Crafting a Custom Talking
Board
by Gary W. Fisler
| This is a board that
I made for myself using two pieces of 1"x8" pine. I started by cutting
the two pieces of wood to 24". I then doweled the two boards together
for strength. A piece of molding was added to each side for strength,
also. For those who do not want to go through this much trouble,
some of the building supply warehouses sell round and square tabletops
that are ready made. Although a little more costly, they are ready
to use.
The sun and moon designs were made using a process called embossing. This leaves a slightly raised 3-D image that is not discernible in the picture. A special glue is applied to a rubber stamp of the image. The rubber stamp is then placed in position on the board. Embossing glitter is then poured on the area of the board that has glue on it. Tilt the board and tap it to remove the excess glitter that has not adhered to the glue. This excess glitter may be saved and used at another time. A heat gun is then used to melt the glitter and form the 3-D image. Repeat for the other images. On this board the only embossed images are the sun and moon. The glitter comes in a variety of different colors. I used gold. I stenciled the letters and numbers on using a stenciling paste. I found that this is easier to use than paint. The paint always ran under the edges of the stencil. The paste, being thicker, did not do this. The paste takes about three or four days to dry, so do not touch it until then. The ivy was added using another rubber stamp. I used a stenciling paste instead of ink. The paste gives a better image than the ink when used on wood. Wood, being porous, soaks up the ink and you will not get a uniform image. The last step is to apply several coats of varnish or clear polyurethane. Several coats will be needed to cover the embossing. Use a good furniture polish to finish the board and make it slick enough for the planchette to slide easily. Hints:
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