Rainy day tasks
As expected, it started raining heavily this morning, so I wasn’t able to do the kinds of work usually done on sunny days. Even so, there are still plenty of things I can do this condition. I began with assembling the frame parts for the 18-step Mame puzzle box that I prepared yesterday. Compared to the 14-step boxes that are currently being painted, this batch is only about one-third the quantity, so it didn’t feel like too many 😅
This 18-step type is actually based on a style once made by a master craftsman in the past, and I used one of those boxes as my reference. Of course, my version still has a long way to go to reach that level of craftsmanship...
Basically, it’s better not to make Aruki panels (moving panels) on rainy days, so I probably won’t work on the Aruki panels for the mame himitsu-bako today. That said, if I'm really in a hurry, I sometimes make them for only the Mame himitsu-bako.
After that, I started polishing the 14-step mame himitsu-bako that I had base-coated a few days ago. Right after the base coat, the surface is rough, so I polish it to make the box smooth before applying the final finish. This time, there were about 150 boxes, so it took quite a bit of time, but I managed to finish the polishing safely. The next step is the final coating, but I’ve decided to leave that for tomorrow or later.
Now, I was thinking about what to do next, but since the rain became heavier and the humidity continued to rise, I decided to prepare the top and bottom panels for the 3-sun 12-step boxes I started making this week. The boxes themselves, including the Aruki panel assembly, are already completed and stored safely in cases. Today, I only prepared the panels and didn’t attach them yet. I made five types of panels. There are actually six box designs, but since some have different side panels with the same traditional yosegi pattern, the total came to five types. I thought about starting the gluing process right after, but because of the high humidity, I was concerned about taking the structural parts out of their cases. So I decided to leave the panel attachment for another day.
In addition, today I started a new project — making 4-step mame himitsu-bako for the Hakone Market. All of these boxes will be delivered to local vendors in Hakone. I don’t usually keep the 4-step version in my own stock, and recently I’ve only been making them occasionally for the Hakone Market. This type of box doesn’t receive many orders, as it’s hard to balance the selling price with the cost of production. Although the mechanism is relatively simple with just four steps, it’s difficult to lower the price. That’s because, even if the mechanism is simple, the number of steps in the production process isn’t much different from more complex boxes. So, it’s hard to make quickly and not easy to produce at a lower cost. This will be my first time making this type in about a year.
As you can see in the photo, this box is different from other mame himitsu-bako — it shares the same structure as larger 4-step boxes. It uses three Aruki panels and follows the classic 4-step puzzle box design. Originally, the 4-step mame type didn’t exist. I started making it myself around 20 years ago. This time, I plan to make about 90 boxes. Today, I prepared the materials and made the frame parts.
Lately, I’ve been working on a lot of Mame himitsu-bako 😊
Have a great weekend!
This 18-step type is actually based on a style once made by a master craftsman in the past, and I used one of those boxes as my reference. Of course, my version still has a long way to go to reach that level of craftsmanship...
Basically, it’s better not to make Aruki panels (moving panels) on rainy days, so I probably won’t work on the Aruki panels for the mame himitsu-bako today. That said, if I'm really in a hurry, I sometimes make them for only the Mame himitsu-bako.
After that, I started polishing the 14-step mame himitsu-bako that I had base-coated a few days ago. Right after the base coat, the surface is rough, so I polish it to make the box smooth before applying the final finish. This time, there were about 150 boxes, so it took quite a bit of time, but I managed to finish the polishing safely. The next step is the final coating, but I’ve decided to leave that for tomorrow or later.
Now, I was thinking about what to do next, but since the rain became heavier and the humidity continued to rise, I decided to prepare the top and bottom panels for the 3-sun 12-step boxes I started making this week. The boxes themselves, including the Aruki panel assembly, are already completed and stored safely in cases. Today, I only prepared the panels and didn’t attach them yet. I made five types of panels. There are actually six box designs, but since some have different side panels with the same traditional yosegi pattern, the total came to five types. I thought about starting the gluing process right after, but because of the high humidity, I was concerned about taking the structural parts out of their cases. So I decided to leave the panel attachment for another day.
In addition, today I started a new project — making 4-step mame himitsu-bako for the Hakone Market. All of these boxes will be delivered to local vendors in Hakone. I don’t usually keep the 4-step version in my own stock, and recently I’ve only been making them occasionally for the Hakone Market. This type of box doesn’t receive many orders, as it’s hard to balance the selling price with the cost of production. Although the mechanism is relatively simple with just four steps, it’s difficult to lower the price. That’s because, even if the mechanism is simple, the number of steps in the production process isn’t much different from more complex boxes. So, it’s hard to make quickly and not easy to produce at a lower cost. This will be my first time making this type in about a year.
As you can see in the photo, this box is different from other mame himitsu-bako — it shares the same structure as larger 4-step boxes. It uses three Aruki panels and follows the classic 4-step puzzle box design. Originally, the 4-step mame type didn’t exist. I started making it myself around 20 years ago. This time, I plan to make about 90 boxes. Today, I prepared the materials and made the frame parts.
Lately, I’ve been working on a lot of Mame himitsu-bako 😊
Have a great weekend!
