Saifon Letromyanant, was born June 5, 1973 in a small rural village in Thailand. She learned woodworking from her father, a wood carver and furniture maker.
Saifon comes up with her own designs and works with Mango wood primarily. Mango wood requires special treatment. Saifon selects the wood and lets the logs rest under heaps of wood shavings. She removes the bark and slightly roughens the log, then lathes it to the desired shape.
This first stage alone can take up to three hours. Then the piece is placed in a kiln and fired for three days. It becomes encrusted with a thick layer of smoke, dirt, and impurities and must be polished several times with sandpaper. When the piece is smooth enough, she carves and decorates it. The final step is painting.
Depending on the finishing style and the natural wood hue, a piece can take as long as six days to finish. It is lacquered several times and let dry for two days. It is then polished and finished with a final coat of lacquer.
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