Help, please: teach me to inlay?

[Doc Mark]

Another thing to consider Dani, is to do all your inlay work before the rest of the engraving is detailed and shaded. That way, if you do put a small ding in the metal, it isn't hard to gently resurface without worrying about your engraving. And yes, a hard brass chisel blade is good to cut your gold or silver wires as you inlay.

 

[Dani Girl]

 

[Dani Girl]

How's my script? Overall design,... inlay is better on the right side, did that second. Learning learning.

 

[Brian Marshall]

Overall design is fine.

I might have made the script a wee bit wider/thicker in the places where it's already wider - since it's all alone out there...

Not much, just a little bit.


Brian

 

[JMiller]

Turned out real nice, looks good!

 

[SamW]

Very nice work...the scroll looks 3 D.

 

[Gabe]

Great job !!

 

[KCSteve]

I made myself a brass flat scraper with a wine cork handle. Mostly I use it as more a smoother than a scraper. Probably be a better scraper if I did like the others and kept it as razor sharp as possible.

 

[JOEYS CARVED ART]

Thierry Duguet has great videos on doing inlay posted on youtube. Check 'em out if you get a chance!

 

[sam]

Your scroll is beautiful and well cut. The letters are a bit thin as already pointed out, but it's first class engraving all the way. :clapping:

 

[LVVP]

Very nice look, thanks

 

[Dani Girl]

Your scroll is beautiful and well cut. The letters are a bit thin as already pointed out, but it's first class engraving all the way. :clapping:

Well that's got me speechless. Thank you

 

[Dani Girl]

There is a cool thread in here about inlay into a straight razor blade in Damascus steel.

I was wondering would you inlay sterling or fine steel into Damascus ... stainless steels... or carbon steels before or after heat treat. I can easily ask for the temperatures involved if you would like that info.

 

[Dani Girl]

Oh also how do you protect or clean your inlays during blueing or anodizing. I am getting really interested in learning all the different ways I can add variety to the finish

 

[Riflesmith]

There are a couple of different ways to blue the steel after an inlay. The first and probably the most recommended is the hot bluing salt, the second, and one I prefer, is the rust blue where you have to card (soft wire brush) the "fuzz" off the steel after boiling to neutralize the bluing solution. In the second case I wait until after the steel is blued before I detail the softer inlays as the carding process will obliterate any details. JMHO

 

[Dani Girl]

Does 24carat, sterling silver, or fine silver get blackened by the blueing process. I was wandering what folk's favorite methods for masking or cleaning up were without damaging the blued background.?

 

[Dave London]

Dani
Only use pure gold and silver, the bluing will not affect it. Sterling may contaminate the blue due to the copper content. Bluing and copper don't mix.

 

[Dani Girl]

Trying some inlay again. I have removed a layer of metal in the shape of the scroll I plan to cut. Cut around the edges with a 004 round burr. I have to go around it with Ronald Baptist inlay chisel and then try to raise some burrs with that or a flat. I think I will try wire on this one but I do have some 28-30ga silver on hand.

This took me 1 and 1/2 hours so far.

 

[Dani Girl]

Ok sterling next to Damascus is fine... pure silver would be better.

Only pure silver or gold with blue.

Heat gold til it warms to a faint red in a dark room and let air cool.

Heat pure silver til sharpie marker disappears. Air cool.

I just tried making teeth in the bottom to hold the silver.. epic failure. Nothing tooth like at all happened. Back to study.

 

[Roger B]

Dani,

How did you try to cut the teeth - it just looks like rough cuts with an angled graver. I have had success with a wide flat being moved sideways as the impacts are being made. The other thing I noted in the progression photos - was there any support for the piece in the last photo? Looks as though it was just held at the corners.

Roger