POLYCHROME MOSAIC ON A MOROCCO GROUNDWORK
Morocco leather for inlaying is thinned with the paring-knife, but it cannot be reduced to the excessive thinness of split sheepskin. It possesses, however, the advantage that the extreme edges may be made thinner in proportion for laying one over the other at the point where they meet.
After it is pared, the back of the leather is pasted over and it is pinned out on a board to dry. The different parts of the design to be inlaid are then traced on the various coloured leathers, and cut out in the manner already explained. The difficulty of placing the pieces exactly edge to edge is so great that it is better to allow them to overlap very slightly, but in order that this should not produce undue thickness at the point where they join, the substance of the extreme edges must be further
reduced with the paring-knife. A small margin is left for this purpose in cutting out. Paring the edges to their thinnest possible substance will give a slightly jagged outline, and the extra piece will thus more easily merge into the join than if sharply cut. Outlining with the hot tool will perfect the join.