Tutorial.The birth of a tin part 4.Simple matchwork.

In this tutorial we will start to add a wood covering to our tin. We have three ways to go about this. We could use wood veneer or the more traditional match work or a combination of the two.

Match work is the easiest of the three options so we will run with it and cover wood veneer at a later date.

Some people reading this may already be skilled in applying matches to tins and can lay them in all sorts of fancy patterns but for now we must also assume there are people reading who have never made a tin before so we will be keeping matters simple.



The tin as we left off in our last tutorial

This is as far as we have got with our tin in the last tutorial. It has been covered with paper and lightly sanded to get rid of any lumps and bumps that may stop us laying our matches flush with the tins surface.

The next things we need are matches. Traditionally these would of been used matches either saved or recovered from ashtrays in prison for prison art tins or out of the street or gutter in tramp art. These days it is easier to go to the local toy or model shop and pick up a bag of craft matches for a few quid. At this time of writing 6,000 matches cost around £5.99 and that could be seen as expensive as there are cheaper lots out there. But 6,000 matches could easily cover 3 tins.

Glue. Many modern tin artists use all sorts of glue from 2 part epoxy like Araldite to super glues. Being traditional all we will be using is a strong PVA wood glue. PVA is cheap, clean, easy to use, and washes off easily.



Items needed to start laying down the matches.

We can start to lay the matches either at the top or bottom of the tin first or the sides. Laying sides first looks better as the matches on the top and bottom of the tin  hides the ends of the matches that will be visible from the top and the bottom of the tin but it is by far simpler by laying matches across the top and bottom first.

So we will start by laying the matches in the simplest way we can, top first.

To start we mark pen or pencil lines on the lid and base of our tin using a ruler. These are just measurements taken from the top edge, they can be any measurements you like. All they do is give us straight lines to help us lay the matches straight.

Drawing lines onto the tins lid.

 

These lines will help to keep our matches straight.

 

 

 

Choosing one of our pen or pencil lines we then start to lay our matches along it. Further matches are laid along side the ones we originally laid along a chosen pen line, gradually we build out from there. 

 

Starting to lay the matches along the centre line.

 

Simply place the glue on the tin and smear it out like in the picture above, and place your matches on the tin. Don't worry if a little glue squeezes out from between the matches, this is good and will help to glue match to match. No need to glue every match separately as it takes too long. Notice we have staggered our matches building them up like bricks in a brick wall. This will add a bit of strength to our finished tin.



Working out from the centre line.

  

 

The above photo shows the progress we have made on the tin lid. Laying of matches on the lid and base is a fairly quick process.

 

The top of the tin has been fully covered.

 

Our lid has been totally covered with matches, next we turn the tin over and start to work on the base.

 

Top and bottom all matched up.

 

The above photo shows both the lid and the base covered in matches. The next process will be to trim the matches back level with the sides of the tin. We need to be careful here as not to cut the matches back too far or badly cut our fingers in the process. So please be careful. Remember to cut away from you and keep your fingers clear.

 

Matches trimmed back level with the sides.

 

What I will suggest is cut the matches around the top and base longer then required then sand the remaining over hang back with sandpaper using a block to help get a straight edge. 

 

The tin from the top.

 

 

Now we will look at covering the sides of the tin. Covering the sides is a little more tricky and we have to be more careful. Usually it involves laying a few matches then waiting for the glue to dry enough before we can lay a few more.

  

Matches laid horizontally across sides of tin but laid vertically around corners.

 

 

The above picture shows the matches being laid along the flat sides of the tin first. The corners are laid down in the opposite direction so they can easily follow the curve of the tin. Notice the pen marks on the lid which show us where the change of direction of the matches takes place. 

 





Beginning to lay matches around the edge of the tobacco tins lid.

 

On a modern tin placing of matches along the sides of the lid is a little more tricky. Modern tins usually have two lugs which stick out quite a way. These lugs will stop us laying our matches flat. To get over this problem we cut slots into the matches to take the lugs as in the picture below.



Modern tins have lugs sticking out from the sides of the lid. Cutting notches out from the matches helps us to lay the matches flat over them.

 

The following picture shows the tin fully covered in matches. We need to carefully cut away any match that overhangs the lid or base. Again we use a sharp solid knife, and always cut away from ourselves.



Fully covered tobacco tin.

 

Matchsticks have been carefully cut back.

 

The photo above shows the matches cut and trimmed. A useful tip here is to cut the matches slightly longer then needed so we don't cut them below the top and bottom of our tin. We will then sand the matches back along with the rest of the tin to obtain a smoother surface.

 

Sanding itself or lack of sanding all depends on what we are going to do with the final tin and how we want the piece to look in its finished form. This tin may eventually be used for ink work or a home made transfer may be applied. In this case a very smooth surface will be required as any lumps and bumps will show and distract from the finished item.

 

Filling the gaps with wood filler.

 

Filling the gaps prior to sanding. This can be done in several ways. In the case of this tin we are using a wood filler, just be careful what colour you use and to match it with the wood you are using. Matchsticks are very close in colour to Ronseal's neutral. Simply apply and rub well into any cracks and gaps you have. The photo below shows the lid and base after filling. Wait for the filler to dry before moving on to sanding.



The gaps have now been totally filled in.



Materials used for sanding back the tin.

 

When sanding it is important to do a good job. For this I use a sanding block and a series of different size grit sandpapers starting with course then gradually working down to fine. It is important to get all the excess filler sanded right back, and the same time be careful to remove any old wood glue which has become smeared onto the tins surface as this will turn white under a coat of varnish and look horrible. Sanding is the key to a good looking tin.



Our tobacco tin is now ready for what ever design we wish to apply. Fully sanded and looking good.

 

Above can be seen a fully wooded tin, well sanded back and ready for what ever art work or creative spin we wish to give it. Some people will call it a day and varnish the tin for personal use as it stands but for a tin artist these finished wooded tins are little more then a blank canvas to work upon.

 

The ways we can decorate our tins are limitless and how we build our tins like wise. We will cover some of these ideas and techniques at a later date.

 

Until then I wish you luck in making your own tins, and please drop me a message below to let me know how you got on with your own tin making projects.