Make a birch bark bracelet by hand. Making a birch bark bracelet (master class)

14.10.2019

This MK might not exist for at least another two weeks, but I see people are bored, they don’t come to visit, they don’t talk to me. I decided to force events, that is, to reduce the last operations, and everything is very clear. At least for me. I hope that you too, my dears. It will look something like this. Sorry, I couldn’t keep up with the formation time, so I’m showing you without removing it from the last blank.

So let's start by praying.

1. Once at the end of summer, when I was out picking mushrooms, I found an old fallen birch tree in the forest. I tinkered with my knife this way and that and cut out a rather interesting piece. I brought it home and began to clean it of the old cambium (the layer that goes behind the bark itself, that is, closer to the trunk). This happened with warm water with the addition of washing powder and soda. I cleaned it with an old toothbrush. And this is what happened...

2. Let’s take a closer look and take a closer look. It’s an interesting texture, in my opinion. How do you like it? True, I had to increase the sharpness in Photoshop, otherwise all the photos turned out kind of cloudy.

3. One problem. The bark on the outside in these wrinkled places had such large growths that, even if I wanted to, it would not have been possible to use this wonderful piece of material for the purpose for which I had intended.

4. And it was decided to fight this phenomenon with radical measures. I sanded everything down. If I didn't have it in my arsenal of tools, I would probably have to work with a knife and sandpaper.

5. Then we cut out, as they say, a boot from a flea (the meaning of the phrase is completely off topic, but I like the phrase itself), but in our opinion, we cut off all the excess.

6. As you already guessed, this will be the front side of our bracelet. Using it we cut out two pieces of normal, that is, clean birch bark about 2 mm thick. This will be the backing. Like this...

7. We clean off the white layer, don’t be too zealous, remove a thin layer.

8. Coat these two pieces with Moment glue (you can also use PVA, but the gluing process will take much longer) as shown in the photo (EXACTLY SO). Then all the applied glue must be spread evenly over the surface. Let stand for 2-3 minutes and connect these pieces together.

9. And fix them with paper clips.

10. After this, coat our front layer with glue on the inside. We also coat the backing on the yellow side with glue, let it sit, as I said, for 2-3 minutes and combine these layers. Rubber squares are used to prevent paper clips from leaving marks on the front side.

11. Then we round off the edges with scissors according to the template, and grind the entire structure around the perimeter with sandpaper. And this is what happened.

12. After this, I decided to emboss the wrong side of our workpiece. To do this, I took a rolling tool I made myself, it’s just a show off, you don’t have to roll it if you don’t have a suitable tool at hand. But if someone suddenly decides to roll or cover the surface with some kind of notch, then for these purposes you can use a metal tie rod with a different thread pitch (what’s wrong, ask the men), or some suitable bolt or large screw. In the end, you can use a clock gear, well, how to do this is the topic of a separate lesson. (I’ll tell you a secret, I’m working on a video course, everything will be there, including making tools with your own hands).

13. And the notch looks like this.

14. But in general this is true.

15. Now the heavy artillery comes into play, a 3 mm diameter punch made from a medical needle, which is mounted in a handle and equipped with a manually operated ejector. You can make things easier for yourself. Buy a leather punch (now it costs 700 rubles, in my opinion). They can punch different holes, that is, different diameters. I just beg you not to buy a Chinese one, it will break in a week. I have bitter experience.

16. And with this same punch we punch (forgive the tautology), holes at a distance of 2 mm from the edge and 2 mm from each other. I don’t recommend punching it by weight; let’s say put in a piece of old linoleum. In my case, it turned out to be a hundred holes. It all depends on the diameter of the bracelet.

17. Then we take a metal ruler, a blade and a piece of birch bark to cut the ribbons onto the bracelet braid.

18. And cut birch bark strips 1 mm thick and 3 mm wide. We cut them together with the lentil windows (you can see them in the photo in dark stripes). Then we will cut them out and work with clean strips so that there are no creases in the birch bark on the bends during braiding.

19. We take our bracelet, punched on all sides, and begin to braid it. Here we will be helped by matches sharpened to a cone, with the help of which we will wedge the birch bark tape at the joints. We cut the first ribbon into a cone and insert it into the hole on the wrong side of the bracelet. We apply glue (here it is PVA) to the place where the ribbon and bracelet come into contact, that is, into the hole and wedge it with a match for better adhesion of the glue. To apply the glue, we will use a needle inserted into a Chupa Chups tube, or a refill from a ballpoint or helium pen. This will serve as a handle for ease of use.

20. Wrap the bracelet with birch bark tape through the holes. Then, when the tape ends, take another one, insert it into the same hole where the previous one ends, coat it with glue at the point of contact and wedge it with a match. After drying, carefully cut off the tip of the old tape flush.

