Ichimatsu yosegi
Today is a national holiday in Japan, and many workplaces are closed. Today’s holiday is “Coming of Age Day.” Over the weekend, many regions held ceremonies to celebrate this special occasion.
Despite the holiday, I managed to make progress on some tasks today. First, I continued working on slicing and adhering the checkered yosegi (ichimatsu) wood sheets for 4-sun boxes, a task I began last week. As mentioned in a previous update, I sliced the solid checkered yosegi blocks, which were stacked in layers, into thin sheets of about 0.2mm.
However, the current dry weather conditions have not been ideal for this type of work. The stability of slicing yosegi sheets varies significantly between dry days and humid, rainy days. On dry days, the sliced thin yosegi sheets dry out quickly, making them prone to separating and falling apart. In contrast, humid days provide natural moisture that helps stabilize the sheets during slicing, making the process much smoother.
Given the low rainfall during this season and no rain in the forecast for the week, I decided to proceed with the slicing work under these less-than-optimal conditions. To minimize the impact of the dry weather, I chose to work in the evening when the sunlight was less intense. Fortunately, I was able to complete the task successfully.
Humidity is indeed crucial for handling yosegi sheets, highlighting the importance of weather conditions in this craft. Afterward, I adhered the checkered yosegi (ichimatsu) sheets to the boards. These boards will be used as side panels for the 4-sun boxes.
After that, I completed the final inspection and packaging of the 5-sun drawer 10-step puzzle boxes, which had already undergone the finishing coat. With the main box completed, I attached the lid to the finished drawers and placed them inside the box.
Next, I tested the mechanisms. If the movement was too tight, I made slight adjustments to loosen it before closing the mechanism. Typically, it is easier to adjust a tight mechanism to make it smoother, which is why I design parts such as the lids to be slightly tight initially. This final stage is where I fine-tune them for optimal functionality.
After that, I placed the puzzle box in a plastic bag along with an instruction sheet explaining how to open it, then packed it into its final gift box. With this, the 5-sun drawer box is now complete.
Since this project is finished, I plan to start working on the 4-sun double compartment puzzle boxes from tomorrow. I’ll share updates on the progress as I go.
Despite the holiday, I managed to make progress on some tasks today. First, I continued working on slicing and adhering the checkered yosegi (ichimatsu) wood sheets for 4-sun boxes, a task I began last week. As mentioned in a previous update, I sliced the solid checkered yosegi blocks, which were stacked in layers, into thin sheets of about 0.2mm.
However, the current dry weather conditions have not been ideal for this type of work. The stability of slicing yosegi sheets varies significantly between dry days and humid, rainy days. On dry days, the sliced thin yosegi sheets dry out quickly, making them prone to separating and falling apart. In contrast, humid days provide natural moisture that helps stabilize the sheets during slicing, making the process much smoother.
Given the low rainfall during this season and no rain in the forecast for the week, I decided to proceed with the slicing work under these less-than-optimal conditions. To minimize the impact of the dry weather, I chose to work in the evening when the sunlight was less intense. Fortunately, I was able to complete the task successfully.
Humidity is indeed crucial for handling yosegi sheets, highlighting the importance of weather conditions in this craft. Afterward, I adhered the checkered yosegi (ichimatsu) sheets to the boards. These boards will be used as side panels for the 4-sun boxes.
After that, I completed the final inspection and packaging of the 5-sun drawer 10-step puzzle boxes, which had already undergone the finishing coat. With the main box completed, I attached the lid to the finished drawers and placed them inside the box.
Next, I tested the mechanisms. If the movement was too tight, I made slight adjustments to loosen it before closing the mechanism. Typically, it is easier to adjust a tight mechanism to make it smoother, which is why I design parts such as the lids to be slightly tight initially. This final stage is where I fine-tune them for optimal functionality.
After that, I placed the puzzle box in a plastic bag along with an instruction sheet explaining how to open it, then packed it into its final gift box. With this, the 5-sun drawer box is now complete.
Since this project is finished, I plan to start working on the 4-sun double compartment puzzle boxes from tomorrow. I’ll share updates on the progress as I go.
