I have listed below the supplies I would now buy if I were just starting to do marquetry, which is 40 years after the fact. look on the page of suppliers, for details where they are.
1. hand held fret saw and 8/0 jewerly's blades- from Sloans --------------------$35
2. several rolls of brown no-hole veneer tape -----------------$10
sponge to wet the tape with
3. a good quality carbon paper, an exacto knife, #3 or 4 pencils
4. 100 sq. random feet of 'marquetry special package' from Certainly veneers --$40
you will need less than a sq. foot in most pictures of any veneer.
The local chapter can usually supply veneers cheap.
5. Invisible tape, not Scotch brand, to sticky, aluminum foil, newspaper
6. In a wood shop one would expect steel clamps for pressing the picture,
3/4 particle board to glue the picture onto,
some people now have vacuum bags to press with.
7. Glue, Weldwood plastic glue, which I mii 20% thicken than they say ,to a warm honey semi-thick, -$10 - $20
practice on a sample first, handle Weldwood glued up picture after dry with leather gloves only, - very sharp
Yellow glue is very thin, they also have a pre-mixed veneer glue ------- $??
8. Pictures to start with can come from The National Society, local chapter,
a coloring book, newspaper, simple flowers. We have a set that goes from
beginners up the scale in difficulity, free of charge.
9. Color, dyed, veeners come from B & B hardwoods, woodcrafts, etc. Don't really need much.
Why the tape?
I do not use the bevel, angle cut, and yellow glue to hold the pictures together before glueing to
the backing board.
As I cut the pieces from the back side I use the invisble tape to hold in place until the veener tape can be placed on the face of the picture and dry in place. When finished I cover the entire face with veneer tape, then glue on the back of the picture and on the backing board, then the aluminum foil and 7 sheets of newspaper, and clamp together for 24 hours. The foil helps keep the glue from the pressing boards and the paper insures the diffent thickness of veneers are all pressed down.
A damp sponge on the face veneer tape will get so it comes right up, but it takes a few minutes. Don't pull off or you
could tear some fibers out of the wood.
Why the back side???
One can draw all over the backside and it never shows on the face. Some veneers will show the pencil marks until you sand
through the veneers.
The 8/0 blades are so thin that the joint swells together close enough. There are special
ways to make them fit even better if needed.
Finishing
I use a pad sander with 180 to 220 to start with, when it feels close to flat, stop. I go to 320 or 420 usually by hand. On
a special picture I will mostly hand sand, don't want to sand through a veneer. I may go to 600,800, 1000 before i am happy.
I then square the picture and make its own frame, assemble and a final frame sanding.
I use Watco Danish oil finish, touch up if ever neded is easy.
Questions, drop me a note. Deh2@uw.edu