Basically any product hat contains woven vines or stems is or should be referred to as wicker. The world is believed to have Scandinavian origin, the words “wika” that translates into “to bend” and “vikker” meaning willow in Swedish. The rattan vine is a material used for wicker products traditionally in this country, the practice going back at least 150 years; to date, rattan is still the most sough material for wicker furniture. Located in Southeast and East Asia, Africa and South and Central America, rattan plants are climbing plants that thrive in rain forests only; the highest quality type is the honey rattan and it can be found in Southeast Asia.
Rattan, if woven properly, should last at least 100 years old if the materials are picked right and the procedure is respected, this being said there is no surprise that wicker antiques from the Victorian period are still used effortlessly yet the most surprising and impressive pieces of wicker furniture to date have been created in the midst of the Egyptian Empire. These exotics include chests made from reed and papyrus, wig boxes made from both reed and rush and splendid wicker hassocks and chairs.
Rattan, if woven properly, should last at least 100 years old if the materials are picked right and the procedure is respected, this being said there is no surprise that wicker antiques from the Victorian period are still used effortlessly yet the most surprising and impressive pieces of wicker furniture to date have been created in the midst of the Egyptian Empire. These exotics include chests made from reed and papyrus, wig boxes made from both reed and rush and splendid wicker hassocks and chairs.
The property of the materials involved naturally dictate the wicker`s durability. The rattan vine can be sliced to various lengths and widths and it contains fibers running lengthwise through it offering the vine the immense strength of a multi-strand cable, the more dense the fibers the more powerful the material. The vine can be bent yet unlike wood it would not splinter nor break. It is known that many individuals mistake the wicker’s flexibility for weakness yet this is certainly not the case.
The process that would transform harvested vines into a piece of furniture involves numerous steps, most of them being realized by hand. Each thorny leaf is removed by pulling across each length a forked stick driven into the ground. In the harvesting process the bundles of rattan often use water power, floating down the river through the jungle till they reach the sea in most case, at this point the sun`s warmth would have cured the material well thus making it ready to be shipped to the factory. Once they reach the factory certain machines cut the vines into different shapes and lengths. The strongest part, the smooth outer skin known as “the cane” is used to make the chair seats, “cane seats” as they are referred to locally. The cane seats are most often than not woven by a machine.
Workers are used to manipulate the rattan core products that are still pliable, green. If the material dries out, rigid, it will be soaked for a few minutes to regain its flexibility in the manufacturing process. When the material is steamed, rattan vines can be twisted and bent, as soon as the material cools and dries it gains rigidity and the molded shapes can remain permanent this making the process ideal in the manufacturing process.
The process that would transform harvested vines into a piece of furniture involves numerous steps, most of them being realized by hand. Each thorny leaf is removed by pulling across each length a forked stick driven into the ground. In the harvesting process the bundles of rattan often use water power, floating down the river through the jungle till they reach the sea in most case, at this point the sun`s warmth would have cured the material well thus making it ready to be shipped to the factory. Once they reach the factory certain machines cut the vines into different shapes and lengths. The strongest part, the smooth outer skin known as “the cane” is used to make the chair seats, “cane seats” as they are referred to locally. The cane seats are most often than not woven by a machine.
Workers are used to manipulate the rattan core products that are still pliable, green. If the material dries out, rigid, it will be soaked for a few minutes to regain its flexibility in the manufacturing process. When the material is steamed, rattan vines can be twisted and bent, as soon as the material cools and dries it gains rigidity and the molded shapes can remain permanent this making the process ideal in the manufacturing process.
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