Walnut and rose trees are used as a solid base. In these days mostly walnut is preferred because of its durability. The walnut logs are processed and transformed into solid pieces, put into wood kilns. then they’re let sit in a dry place for about a year in order to have a proper aeration. This is called as ‘respiration’. Solid walnut is cut into different size and shapes depending on the trunk of the products.
Motifs are marked on the wood by a pencil. The bordering channels are engraved by a steel chisel along the drawn motif lines.
Brass or aluminium strings are embedded in the carved channels. After the embedding, each inner surface surrounded by the strings are carved out by a carpenter’s chisel.
Nacre pieces are stoned, shaped and put into the carved spots. The salt has a decaying effect on the nacre. Therefore many nacre inlayers prefer fresh water shelled organisms’ nacre.
The nacre pieces are taken out of the carved spots. Walnut sawdust and white wood glue is mixed to prepare a paste. This paste is put into the carved spots and the nacre pieces are placed on again. To have a solid adhesion between the nacre and the wood the product stays untouched for drying for two days.
Emery paper is used for surface reduction between the nacre and the walnut.
The surface is etched for protection. In order to get the dark complexion on the surface the product goes through a fine flaming process.
The surface is rubbed and smoothened in two different phases by decreasing the thickness of the emery paper each time.
Fine touch comes next. The product is rubbed with emery paper dampened by pure olive oil. The olive oil nourishes the walnut.
A varnish made of granulated trunk shells of Lebanese cedar is applied on the product 4-5 times. The original smell of the Lebanese cedar keeps any kind of insect away.