21. We cut off everything sticking out and get the next semi-finished product.

22. Now that the preparatory part is over (were you scared?), all that remains is to form the bracelet itself. We will have it detachable, that is, you can put it on not through the hand, but through the wrist. We open it, put it on our hand, and it compresses like a spring, gently grasping your wrist. To begin with, we take a three-liter jar as a blank and wrap our blank around it. We fix all this splendor with a rubber band. Just like in the photo.

23. After a week of fixation in this position, we get the following...

24. Then a two-liter jar is used.

25. Another tedious week has passed, and now the liter jar has come in handy. The formation process takes a lot of time, so don't blame me.

26. And after another certain period of time, we will need a bottle of some drink. It will serve as the last blank, after which the bracelet will finally be ready. The bottle is wrapped in a clean sheet of paper so as not to give rise to unnecessary speculation and illusions. I simply don’t have time to wait any longer, I want to convey to you all the wisdom of the craft as soon as possible, use it to your health.

27. And at the end of the day, a little professional secret. For better formation of this product, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime. Or temperature shock therapy. It's not as scary as you already imagined. You just need to heat the bracelet first (for example, pour hot, not boiling, water into a jar). Let it sit for half an hour, then drain the water, and if it’s winter, put the jar in the cold (balcony, cold corridor, etc.) You can use your long-suffering refrigeration unit for these purposes. The operation must be performed several times. Due to temperature changes, the bracelet acquires special springiness and holds its shape well.

P.S. Absorb knowledge, dare, experiment, fantasize and you will succeed. I wish you success. See you in the new MK. It will be called "Making a chain from birch bark" (I hope).

Making a birch bark bracelet (master class)

I wanted to show site visitors how I make birch bark bracelets. Many of them have seen the light of day over a long period of time and they are all different, it’s a pity there are no photos left. I posted this master class on the “Country of Masters” website a long time ago, and I think it will be interesting for you too.

So let's start by praying.

2. Let’s take a closer look and take a closer look. Interesting, in my opinion, texture. How do you like it? True, I had to increase the sharpness in Photoshop, otherwise all the photos turned out kind of cloudy.

3. One problem. The bark on the outside in these wrinkled places had such thick growths that even if I wanted to, it would not have been possible to use this wonderful piece of material for the purpose for which I had intended.

4. And it was decided to fight this phenomenon with radical measures. I sanded everything down. If I didn't have it in my arsenal of tools, I would probably have to work with a knife and sandpaper.

5. Then we cut out, as they say, a boot from a flea (the meaning of the phrase is completely off topic, but I like the phrase itself), but in our opinion, we cut off all the excess.

6. As you already guessed, this will be the front side of our bracelet. Using it we cut out two pieces of normal, that is, clean birch bark about 2 mm thick. This will be the backing. Like this...

7. We clean off the white layer, don’t be too zealous, remove a thin layer.

9. And fix them with paper clips.

11. Then we round off the edges with scissors according to the template, and grind the entire structure around the perimeter with sandpaper. And this is what happened.

12. After this, I decided to emboss the wrong side of our workpiece. To do this, I took a rolling tool that I made myself, it’s so simple, it’s just a show off, you don’t have to roll it if you don’t have a suitable tool at hand. But if someone suddenly decides to roll or cover the surface with some kind of notch, then for these purposes you can use a metal tie rod with a different thread pitch (what’s wrong, ask the men), or some suitable bolt or large screw. In the end, you can use a clock gear, well, how to do this is the topic of a separate lesson. (I’ll tell you a secret, I’m working on a video course, everything will be there, including making tools with your own hands).

13. And the notch looks like this.

14. But in general this is true.

17. Then we take a metal ruler, a blade and a piece of birch bark to cut the ribbons onto the bracelet braid.

21. We cut off everything sticking out and get the next semi-finished product.

23. After a week of fixation in this position, we get the following...

24. Then a two-liter jar is used.

25. Another tedious week has passed, and now the liter jar has come in handy. The formation process takes a lot of time, so don't blame me.

And here is another copy, it is formed in the same way, only the front surface is prepared differently.

Birch bark in natural shades, simply collected from old fallen trees.

P.S. Absorb knowledge, dare, experiment, fantasize and you will succeed. I wish you success. See you in the new MK. It will be called "Making a chain from birch bark" (I hope).

Birch bark jewelry is not only beautiful, but also light, convenient, and environmentally friendly! And most importantly, anyone can do them.

How to prepare birch bark for jewelry

In order to start weaving jewelry, the birch bark must first be prepared: peeled, cleaned of black growths, if possible, and cut into bast.

Bast is strips of birch bark of different widths, and we will weave from them.

What tools are needed to work with birch bark?

