Box Making Tutorial--Part 3

Finished Bottom Tray

The next step in building our box is to cover the trays with the materials we have chosen. I have decided to use this project for the first Iron Craft 2014 Challenge. I am using paper that simulates leather (leather being one of the themes of the challenge).

Similar to the two ways to build trays, there are two ways to cover them as well. The first manner I will call the Wrap Around (WA) method. The second manner I will call the One Sheet (OS) method. In the first way, you cut a piece of paper to wrap around your tray and then provide relief cuts so you can turn in the top and bottom edges. In the second method, you glue the tray directly to the paper and then make relief cuts to bring the paper along the sides and over the top.

WRAP AROUND METHOD:

Step One: Measure the circumference of your tray and add 3/4 inch. This will be the width of your decorative paper. The height of your paper will be the height of the wall times 2; to this measurement you add 1 1/2 inch. For example, the walls of my tray are 3 inches. Therefore the height of my decorative paper is 7 1/2 inches.

Step Two: Place your cut band of paper on a flat surface. Measure 3/4 inch from the left edge and mark it with a pencil (when using dark paper, I use a colored pencil). Along the bottom edge, make a mark 3/4 inch along the entire edge from left to right.

Decorative Paper marked

Step Three: Start gluing the box to the paper. Using PVA mixed with Methyl Cellulose (called Mix). Apply glue to the box and roll the box along the lines marked on the paper. With a long wall facing down, bring the paper over the left side of the box using the left edge marking. The 3/4 left edge should start on the left corner on the long wall.

Left Edge

Step Four: Continue gluing the box to the paper until you get to the end of the paper band. The paper should end before the corner where you started. The edge will disappear when glued and keep in mind that most papers will stretch once the glue is applied.

Dry fitting the final edge

Step Five: Once all walls have been glued to the paper, you need to the miter the corners on the bottom of the tray. Pinch two adjoining corners together and cut at a 45 degree angle. Repeat for all corners.

Mitered Corners (Tray bottom)

Step Six: Glue all four turn ins on the bottom of the box.

Turn Ins Glued (Tray bottom)

Step Seven: Make relief cuts to the paper on the top of the tray.

Relief Cuts for the top of the tray

Step Eight: Turn in the paper overlap into the inside corner of the tray. The overlap should cover the corner. The overlap is the only place where you have two thickness of paper.

Overlap turn in glued down.

Step Nine: Glue down the paper on the long edges. If you have made your relief cuts correctly, there should be a small piece of paper that covers the corners onto the adjacent wall. Use your bone folder to press the paper against the wall. Be careful not to puncture the paper along the side seams or the bottom seam.

Long Wall completed

Step Ten: Repeat Step Nine for the other long wall. The short walls should be glued down last and there should be no overlap onto the adjacent long walls.

Completed Bottom Tray Interior

Step Eleven: Cut a piece of paper that is slightly smaller than the dimensions of your bottom tray. Glue this piece to the bottom of the tray (the side with the mitered corners).

Bottom of the Bottom Tray

I have shown you this method because it is one of the most popular ways to cover boxes. The problem that I have with it is the way the covering piece shows on the shown surface. I normally use the second method for both top and bottom trays because there are no exposed seams on the top of the box. If you are careful or have a very busy pattern on the covering materials, this exposed seam really won't matter.

I have decided to show you this method and purposely used it for the bottom tray because these exposed seams would actually be on the bottom of the box (which really doesn't matter).