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This section covers Inlay Service.
Inlay Service
Veneer inlays are like precious jewels. The
eye is drawn to them, they meet with instant approval and they increase as much as twofold the value of the item on which
they are used.
The inlay we use on our martial arts weapons consists
of two different inlays: wood inlay and brass inlay.
Brass inlays are brass rods which are segmented and installed. From the outside
of the martial arts weapon, the brass takes on the appearance of round dots, hence we call then "Brass Dot" Inlays.
We have five wood inlays that we use to really dress up your martial
arts weapon. If we make it and it is made of wood, we can add inlay. Below are the five inlays that we use.
Below is a photo of the Coral Snake Inlay, the first of the five
inlays.
The Coral Snake Inlay is composed of three colors, red, white and black. The red color of the inlay is
most likely Bloodwood, the white is American Holly and the black is Ebony.
The
following three photos are Nunchaku with Coral Snake Inlay and Brass Dots.
The photo below is
a 16 inch Cocobolo Octagon Tapered (OCTAP) Nunchaku with the Coral Snake and Brass Inlay.
The photo below is an Indian Ebony
Nunchaku with Coral Snake Inlay and Brass Dots. This combination of dark black wood and the colors of the inlay are striking.
The photo below is a 12 inch Octagon Tapered (OCTAP) Cocobolo Nunchaku with Coral
Snake Inlay and Brass Dots.
The second of five inlays is the Indian Boxwood Inlay.
Indian
Boxwood is mainly yellow in color with black and red highlights. The yellow color comes from a wood called Brazilian Boxwood,
the black from Ebony and the red from a wood most probably Bloodwood. Choices of wood which will go with this inlay
are light brown, yellow or purple woods. Brazilian Cherry and Purpleheart woods are good choices.
The photo below shows a 12 inch Purpleheart Nunchaku with Indian Boxwood Inlay
and Brass Dots. The purple color of the Purpleheart Nunchaku contrasts very sharply with the yellow color of the inlay and
still matches very closely with the red color in the inlay.
The photo below shows a 14 inch Bloodwood Nunchaku with Indian Boxwood Inlay and Brass Dots. The
red color of the Bloodwood Nunchaku contrasts dramatically with the yellow color of the inlay. This pair of Nunchaku has the
typical ball bearing swivel cap with 5 chain links.
The photo below is a Brazilian Cherry Nunchaku 16 inches long with 11 chain links
and has the Indian Boxwood Inlay and Brass Dots. The yellow color in the inlay coordinates well with the light color of the
Brazilian Cherry and contrasts well with the black of the inlay.
The third of five inlays is the Diamond Braids Inlay.
This inlay uses white Sycamore for the
diamond shape. Black Ebony is used for the triangles surrounding the diamond shape and for outlining the whole inlay and Tulipwood
is used for the light brown/purple background between the diamond shapes.
The
woods which highlight this inlay the best are Cocobolo, Padauk and Indian Ebony.
The photo below shows a Cocobolo Nunchaku which is Round Non-Tapered with Baseball
Bat ends (RNTBB), is 12 inches long and has a rope connector. This is a good example of a dark wood contrasting with the light
Tulipwood in the inlay. Round Nunchaku are especially challenging to set
inlay into.
The photo below shows a 12 inch long African Padauk Octagon Tapered (OCTAP) Nunchaku
with the Diamond Braids Inlay and Brass Dots. This Nunchaku is 1 inch in diameter at the top and 1 1/8 inches in diameter
at the bottom. This Nunchaku has the typical ball bearing cap with 5 chain links.
The photo below is an Octagon Non-Tapered (OCTNT) 12 inch long Indian Ebony Nunchaku
with the Diamond Braids Inlay and Brass Dots. It has the ball bearing cap with three chain links. The dark black of the Ebony
really contrasts well with the Tulipwood (light brown/purple area of the inlay).
This photo shows how the stunning grain of dark colored Cocobolo really sets off
the Diamond Braids inlay. This particular Nunchaku is 14 inches long and has our special "Four Rope" option for
the rope connector. We recommend the Four Rope option for extra heavy Nunchaku where the Two Rope connector just doesn't
seem beefy enough.