An important tool for working with birch bark is a sharp “Jamb” knife. You can make it yourself from a knife blade (you can use an old hacksaw), or purchase it at a hardware store. An awl and a ruler for marking should also be in your arsenal. I have never seen the name of the next tool before; apparently, this is a very specific tool that only birch bark workers know - kochedyk. A long, thin spatula with a slight bend. It is important that the lower edge of the tool is not sharp, because it is used for threading birch bark strips during glueless weaving. In the photo below you can see it:

How to weave a necklace or bracelet from birch bark

We will weave the necklace and bracelet using the same technology, so the difference will only be in diameter (head circumference, hand circumference).

We measure the circumference of the head (hand) and make a small allowance, because... when braided, the product will become more voluminous and the internal diameter will decrease slightly.

We take a strip of birch bark (bast) with a length equal to two circumferences of the head (hand), plus a small allowance (1-1.5 cm) for the connection. The width of the strip is 1 cm. If you do not have the required length of bast, strips of birch bark can be glued together with PVA glue. At the same time, clean the ends of both strips so that when joined, their thickness is equal to the thickness of one strip. We wrap the prepared strip in two circles (two head circumferences) and glue the ends together, not forgetting to clean them too. We got a two-layer hoop made from strips of birch bark 1 cm wide and with a diameter equal to the circumference of the head plus an allowance of 1-1.5 cm.

We will wrap the hoop in strips half as wide, i.e. 0.5 cm. The strip that will run along the middle of the hoop (horizontally) can be a different color (darker or lighter than the main one). We tuck the strip with which we will wrap the tool inside the hoop (between two strips). We wrap the hoop vertically, alternating rows so that a horizontal strip of a different color is either on top of the vertical one or below it. It turns out to be a kind of chess game. We hide the ends of the vertical strip between two inner hoops that we braid. If necessary, we extend the horizontal stripe by hiding the tails between the curls of the vertical stripes. Thus we get glueless weaving.

No one has yet invented it for the dacha or country summer. But where to buy bast shoes and woven belts from now? Occasionally they are sold as souvenirs, but they cost no less than embroidered tablecloths and lace.

But birch bark belts are still quickly sold out, because they can make the most ordinary outfit unique. Those who know how to use natural materials can always make the most inexpensive clothing a “piece” item, which is always appreciated.

Birch bark bast shoes

Birch bark can be easily found in forestry enterprises and removed from felled trees. In many of our villages, houses are heated with birch, so you can turn to almost every house for birch bark.

We do not recommend removing birch bark from living trees, although experts say that this can be done without harming the birch. In this case, you must coordinate your birch bark harvesting with the local forestry department.

Necessary tools for making birch bark jewelry

To work with birch bark you need the simplest equipment. The most important of them are: a slot, a tuck, a spatula, a compass and scissors, as well as blocks and a vice.

A good pocket knife is suitable, or even better a so-called Finnish, or bookbinding knife. The puzzle is made from a strong type of wood, or from a metal plate, preferably steel; but the metal slot should not be too sharp. A hammer is needed to remove birch bark from a tree.

Pin tucks are easy to make from wood; their length is from 4 to 8 cm, and their width is from 1/2 to 1/4 cm. They prevent the weaving from unraveling. The spatula is made from a type of wood. It should be very smooth (polished).

A spatula is used to level out the deflections of birch bark strips when weaving. A compass is not often needed; it is needed for cutting out regular circles from birch bark, applying precise divisions, establishing equal width of birch bark, etc.

A compass from a ready-to-use kitchen will also work. Any scissors will do. They are needed for cutting edges. Pads are also required for operation. They are useful both for gluing birch bark and for leveling the birch bark sheets themselves and their surface.

The blocks are two smooth wooden blocks onto which a piece of birch bark is stretched; Wedges are driven into the gap between the bars on both sides, and with their help the birch bark is pulled. A vice, bookbinding or carpentry, is also necessary for working with birch bark sheets.

Birch bark should be glued with liquid wood glue. A cutter (a toothed metal wheel on a handle) can be used to cut birch bark into any pattern. A punch can be useful for punching through holes. You can also use tools (templates) for embossing.

Where and how to get birch bark?

Best to rip off birch bark for decorations from birch trees that have already been cut down for something: the birch bark is then torn off very easily. It’s not difficult to get it, but to tear it off correctly and not damage the tree is not so easy.

For work from sheet birch bark it is stripped in one way, for work in another. We recommend that you strictly follow the following basic rules. Do not damage the bark and the tree trunk itself and do not tear off too large pieces of birch bark from one tree.

How to remove birch bark correctly

Both harm the tree. Birch bark can be plucked at any time of the year. This action must be performed as follows: having selected a part of the trunk, cut the birch bark with a knife (lengthwise and crosswise) for several centimeters and bend the corner with the knife.

