Shoji panels simply consist of sticking a translucent paper to a frame...very, very easy to do and just about the quickest process in the whole of the lamp built. Begin by making the frames which is fiddly as the material is 7x7mm, but if a 2.5mm wing cutter is used in the router table, the mortise for the bridle becomes easy enough to make, whilst the tenon is made using a straight forward parallel cutter. The benefit of making them using the router table is that once complete, the frames will be flat and out of 'wind'.
The frames are finished with a couple of coats of Liberon Oil, then waxed, but it's crucial that the underside where the rice glue is applied is sanded clean afterwards. Cut off a piece of paper well oversize and...
...tape it to the bench, 'show' side down, with the clean underside of the panel uppermost.
Apply the rice glue with the special adaptor on the bottle. This ensures that an even bead is applied along the centre of the wood, then simple role the paper onto the frame and press down.
All the panels were done in exactly the same way and then left in a stack...
...between a couple of boards to dry overnight. A little gratuitous plane gloatage adds some weight on top....
...after which the panels are sprayed with ordinary tap water and left for a couple of hours to dry.
This has the effect of shrinking the paper and pulling it 'drum' tight. Trim off the excess with a scalpel...job done!
3 comments:
Nicely done mate. I normally use double sided tape for the paper. Have you ever tried it?
The traditional and easiest way to do this is with rice glue. It's also easy to clean off again if a mistake has been made, which isn't the case with d/s tape.
It's possible to use d/s tape, but a lot more of a 'faff'...
I will agree on the faff part. If you use warlon or similar laminated papers they can be eased off the tape with care. If it's proper paper then it's rip it off and use a new piece.
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