Clavichord Day 16 - Faux Tortoiseshell (continued)

All the work for today was about softening the look of the tortoiseshell to a nice subtle finish. The first step was sanding.




To show it more clearly, here it is before sanding:


And after sanding:


Then, a very thin coat of yellow ocher was put over the whole thing:


And after the ocher layer, came another of burnt sienna for a reddish glaze. The point of both these layers was again to create a warm and rich translucency and to soften the harshness of the pattern. Here is the final product:




Tomorrow, the shellac finish will go on, and maybe even the gold leaf bands to surround the tortoiseshell. Then (at last) the tape should come off, and we will be able to see what we've done!