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MicroVeneers®
Pure Raw Shell Veneer (0.15mm thick)
Laser Cutting
Services
We will cut your whole 5"x9" Sheets for as low as $50 and matching inlay cavities for $25
Grand Opening Special
Micralone®
MicroVeneer® with Opaque Backing
and Clear Coat Gloss(0.20mm thick).
Also called ThinLams
Top-Strat®
MicroVeneer® mount on a Composite
Back (0.05" thick). Standard block inlay
thickness.Unique Copyrighted Product.
NacreLite®
MicroVeneer® that can be made in any
thick in 0.15mm increments.
Lamalone®
MicroVeneer® embedded in Organic
Polymer similar to Aba Lam and Shell LAMs
Available thicknesses:
0.40", 0.05", 0.06", 0.08" & 0.1"
Laser Cutting
Services
We will cut your whole 5"x9" Sheets for as low as $50 and matching inlay cavities for $25
Grand Opening Special
Scratch & Dent
Broken, chipped and defective items
Shipping Options
Not all items can be shipped using Overnight or Express Mail
Ship Overseas
Oversea Buyer Must add this to their order
Instructions
How to cut, shape, dye, glue and mount
and wrap our products
FAQ's
Commonly asked Questions
UnderLay by CNG©
Scrip and etching our MicroVeneer©
just like block shell
Possible Uses
What can these Products can be used for
Wrapping on Fishing Rods & Pool Cues
How to "Wrap" our MicroVeneers© onto
Fishing Rods and Pool Cues, etc
Laser Cutting
Services
We will cut your whole 5"x9" Sheets for as low as $50 and matching inlay cavities for $25
Grand Opening Special
All the following terms are the sole property of InlayUSA.com
King Abalone™
Prince of Pearl™
The Abby of Awabi™
The Sultan of Shell™
The Mother of all Pearl ™
Vicker of Veneer™
Prince of Paua™
The Mother of all Inlay™
Queen Awabi™
The King Tut of Tahitian™
UNDERLAY® by Sengee
The New Art of Inlay
Music: Sengee playing along with Peter Frampton ("Do Like I Do" Recorded Oct 22, 2007)
These are examples of the possibilities of what is now being called "Underlay" and can only be done with thin shell veneers like our MicroVeneer®. This process was first used over 30 years ago by a master inlay artist who is knows as Sengee (pronouced: See N gee or CNG). Sengee isn't as well know as the likes of Harvey Leach or Larry Robinson but is every bit as good as either of them. He has always maintain a very low profile so he could work as an artist and not as a "contract inlay artist". As he put it "...I don't want to make money, I want to make inlay art..." We have been fortunate enough to get his permission to use some of his early underlays that were original designed and produced in the early 90's and are now being copied by artist world wide.
Sengee is really the father of shell veneers because he was the first to grind full thickness "Blanks" down so they were as thin as today's MicroVeneers. that way he could put his artwork on the back side (mounting side) of the shell inlay and they won't wear off, be felt when touched and the design could be more precisely control. That is, with underlaying the artwork is on the mounting side of the nacre (shell) and unlike "topside" artwork as done on full thickness shell blanks it will not wear off over time or create a roughness in the surface that can be felt from the blanks being etched and then colored (blacken) in to create detail in the inlay work.
A Picture is worth a 10,000 words!!!.
The inlay above was done with just Silver-Lop MOP and color enhanced and controlled using colors that are "back tinted" (underlayed). The inlay really "pops" with the addition of of the scrimshaw (black lines) detailing that is actually outlining even the very thin vines and used to add details in the leaves and flowers as well. On full thickness blank inlay it is impossible to control the colors and the scrimshaw are etched into the top of the shell blank so the etch lines can be felt as you rub across the blank with your finger, but not with underlaying!!! Where even "tiny details" can not only be added, but safely added with little risk of damaging the inlay piece (cracking or breaking) during production. Sengee has always used hand etching tools (scribes) but with today's high speed Dremel tools etching is easy, more easy controlled and faster.
This inlay is done with multi-veneers (MOP, Pink Ab, Red Ab and Paua) and without the underlaying scrimshaw this artwork won't be nearly as dramatic. Truly the beauty is in the details! Sengee claims he can teach anyone who isn't blind and has a steady hands to do inlay work just like this! It's true too and if you examine the picture closely, looking at the individual pieces use, you will begin to see how simply this inlay really is and how just a little underlaying make the roses just come alive.
Done during his "Oriental Period" in the mid-80's, this piece really show what underlaying scrimshaw can do to an inlay! The cats comes alive, with every muscle being created by scrimshaw etching making the cat look like it's really ready to pounce on the ball of string! Please note that this picture really don't do justice to the real beauty of this inlay and all the details can't be seen in this 'wide angle' picture. Sengee spent 120 hours doing the scrimshaw with a jeweler's eye piece and microscopic details (that can't be seen in this picture) exist in the inlay!
You have seen what Sengee has done using our MicroVeneer® now it your turn! Stop doing production inlay and let the artist out and not just produce ho hum two dimensional inlays but raise the bar to create three dimensional inlays that will have you selling your work faster then you can make it and at higher prices!
With enough time and practice maybe you will be the next Sengee and be the one who raise the bar in inlay work in the years to come. It is a brave new world and the art form of Underlay® is still in its infancy