螺鈿の貝切り（薄貝）Raden shellfish cutting (thin shellfish)

It is a beautiful Raden shellfish, but this time I would like to summarize how to cut the shellfish.

After I entered school, I tried a lot when cutting shells for Raden tasks. Depending on the motif of the work at that time, the method of cutting the shellfish and the tools are also changed.

Therefore, I reviewed the references a little again this time.

貝の厚み Shell thickness

Shells sold for lacquer art are sold at lacquer shops with a width of about 3 levels (thin shell, medium, thick shell).

Shells that are sheet-shaped and sold for crafts other than lacquering are also thin shells.

Thin shellfish is made by boiling shellfish for a long time and then thinly peeling off the part of the nacre that has gradually peeled off. This method is called “Hegigai”. This is also a craftsmanship.

The shellfish introduced in this cutting method is a story about cutting thin shellfish (thinness around 0.08 mm). Shellfish called “medium-thick shellfish” are sold at about 0.3 mm, but depending on the cutting method and blade, they can be cut in the same way as thin shellfish. It’s thin enough to look transparent, so if you put a little effort into it, it will crack immediately.

Thick shellfish, called thick shellfish, have a thickness of 1 mm or more, so it is difficult to cut them. I think that the cutting method using a jigsaw is well known.

I have posted about shellfish in the past, so if you are interested, please read it as well.

貝切り道具 Shellfish cutting tool

As for the shell cutting tool, there is basically no special blade as long as the shell can be cut cleanly. I’ve reviewed the references, but again there are no very groundbreaking methods or tools.

カッター（デザインカッター）Cutter (design cutter)
刃物 Blade
針 needle

All blades should have sharpness. When cutting with a cutter, it cannot be cut cleanly at once, so it will be cut repeatedly 4 or 5 times.

I tried various blades for shellfish cutting, but I thought that the blades sold for skin cutting would be the best, depending on the work. The table underneath for cutting is as hard as a glass plate and very easy to use.

まっすぐ切りたい場合 If you want to cut straight

When cutting straight, use a cutter or a straight blade.

Sharp design cutters and knives are very convenient. Even with a normal cutter, it looks good and is easy to cut when cutting with a blade angle of 30 degrees.

The knives sold at the lacquer shop for shellfish cutting are the same knives for cutting as in the photo.

Recently, cutting machines for cutting shellfish are also on sale, but they are quite expensive. If you need a slightly cut shell, it may be cheaper to buy. However, if you cut the sheet of the line-cut shellfish, the part that is glued with the adhesive is also mixed, so you need to be careful not to use the adhesive part that is not the shellfish.

湾曲形状を切りたい場合 If you want to cut a curved shape

・ When you want to cut a curved shape such as diagonally, use a needle. It’s like moving a needle to dig. Be careful not to slip the needle. I’m not good at it, so I won’t do this method.

・You can also use small scissors that are very sharp. However, after cutting the shellfish, it may not be cut, so be careful when cutting other things.

By the way, when I was a student who made all willow leaves into shells, I wanted to cut the shells in a curved and diagonal shape, so I used small, sharp scissors for embroidery. The cut was cut cleanly, so I stuck it as it was. However, when I finished using the scissors in this work, the scissors did not cut well and I could not use it.

・ Use a curved chisel. → You can use it if you want to cut it small.

・ For small circles and hearts, use a leather punch to cut them out, and the cuts will be relatively clean. However, since the side that originally opened the mold is the priority tool, if you want to cut the shellfish, you can lighten the force a little and make a mark to pull it out.

Also, if it is ○, you can make a beautiful shape by scraping the head of a commercially available screw etc. to make it flat and pressing it with a hammer to pull it out.

・ Use a laser cutter

Lasers weren’t used by many people when I was in school, but I think they’re all being used now. I think that the range of expression can be expanded considerably if a laser is used, even if there is a limit to cutting by hand. However, the machine is expensive and not for shell cutting, so you can’t use it unless you adjust the setting to cut it well. I think it’s a lot of work. At the lacquer shop, we sell pre-cut items.

The condition and color of the shellfish differ depending on the location, so I think that the location you want to use will differ depending on the work. I think that each person has a method that suits each work.

貝を切るとき When cutting shellfish

Soak the shellfish in water before cutting it. I always soak the shellfish for more than 10 minutes. With the shellfish moist to some extent, place it on a table and cut it. If it gets dry and hard while cutting, re-immerse it.

Soaking it will soften the shellfish and make it harder to crack and easier to cut. It is also because the cut can be cut cleanly.

When cutting shellfish, use a glass plate or a hard plate and cut it so that it is pushed through. If you cut it so that it is pushed all the way through, the cuts will not be tattered, so you can just stick it on and use it.

After cutting it, it will be damp, so let it dry for a while.

When cutting into a curved shape with a needle, etc., the cut part is crunchy, and if it is not clean, it is necessary to trim it with a sharpening paper of around # 2000. If this is not done, it will come out as it is when sharpening the shell, or the unevenness of the shell may cause chipping.

There is no special tool for cutting shellfish, so I’m trying various things to see if I can use one that is used in a completely different field.

If there is any good tool for cutting shellfish, I would like to blog about it.

参考文献

日本漆工協会編『やさしく身につく漆のはなしその１』,1995

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