| Hand Carving the Four Arts Doors | |
| Some customers request hand-carved decorations on the doors of our #347 Louis XVI Breakfront. These particular carvings represent the Four Arts: Drama, Music, Architecture and Fine Art. We also carve the Four Seasons per customer request. These panels are carved in walnut, which is a very tight-grained wood and wonderful for carving fine details. |
| Hand Decorating | |
| Hand decorating adds unique beauty to a piece of furniture. Every hand-painted piece will be slightly different from any other, and is always signed by the artist. |
| Hand Carving a Laurel Leaf | |
| Ben, a carver who has been with Karges for over two decades, demonstrates how we carve a #343 Louis XVI Laurel Pediment. He is carving this piece in walnut. Pediments are used as decorations on the tops of curios, breakfronts and book cases. |
| Fine Lining | |
| Here is a #4111 Directoire Lamp Table receiving a fine line application. Fine lining requires a steady hand, and good eye, and a lot of bravery. The abnormally long brush hairs act as a kind of shock absorber, forgiving the human hand of any slight waverings or shakes. |
| "Raphael" Tortoise Shell Finish | |
| Here a "Raphael" Tortoise Shell finish is being applied to a top for a #287 Country French Transitional Chest. It will take the artist several days to complete this entire process. As seen in the video it is a very involved and time consuming process. Upon completion viewers can see a three dimensional depth in the finish of this unique piece of art. |
| Gold Leafing | |
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Gold leafing begins with a colored undercoat. When this dries a size is applied. This creates a tacky surface by which the leaf can adhere. Gold leaf is so thin it can be torn by merely blowing on it. It is gently placed onto the sized areas in sections, starting at the bottom and working towards to top. A brush is used to embed the leaf into all the crevasses of the sized surface. Afterwards it is wooled to reveal the undercoat on the high spots. A shellac is then applied to give it a rich warm color. |
| Turning an Octagonal Leg | |
| This is the way we make legs for the #308 Louis XVI Demilune Buffet. It is very much a tedious one-at-a-time hands-on process. This antique lathe has a special slow-driving cam system which allows us to make unconventional shapes other than circles. |
| Diamond Tufting | |
| Many upholstered pieces at Karges will be diamond tufted. Diamond Tufting is named for the diamond-shaped pattern created by button arrangement. Larger jobs like this #1608 Ritz Trefoil Ottoman need two sets of eyes in order to see both sides of the work simultaneously. Upholstery fabrics are selected and approved by customers and interior designers. |
| 8-Way Spring Tie for Upholstery | |
| We demonstrate how we construct our spring system for upholstered furniture. This very old method is called the "8-Way Tie" because cords are tied to each spring at eight places. Very few companies still do it this way because it is a very time-consuming process. When finished this cord/spring combination creates a rigid, yet soft surface to be covered by padding and upholstery. |
| Finishing Process | |
| In this video a #447 French Regence Breakfront is being glazed, padded and shaded. During this process we stress the darks, lights and colors of the natural grain to reveal the character and soul of the piece. |
| Final Touch-Up | |
| After a piece of furniture is built and finished, it's still not ready to be shipped to the customer until it's been scrutinized for any spots which can be made better in our touch-up process. This #341 Louis XVI Buffet is receiving its final details and then it will head off to our packing department. |
