What is veneer shading? Veneer shading is the process of darkening sections of veneer in order to create a shadow like effect on your workpiece in order to give your pattern an enhanced visual effect. Sand shading is typically with marquetry work.
How does veneer shading work? Sand is heated and a piece of veneer is put into the hot sand. This will burn the veneer in a gradient like manner (as in the picture to the right). The longer the veneer is in the sand, the darker it will become. Basically, the heat from the sand takes the moisture out of the veneer, causing it to burn slowly.
How do I heat the sand for veneer shading? The most common way is to fill a frying pan with sand to about one inch deep. Put the pan on a hot plate or stove until the sand becomes mildly hot.
Is there a special kind of sand that is needed? Not necessarily, but the best results will come from using a fine grain sand. Sand that is used outside in the winter for example is courser sand, and will heat unevenly, so it is not the best choice.
How do I actually shade my veneer piece? Using a pair of tweezers, take your piece of veneer and insert it into the sand. The sand is hotter the further you go closer to the bottom of the pan, so the lower you put the veneer into the sand, the faster it will shade. If you want to shade only one side of the piece, insert that side into the sand. If you want to shade an entire piece evenly, you can bury the piece flat (so that the plane of the veneer is parallel to the bottom of the pan). Depending on how high the heat is, and the time you leave the veneer in the sand, this will determine the rate at which the piece will become shaded. Constantly check your veneer by removing it from the sand. If it is not the desired color yet, reinsert it into the sand.
What problems can I encounter while veneer sand shading? The only problem is that the veneer piece can be left in the heat for too long. This will over burn your piece, and potentially ruin the look you were going for, or at worst case, totally singe the veneer, making it brittle and prone to cracking. Besides getting distracted, this is a very easy technique to master.