaid is one of the nice and fine arts in the world. The art of decorating the surface of the things such as a mosaic with equal two sided little triangles and equal three sided from ivory, different woods, bones and different metals. The inlaid art in through coming into existence and its evolution, transfer from one generation to the other, from teacher to the student and from father to the son. And exchange today and what legends that take place of the reality.

Chatiz board is an entertainment game included backgammon and inlaid chess with miniature painting that you can access now on the indiegogo site. So If you like what you see, please spread and support our campaign. In my opinion with your help we can bring Chatiz Board to life.

Please watch the process of making an inlaid work from here: Watch Video

In this video, you can see how to make chatiz board that is an inlaid work.

Step 1: Inlaid Materials:

Different Kinds of wood: areca-ebony-jujube-king wood-Azedarach-log wood orange- boxwood –Tosca- black poplar- rach- walnut and some colored woods. (Figure 1)

Metal: golden or silver wire staples- copper- brass- aluminum (Figure 2)

Bones: foreleg or forehand bones of camel or horse, ivory of elephant and artificial bones (Figure 3)

Green color: this color is a combination of sal-ammoniac, copper filings and vinegar – the cut bones is poured the dish by color solution and keeps it toward the sun-light about six months. As today the supply of the bones of camel is difficult, they use from orange wood instead of camel bones and color it by special color for wool dyeing. (Figure 4)

The red color: forms and geometric shapes that will be seen red in inlaid are jujube. (Figure 5)

The brown color: maybe they use brown color rarely in geometrical shapes but for strong brown, they use areca. (Figure 6)

Stick: wood stick, fish glue (Figure 7)

Step 2: Inlaid Tools and Instrument:

different kind of grate, decanter – compasses – ruler- set square- hammer –pincers –press – drill and gimlet- band saw – sepal making – different kind of file- dynamo – saw – scraper – moghar and … (Figure 8)

Step 3: Production Process:

First step: first prepare the thing is due to perform inlaid unit. Suppose you want to inlay this backgammon board. (Figure 9)

Note: we can perform inlay on each surface. It is not important to be of wood or special thing. You can do it on toys, bowl – jewel box or Kleenex box or other dishes you like to decorate it. (Figure 10)

Second step: in order to make an inlay work, first a painter paints you special shape. These are depends on your taste and a painter can put his draws on the inlaid things, as much as the draws will be more little, more detailed and more regular, the desirability of inlaid work be increased. All of these related to the skill of the painter and his patience and accuracy. The symmetry of all of the flowers and shapes in the surface and angles and sides of the draws are very important and affected on the quality. In order to familiarize to the quality of drawing refer to this essay.(Figure 11)

Step three: by Band saw, we cut different woods in to 30-40cm pieces and 1-2diameters. The suitable wood should have the color and texture and do not have any crack and knot. (Figure 12)

Step 4: now cut these woods of 1-2mm by farsi cutting saw to equilateral triangles which after feeling all sides till change to favorite shape. (Figure 13)

Step 5: different kind of wood are from the most important material of inlaid included: jujube- orange – maple- white wood- rach- walnut- keikom – box tree- ebony- areca and betom in different color. But using different woods in inlaid is so expensive. Now cook different kind of wood in different colors to reach colorful woods. (Figure 14,15)

Step 6: in inlaid, besides wood, we use another equilateral triangle from metal that is brass in inlaid work. To resistance inlaid and its protection, we use colorful metals in inlaid, we use aluminum and silver for white color and brass for yellow one. For some expensive inlaid we can use metals like gold and silver. Metals should have suitable Alloy, so we use brass that has the most function in inlaid art. In order to change brass to equilateral triangles we use a machine called it gold-wire drawer. (Figure 16)

Step 7: we use different kind of bones, because of white color and its firmness included: camel bones –horse and cow. We also use natural ivory elephant and artificial ivory. In preparing bones, we should consider the health of animal, its freshness and its whiteness of the bones. We prepared bones by special procedure like oil drawing, and lay it on lime-water. (Figure 17)

Step 8: we put together woods, bones and metal that we cut them in equilateral triangles that width cutting of these united triangles, have a regular geometrical shapes. Then stick them by wood stick and tied with string we call this" pareh." (Figure 18)

Step 9: after some hours, the strings will be opened and its sides was filed and put together four pareh. Stick them that resulted in "toglo". (Figure 19)

Step 10: we call this step "golpichi" by using a circle wire staple as a regular hexagonal call it ornamental or shamse, then stick it around each hexagonal and tied by string that resulted in "star style". (Figure 20)

Step 11: we repeat these Patterns to reach favorite one then put it under press machine. The resultant is called "ghameh". (Figure 21)

Step12: we cut "ghameh" by band saw which has a special blade to convert these layers to 1-2 mm layers. We call it "lengeh" (Figure 22)

Step 13: we should stick these thin layers from previous step on the surface we want to inlay. By sticking these thin layers, we obtain primary inlaid. Sticking these thin layers of inlaid on the thing, depends on the primary draw is different. This creates by experience and skills, till all draws will be symmetric and look nice. We stick these layers on different surfaces by different sticks. For wooden surface, we use wood stick. For metal surface, we use sticks special for metals. (Figure 23)

Step 14: in this part, after some reparation, filing, reinforcing and at last rubbing and flatting, the inlaid surface is ready for polish by special material like Sealer Keillor and polyester, originally lubricate inlaid surface for two reasons:

1- In order to glittering inlaid.

2- To protect it from moisture, heat and cold. Many years ago they use lustre oil or syrup of pine, to polish. Then they use from hawilux and now we use polyester. (Figure 24,25)

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