January 8th 2008: Wax or Shellac?
Happy New Year
Back to school, back to work!
After a ten-day stay in the outskirts of Verona,
we are back in Rome, everybody seems all right though
the flu this year is raving its way.
The commode that we named "Betta" is finally coming through,
I am now starting to scrape the excess bee-wax (colored) away and
maybe tomorrow I can start polishing.
It is not easy to extend the wax evenly on the wood and then
try to fill in the small holes at the same time.
It'll be my first try at "encausto" all by myself.
Encausto polishing is used more often at our laboratory after
working on various furniture which didn't look well after
shellac polishing.
When a surface with inlay is uneven
shellac polishing (especially when you do many layers)
emphasises the unevenness.
It also ends up "killing" that nice warm, soft, leather-like texture that
wood takes on through the years.
The decision (shellac a/o wax?) will depend also on the overall
value (historic, artistic, economic, emotional etc.)
of that piece of furniture...
A copy of a special issue of Geijutsu Shincho on Bruno Munari
arrived today from Japan!
It presents Munari's works through the various fields of art and
design that he was involved in.
As always it is done magnificently, a very useful guide to understanding Munari
and to really enjoy the various exhibitions now held in Japan.
Back to school, back to work!
After a ten-day stay in the outskirts of Verona,
we are back in Rome, everybody seems all right though
the flu this year is raving its way.
The commode that we named "Betta" is finally coming through,
I am now starting to scrape the excess bee-wax (colored) away and
maybe tomorrow I can start polishing.
It is not easy to extend the wax evenly on the wood and then
try to fill in the small holes at the same time.
It'll be my first try at "encausto" all by myself.
Encausto polishing is used more often at our laboratory after
working on various furniture which didn't look well after
shellac polishing.
When a surface with inlay is uneven
shellac polishing (especially when you do many layers)
emphasises the unevenness.
It also ends up "killing" that nice warm, soft, leather-like texture that
wood takes on through the years.
The decision (shellac a/o wax?) will depend also on the overall
value (historic, artistic, economic, emotional etc.)
of that piece of furniture...
A copy of a special issue of Geijutsu Shincho on Bruno Munari
arrived today from Japan!
It presents Munari's works through the various fields of art and
design that he was involved in.
As always it is done magnificently, a very useful guide to understanding Munari
and to really enjoy the various exhibitions now held in Japan.
