Just like filling wire, when making, pay attention to the coding wire to be even, neat, and smooth.
Moreover, the filled silk surface should be flat, not uneven, and the levels should be consistent.
This requires everything to go smoothly, otherwise it will not be done well at all.
In addition, there are many types of silk fillings, the commonly used ones include filling with gong silk, filling with curled ends, filling with petals, filling with various brocade grounds, etc.
After filigreeing and stuffing, it’s time to save.
Saving work means assembling. The saving work here is mainly filament saving work. The saving work of filament silk is divided into flat saving work, stacking saving work and component saving work.
Flat stitching is to connect flat filigree patterns together.
Component stacking means that the components are connected.
When saving work, first prepare the various components required for a work and put them together according to the requirements of the drawings and design.
The master of saving craftsmanship must first understand the overall structure of the drawing and deeply understand the design requirements.
Then arrange the order of work according to the drawing structure and design requirements.
What should be installed first, then what should be installed, and finally prepare for welding.
When working on the basis of welding, the craftsman must consider everything comprehensively, have room for imagination, and have a strong sense of structure.
The assembly sequence must be scientific and reasonable, spare parts must be complete, and there must be no improper welding or missing parts.
Once some works become repetitive, all previous efforts will be wasted.
Once the foundation is laid, it’s time to weld.
Welding is a technically difficult skill among filigree inlay works.
Different from general mechanical engineering welding, this kind of welding is special process welding.
Due to the special process, the welding objects are not batch-oriented and the materials vary greatly.
Therefore, when welding, the experience of the craftsman is generally used to determine the type, proportion, and amount of solder, the location and quantity of solder joints, the size of the fire, and the blowing time, etc.
Welding flux is also divided into yellow flux and red flux. Different fluxes are chosen according to the different bodies to be welded.
Yellow flux is used to weld the carcass, and red flux is used to weld the filaments. The fluidity of red flux is better than that of yellow flux.
Especially when welding works with high gold content, in order to ensure the gold content of the work, the craftsman must adjust the flux ratio to "97 materials".
That is, 97% of the solder flux is gold and 3% is other materials.
Moreover, welding flux cannot be used more than once, which requires skilled craftsmen to have very high welding skills.
It can be said that every step in these processes is a unique skill. As long as one step is not done well, it is impossible to produce a good work.
Of course, after the welding is completed, we still need to continue, that is, stacking and barrier.
This can also be regarded as a process, because it is carried out quickly.
The pile of filaments is essentially two steps to make a filament shape.
It is generally used to make non-planar filaments, such as gourd-shaped bottles, pots and other three-dimensional filaments with curved surfaces.
Stacking filaments are divided into two types: flat filaments and three-dimensional filaments.
Plane silk screen is different from flat filled silk screen. Plane screen silk screen is to superimpose two or more layers of filigree patterns to express the three-dimensional effect of the work.
Three-dimensional barrier wire can be welded on solid tires or charcoal ash by overlapping filament patterns.
To make a three-dimensional pile of filaments, you must first understand the work according to the drawings and design requirements.
Then according to the three-dimensional structure and size, grind the charcoal into powder, add Bletilla striata and water and mix it into a dough, and knead it by hand into the shape designed on the drawing.
This is also a shaping process. After shaping, it is left to dry. This process is stacking.
Winding the wire after the molding is dry is also a process of laying the wire. The process of laying the wire must be the same as filling the wire. It must be operated meticulously, evenly and flatly, and the wire must be coded perfectly.
Only in this way can welding be tight and seamless.
After welding, use a fire to burn the piled charcoal mold to form a three-dimensional hollow, exquisite and clear finished product.
A good finished product makes it impossible for outsiders to find the ins and outs of silk.
At this point, a piece of work has not yet been completed. There are two more processes to complete, and then weaving and weaving.
Weaving is the same as straw weaving and bamboo weaving that we are usually familiar with, but the materials used are different.
It is much more difficult to use gold, silver, copper and other metal materials to make various kinds of silk for weaving.
Therefore, a skilled craftsman with certain experience and even hand strength must be able to weave well.
The silk used for weaving includes round plain silk, round filament silk, flat silk, etc.
First select the required silk according to the drawing requirements. After selecting the silk, it is usually hand-woven into different filament patterns.
Commonly used filament patterns include braided wire, cross wire, screw, mat pattern, foam wire, etc.
Once the weaving is completed, a simpler work is considered complete. Of course, inlay technology has not been used here.
However, as long as you can master these skills, you can already complete some simple works.
For example, filigree handbags require relatively simple craftsmanship.
Handbags originally originated from the West, and the integration of handbag works into my country's traditional filigree inlay technology is a perfect combination of tradition and modernity, my country and the West, as well as luxury and light luxury craftsmanship.
The handbag carries complex and exquisite filigree inlay craftsmanship, with lush patterns of flowers, and inlaid with sapphire blue bright jewelry, making the entire handbag full of royal wealth and splendor.
Condensing this nobility into handbags also highlights the ornamental and practical value of filigree handbags. Therefore, they are favored by more and more arts and crafts enthusiasts and beauty-loving ladies.
If you want to go further and create more complex works, there are many such works.
For example, the famous "December Flower" filigree brooch set, the design inspiration of this piece comes from my country's traditional "Flower Song".
In the first month, plum blossoms stand proud of the snow and frost; in February, they bloom to welcome the early spring; in March, peach blossoms are red; in April, peonies are fragrant; in May, pomegranates are as red as fire; in June, lotus flowers reflect the pond;
In July, the jasmine blossoms are like snow; in August, the osmanthus trees are full of yellow; in September, the chrysanthemums are in various shapes; in October, the hibiscus is in full bloom; in November, the narcissus is as clean as jade; in December, the wintersweet smells fragrant.
It displays the works in the form of brooch products, and each piece corresponds to the famous flower month.
The work uses filigree inlay technology, and various colored gemstones are embellished on the flowers, highlighting the charm of the work.
The entire set of works has complex craftsmanship and embodies the highest skill of filigree inlay, a Chinese intangible cultural heritage. The use of gold as the material makes the work even more elegant and luxurious.
Similar to this one, there is also a series of filigree round fans.
The work uses my country's traditional auspicious flowers peony, magnolia, plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, butterflies, swallows, etc. as the main elements.
Orchid means "gentleman", peony means "wealth", butterfly means "good news", and swallow means "banquet".
The bottom is decorated with a chrysanthemum pattern and the back is decorated with a double dragon pattern, forming a classic arts and crafts that is filled with spring scenery, wealth and auspiciousness.
Made using filigree inlay techniques, supplemented by traditional blue-burning techniques, it can perfectly reproduce the exquisite filigree displays in the palace during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
Of course, the masterpiece of this kind of craftsmanship must be the gold and jade Yuanmingyuan flood technique with filigree, chiseled and inlaid treasures.