Also shown in the photo is the brass grommet used at the top of the Nunchaku to protect the
rope as it enters the Nunchaku.
The fourth of five inlays is the Volcano Inlay.
This inlay uses
Ebony and Tulipwood and has a white trim made from American Holly. The zig zag pattern of the Volcano Inlay can be really
eye catching.
This inlay looks great when used on Nunchaku made
from African Blackwood, Cocobolo and even Indian Ebony.
The photo below shows a 14 inch Indian Ebony Nunchaku with Volcano Inlay and Brass
Dots. The white trim of the inlay helps define the border between the Ebony and the inlay and helps the inlay stand out. The
zig zag pattern of the Tulipwood also really catches the eye. The Nunchaku is Octagon Tapered (OCTAP) and has a ball
bearing cap with 7 chain links.
The photo below is a Round Tapered Baseball Bat (RTBB) Cocobolo Nunchaku with
7 chain links with the Volcano Inlay and Brass Dots. This Nunchaku is difficult to set inlay into due to the round nature
of the wood. Inlay is easer to set into Octagon Nunchaku and is more challenging in Round Nunchaku.
The photo below is a Black Walnut 12 inch long Nunchaku with the RTBB shape. It
has the 7 link ball bearing swivel cap and also has the Volcano Inlay with Brass Dots. This Nunchaku is a good choice for
those who like a light Nunchaku because Black Walnut is a light wood.
The photo below is an African Blackwood Nunchaku with long rope as the connector.
The high gloss finish on the African Blackwood blends very well with the Ebony part of the inlay and really makes the zig
zag pattern stand out. The Brass Dots really stand out in the black background as well.
The name and title "Lam
Sifu" that you see on this Nunchaku is actually an optional "Kanji Service" which we also provide
but that is in another section of this website. Check out the section labeled "Kanji Service" to learn more.
The fifth and last inlay is the Southwest Inlay.
It has a distinctly
Americal Indian flavor. The light brown wood is American Maple and the black wood is Ebony.
The photo below is a 1 inch diameter Square (SQ) Nunchaku made from Verawood.
The inlay is the Southwest Inlay with Brass Dots. The black and white colors on the inlay dramatically contrast with the green
of the Verawood. The color of the rope chosen by the customer is Desert Camo.
If you look carefully you can see
that the grain runs uninterrupted from one stick of the Nunchaku to the other. The Verawood that I chose for the sticks
were cut from one log and the grain is more obvious because the Nunchaku is square. I do the same for all Nunchaku that I
make but the matching grain is not always obvious when the wood is shaped into round or octagon shapes.
Matching
the wood for a Nunchaku not only is more visually appealing but it also guarantees a balanced Nunchaku. Obviously if the customer
had ordered two pair I would have cut all four sticks from the same log to guarantee the balance. If the customer ordered
the other pair later, I couldn't guarantee that both pairs would weigh the same.
Inlay Diagram
If you've looked at how the five different inlay above
have been placed into the Nunchaku, you will notice a pattern.
Below is a drawing which shows how the inlay is
placed in your Nunchaku.
The drawing below is for one stick. Your Nunchaku consists of two sticks so
the diagram would be doubled for a typical Nunchaku.
Brass Dots
Technically, this is not one of the five inlays mentioned above but each of the inlays
above use the Brass Dots with them. People who order this option tell us that they use the locations of the Brass Dots to
verify their hand placement before and after specific hand techniques like hand rolls.
As a result of the demand,
we also make available in the inlay section an option called "Brass Dots".
Below are some photos
of Nunchaku which use the "Brass Dots" option by itself. Using the photos below and comparing them to photos
above you can see that the five inlays mentioned above naturally fit into the gap between the Brass Dots.
Below
are three photos showing this option. The first photo below is a 12 inch long Round Non-Tapered Purpleheart Nunchaku
with the Brass Dots option.
The second photo is a 14" Octagon Tapered (OCTAP) Nunchaku
with the Brass Dots option.
The last photo below is a 12 inch long Round Tapered
Baseball Bat (RTBB) Brazilian Cherry Nunchaku with the Brass Dots option.
This completes the webpage titled "Inlay Service".
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