|
HERALDIC PLAQUES Hardwood plaques are designed and built to order. Shapes can range from traditional trophy mounts to squares, rectangles, circles and ovals. The edges are routed to cut a moulding into them, then they are stained, grain filled and sprayed with several coats of melamine lacquer to give a hard, smooth surface. These are ideal for the painting and gilding of heraldic art and can even have a separate painted shield fixed to them. They are most often made in mahogany but any available hardwood can be specified. A limited number of smaller plaques may be in stock. As large plaques have to be built from jointed planks before cutting to shape, this has to be subcontracted out to a machine shop and adds about 3 months to the delivery time.
A quicker alternative is to use veneered MDF. Hardwood veneers are glued to sheets of MDF in the timber yards in such a way that they are expected to remain permanent under all circumstances when used indoors. The plaque can be cut as before and the exposed edges painted in a suitable colour such as black or dark brown. It is almost impossible to tell the finished items from solid hardwood. In rare cases a very large hardwood plaque may eventually warp or even crack. Veneered MDF is a stable material so this will never happen. It must be stressed that once lacquered, hardwood should become stable and never warp. The wood machine shop I use has been in operation since the 1970s and has known of just one case of warping in all that time, so it is rare indeed but if it is a concern to you choose MDF.
(mouse over images for details, click to enlarge) |
|
HOME | ABOUT THE ARTIST | THE ARTIST'S PORTFOLIO | CONTACT THE ARTIST | FEES Entire contents Copyright © Baz Manning, all rights reserved Website design & maintenance
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
