Thursday, June 18, 2009

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Yitz

Okay Cyber-World, this is my first foray into the world of blogs. My first entry is a quickie, just to give me a feel for posting, uploading pictures and the like. Future entries, I hope, will discuss mostly what's going on in the shop. I hope to document the design and construction of new pieces, or other goings on, with lots of photos and a few words. Who knows where this will go? Exciting isn't it?

So, this first post is really about repairing my Japanese-inspired Shoji Screen. I designed and built this a while back as a display piece and have been moving it between my shop, displays, and my storage locker. The last move didn't go so well.

So, who's bright idea was it to make a shoji screen anyway? I guess I have to fess up - it was mine. Shoji screen paper is surprisingly sturdy, but can't resist a table leg being thrust through it. So, I have to get my display piece ready for an exhibit next week.

1) Here's the damage - a 4-inch-long gash. Like I said, modern shoji paper is sturdy stuff and is a great material for decorating. However, you can't always expect it to stand up to lummoxes like me.


2) Since this screen design includes a grill on the front, I can get away with just replacing one section of the paper, and not the whole panel. The damaged section is removed and the old paper and glue is cleaned from the wood.


3) A new piece of paper is cut to size and glued into place. The mullion strips are replaced. Even on the back, the repair is hard to see.



4) Ta-da! The repair is invisible from the front! Whew, glad that's over. I guess I have to make an armored box to store and transport this thing to shows - just one more thing on my to do list.



You can view the screen, along with the rest of my portfolio, on-line here at EitzHadar.com. Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you. Please check back often for new content!

So, how'd I do for a first timer?