Craftsmanship - Adds Value + More Sales!

Polmac (UK) Ltd comes from a craft tradition of making decorated wooden boxes that was developed and refined over many years. We have continued this tradition because we believe our clients deserve the very best and the craftsmanship we provide underpins their success.

Unfortunately, today we often sacrifice real craftsmanship for the sake of expediency. Although we can still recognize the value of a beautiful object, we frequently choose the cheap and easy option.

Polmac Decorated Wooden Boxes

Craftsmanship is a quality that comes from creating something with a great deal of passion and skill that often equates to 'love'!

It comes from practicing and honing the skills necessary to achieve the level of craftsmanship required over a lifetime. It's the difference between let's say a Ford Focus and a Rolls Royce.

So, how do we recognize craftsmanship? One way is to look at the attention to detail. When you handle a wooden box for example, does the lid open and close correctly? Are the wood joints perfectly constructed and is the finish blemish free?

We can also recognize craftsmanship through it's functionality. Is the wood box fit for the purpose it's intended? In other words, does it proclaim and add value to the object inside and does it have the visual impact necessary to attract the attention of a potential buyer?

Another way to recognize craftsmanship is to look at durability. If an object is well made, it will generally last longer and provide greater value over a much longer period of time, particularly if it's made from wood.

Some people believe that craftsmanship adds cost and therefore reduces buying potential. However, what should be remembered is that craftsmanship adds value and when people see value they're always prepared to pay more! In a competitive world, that's an advantage worth having!

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Corrugated Metal Strip Inlay Decorations!

Many Polmac, custom made, wooden boxes are decorated using traditional methods, to create visually stunning, decorative designs and effects.

Corrugated, metal strip inlay is a special technique for decorated wooden boxes, that uses flexible, thin gauge, corrugated, or plain brass or nickel plated metal strips, as lines to create patterns, shapes, decorative motifs and borders. 

 

This type of decoration is often used in combination with other techniques, such as pyrography and hand carving, to create original, decorative effects!. 

 

Cutting Grooves Around the Pattern / Design 

The technique comprises three stages…

1/ Creating a design, or pattern on the wooden box.
2/ Using a special tool to cut thin slots around the design.
3/ Applying the corrugated strips.

Once the design or pattern is agreed, it is carefully transferred onto the lid and / or the sides of the wood boxes. This is often done by hand using pre-printed patterns on special see-through paper, similar to tracing paper.

 

Inserting Corrugated Metal Strips Into Pre-Formed Grooves

A pin is then used to apply tiny pin pricks through the paper, to ‘trace’ out the design. However, if the design is simple, or a particular one-off, artistic effect is required, the design can also be drawn using the sharp point of a pencil  

Thin grooves are then carefully cut into the wood around the design, to the depth of the corrugated metal strip using a special, hand held tool, which looks like a cross between a hand carving tool and a chisel.

 

These tools have a range of special cutting edges that can create different shaped lines, such as  curves, circles, straight lines etc.

 

Removing Excess Metal Strip

The metal strips are then tapped into the grooves, flush with the surface of the wood. This process requires the crafts person to wear a metal 'sewing' thimble at the end of their finger, to prevent being cut by the thin gauge, corrugated metal strips.

 

Any excess strip is cut off and the raised edges ‘sanded’ off, on a special sanding machine, to provide a flush, even finish on the wood surface.

 

Polmac Wooden Boxes With Metal Strip Inlay Design

Once the metal inlay process is complete the design can be decorated with multi-coloured, or natural wood stains and/ or block colours, to provide that all important finishing touch!  

http://www.polmacuk.com