Marquetry and Inlays, With Help From Aqua Coat

Made from solid maple and ebony wood and measuring just 8 inches on all sides, this jewelry box made by our customer Bob Dickey shows an intricate inlay pattern on the top and delicate spline joints at the corners. The circular maple insets on the four ebony draw pulls draw attention to masterful cabinetry skills.

Bob uses Aqua Coat Grain Filler to help with inlay work. He says, "Regardless of the tightness of the fit between an inlay or marquetry piece with the surrounding area, when the finish is applied, it tends to leave a "crater" along much of the inlay/substrate boundary. One solution is to spray multiple coats, sanding them off each time until the "crater" is filled with the remaining finish. This is time consuming and very costly.

I now use Aqua Coat as a filler for that boundary. I apply multiple coats, relatively heavy at first and then light, sanding off after each coating. This fills up the interface "crater" which is usually no more than .005" wide at the worst, so that the finish will flow with no discontinuities. A secondary benefit is that it fills the grain on the rest of the lid giving it a very smooth feel."

To see more of Bob's work and what he has available for sale, visit his website here.