See if this birch bark is suitable for your work (both in appearance and thickness). If the birch bark is suitable, move the cut further, lightly pressing the knife. Then take a puzzle and use it to tear off the birch bark further (across the trunk and from left to right).

The inner side of birch bark depends on the time of its extraction. The most pleasant color birch bark has, if you get it in the spring. It is at this time that birch bark is best suited for making beautiful things.

Autumn birch bark has a paler color on the inside. Summer birch bark is very soft and liquid, so it is unsuitable for making durable products. Birch growing in dry and rocky places produces denser and stronger birch bark than birch from damp places.

When the required amount of birch bark has been stripped, fold it together (sheet to sheet) and take it home in this form. Dry the extracted pieces there for about two weeks, preferably in a cool place.

If the birch bark dries out, it must be moistened with warm or even hot water. Lay the sheets on a flat floor so that their insides face one another. Place boards on a stack of sheets, and some kind of weight on them - stones, weights, etc. This is done so that the sheets do not warp when drying.

Drying birch bark

For wicker work, birch bark is stripped differently; the optimal time of year for it is mid-summer. You can extract birch bark at other times of the year, but, of course, not in winter.

It is better to choose dry and clear weather for this, so that the stripped tape does not warp from dampness. Birch should be chosen that is young and has no branches over a long distance.

Good birch bark should be dense, like bark. The thickness of birch bark and the ease of tearing it off are determined as follows: draw a longitudinal line 5-10 cm long with a knife and bend this piece.

Then you can immediately determine the quality of the birch bark. But keep in mind: the test must be done carefully so as not to spoil all the tape suitable for tearing off. Since wickerwork requires birch bark in the form of a strip, the birch bark must be stripped off in a spiral.

When you have made all the cuts, tear off the birch bark using a saw, holding it in the right; With your left hand, pull the tape towards you. The width of the tape should not exceed 3-4 cm. Wind the tape obtained in this way into skeins.

At the same time, make sure that the outer () layer of birch bark is always on top. The size of the skeins does not matter. Just try to ensure that each skein contains ribbon of the same (if possible) width.

You can wind tape of the same width, but of different thicknesses into different skeins. This will make it easier to weave ribbons of the required thickness. Be sure to store the skeins in a dry place. Products made from birch bark can be varied: boxes, boxes, sheaths, etc.

But first, perhaps, let’s choose something with which we can pleasantly surprise our family and friends, and, if we’re lucky, show off our skills at an amateur, and maybe even at a professional exhibition.

Making jewelry from birch bark

You can make very beautiful and durable belts from woven birch bark. It is made from 6 ribbons, or . You need to weave using tucks that you are already familiar with. When the belt reaches the required length, finish the weaving either with an angle, similar to the beginning of the belt, or simply with a straight cut.

To do this, you need to pass the ends of the tapes into the grooves in the opposite direction. When finished weaving, dip the belt in warm water and then iron it until it is flat. Such belts are easy to make and colorful.

Birch bark painting

This can be achieved by alternating birch bark strips of different shades - darker and lighter. It is more convenient to make a buckle or clasp from a birch rod bent into the shape of a ring.

Attach a ring to one end of the belt, and a stick to the other, which will be threaded through. You can start weaving bast shoes using the pattern of a belt. The shape of the bast shoe depends on your discretion and.

However, remember: the narrower the ribbons, the more beautiful and durable the birch bark shoes are. It is advisable to have a collapsible block on hand, which can be easily removed when the work is finished.

A ready-made bast shoe that is usually suitable for both the left and right foot because it is symmetrical about the center line. All that remains is to attach beautiful ribbons to the heel (they can also be birch bark), holding these comfortable shoes on the foot.

If you haven’t gotten the hang of it yet, then train on simpler products. Try, for example, this weaving. The corners of the belt are different from others birch bark works. This requires only four tapes. This kind of work goes much faster; it is much lighter than straight.

The shape of finished birch bark can be slightly changed by wetting these in warm or hot water. For example, a box lid that is too small can be stretched to the desired size in this way. Birch bark shoes must be pre-moistened, and then they are given the desired shape on the foot or on the last.

Carefully made from birch bark, the item requires neither painting nor varnishing. However, birch bark accepts both coloring and varnish perfectly. Birch bark should be painted in strips, before weaving; Paper fabric paints are suitable for this purpose.

Only old ones that are dirty and have lost their natural color should be varnished; cover them with ordinary light carpentry varnish. Before varnishing, thoroughly clean the item from dirt, glue, etc. with a damp cloth.

Then apply the varnish with a cotton swab or brush. If you want a darker color, coat the item with varnish twice. Below are the manufacturing instructions. birch bark bracelet.