Corian Intarsia

[Claymore]

Hi,

New boy here so be gentle with me 

Thought I'd let ya see something a little different I made for a dog lover, as you can see its a British Bulldog and think it was a JGR pattern?  when i decided to give it a go I thought what type of wood should i use and then i noticed a large chunk of Corian I bought for making a router table with and the colour looked ideal for the dog so that's exactly what I did.

Corian as many of you will know is very tough stuff but i found if you take it slowly and use as little pressure as possible its fine (if you get it too warm it welds itself together again and grabs ya blade) once it was all cut out then came the hours of filing/sanding followed by gluing together with CA glue finally I polished it with Solvol Autosol metal polish (Brasso also works well) one added touch was real stainless steel studs in his collar made by turning the metal in a drill press and holding a file against it lol   not ideal but worked 

The customer loved it which is always a relief when experimenting with new materials/techniques so I will try some other Corian projects in the future (already made a few if you look in my gallery there's a couple of Intarsia clocks using Corian)

Hope ya like him and if you want any more info on using Corian then feel free to pick my brains (Ok brain cell as my wife just stated lol)

Cheers

Brian

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Claymore

[Bpardue]

Brian, nice work glad you found the forum 

brian

 

[dgman]

That is very cool! Thanks for sharing.

[amazingkevin]

5 hours ago, Claymore said:

Hi,

New boy here so be gentle with me 

Thought I'd let ya see something a little different I made for a dog lover, as you can see its a British Bulldog and think it was a JGR pattern?  when i decided to give it a go I thought what type of wood should i use and then i noticed a large chunk of Corian I bought for making a router table with and the colour looked ideal for the dog so that's exactly what I did.

Corian as many of you will know is very tough stuff but i found if you take it slowly and use as little pressure as possible its fine (if you get it too warm it welds itself together again and grabs ya blade) once it was all cut out then came the hours of filing/sanding followed by gluing together with CA glue finally I polished it with Solvol Autosol metal polish (Brasso also works well) one added touch was real stainless steel studs in his collar made by turning the metal in a drill press and holding a file against it lol   not ideal but worked 

The customer loved it which is always a relief when experimenting with new materials/techniques so I will try some other Corian projects in the future (already made a few if you look in my gallery there's a couple of Intarsia clocks using Corian)

Hope ya like him and if you want any more info on using Corian then feel free to pick my brains (Ok brain cell as my wife just stated lol)

Cheers

Brian

your the best ever!

[wombatie]

Brian that is soooooooooooo cool and yes it is the right color.  Great work, I love it.

 

Marg

[Scrolling Steve]

Very nice work, Brian !....The color is spot on !

[daveww1]

awesome job

[Claymore]

Thanks everyone 

I was lucky to have the right colours for the dog and I am slowly collecting more Corian for larger projects, I also use the black Corian for most black pieces on my other projects....things like eyes/noses/claws etc work well and no painting needed.

I wish we could get better supplies of wood here but stuff like Aspen/Ebony etc are very rare and if i do find any its usually too expensive.

Another technique I used last year was actually casting thin blocks of fast cast resin and added different dyes to get bigger range of colours (it was for multicoloured flowers for a wedding gift) once the blocks have cured they can then be used like wood and cut using No1 skip blades and sanded using rotary tools before finally buffed on a mop. You could actually use this technique for many things even jewellery so could be a good earner for anyone wanting to produce something different to sell.

Cheers

Brian

[meflick]

hi Brian.  Thanks for sharing this cute guy.  Interesting work with the Corian and he looks awesome. Especially with the coloring.  That is a medium that I have not tried yet but can imagine that it must be very time consuming and hard on blades.  

One quick note, I believe that pattern is one by Kathy Wise. She also has one of a bulldog puppy and one of just the head.  Judy Gale Roberts also has a bulldog pattern,  but her's is standing on all 4 legs not sitting.  The main reason I know is I have recently bought bulldog patterns from both to do at some point for my son. He goes to a college who's mascot is the bulldog and I hope to get one or more done for him as gifts.  I looked on Kathy's site and found the image here: https://store7626357.ecwid.com (initially didn't see where to actually order the pattern - when I searched through the dog patterns I didn't see it and I didn't find the search button on her site. Finally found him listed in the "Expert/Oversized" Pattern area of her site.)  Here is the one on JGR's site. https://intarsia.com/search?q=bulldog - I hope to do half as good as your's and if so, my son would be happy I am sure. I believe the patterns I bought were JGR's standing one and the English Bulldog head from KW.  May be a while before I try this.  Thanks for sharing him.

[Claymore]

Thanks Melanie your quite right it is one of Kathy's pattern, I have bought most of the Intarsia books from Judy/Kathy etc over the years and I also buy the patterns online but sometimes the postage to the UK is pretty steep hence reason I try and make my own patterns, I say patterns but really they are just line drawings no fancy numbers/letters/arrows etc just a black and white picture. 

Regarding cutting Corian I use Pegas number 5 super skip blades and you right it is a slow process and I think I broke around 4 blades cutting the Bulldog so not too bad, I have found the easiest way to cut the corian is very slight pressure while cutting and sort of push forward slightly and then pull the blade back slightly and continue like that...this helps to stop the corian welding itself back together as you cut. Sounds fiddly but you will master it very quickly.

Has anyone ever used coloured leather with their Intarsia? I had an idea for making real leather bridle/harness/saddle on a large horse intarsia and for other projects like bikers with real leather jacket? if you sandwich the leather between some scrap thin plywood it cuts perfect and then just needs gluing together.

Oh well get back to the workshop

Cheers and look forward to seeing your bulldogs

Brian 

[Chunkthekid]

Very good work. That's an awesome piece.

[don watson]

Awesome work as usual Brian.

[Scrappile]

That is one awesome piece, and reading you posts here I see you are certainly one that thinks outside the box.  I am looking forward to you future posts.

[GPscroller]

Beautiful results, the colouring and shine is perfect.  Thanks for sharing.

Jeff

[Uncle Ricky]

Very nice work, What size and type of scroll saw blade do use to cut it with.

[Rolf]

OK I am impressed, this the first time I have seen someone use Corian. Well done!

[Claymore]

9 hours ago, Bulldog557 said:

Very nice work, What size and type of scroll saw blade do use to cut it with.

Thanks  I always use a Pegas number 5 skip blade for the Corian and take it VERY slow with very little pressure to stop heat building up and sticking to the blade......one thing that does help is silicone mould release as used on mould making etc but make sure you clean your saw/table afterwards of any silicone to avoid contaminating your wooden projects.

Cheers

Brian

[Claymore]

4 hours ago, Rolf said:

OK I am impressed, this the first time I have seen someone use Corian. Well done!

Thanks Rolf   I haven't seen a fully Corian intarsia before I have done some clocks and used Corian for the critters if you look on my gallery (Woodpeckers and Mice)

Its a nice material to work with a polishes up very nice so worth have a go, its still pretty rare over here but there should be plenty in the States.

Cheers

Brian

 

[Uncle Ricky]

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 0:42 PM, Claymore said:

Thanks  I always use a Pegas number 5 skip blade for the Corian and take it VERY slow with very little pressure to stop heat building up and sticking to the blade......one thing that does help is silicone mould release as used on mould making etc but make sure you clean your saw/table afterwards of any silicone to avoid contaminating your wooden projects.

Cheers

Brian

Thank you

[Ron Johnson]

'AWESOME' ... You just knocked it out of the park Brian. 

[WayneG]

that is absolutely spectacular. 

I make rings from Corian, its an interesting material. 

That dog is the bomb dude.

[Claymore]

Cheers everyone glad you like them 

Brian