Messing with Wire Inlay

[jim4065]

I was just wondering if any else here has done much of this stuff:

[docone31]

I have done a lot with wire inlay. I have done stocks, and barrels.
I always had a tough time with stocks. I would bed the wire, then sand down to the level of the wood. The dust from the inlay would later stain around the inlaid piece. I later restricted myself to barrel inlay.
I tried once useing gold filled wire. Not so good. I should have used Karat wire.
That is a nice inlay job. I just did highlight inlay. I never did engraved inlay like that.
Doing stuff like that is what makes Front Stuffers so unique. There were real masters back then, and they did inlay! I have seen even Toe Plates engraved, and inlaid.
One thing I found helped with the stock inlays, and barrel inlays. I got onglette gravers for touch up. When I did the wood, I would use the onglette to eliminate "feathers". If the wire was a little tight, the onglette would open it up just a little so the mallet would not jam the wire down on a chip of wood. In the barrel inlays, the onglette, or #2 could shave steel just enough so when the wire was planished into the bearing opening, it could fit tight without distortion.
I used .051 wires for wood, either sterling, or brass. For the barrel inlays I used .032 in either sterling, or brass. I prefer brass for inlays. I would turn into the barrel, a band. Then I would grave the flats so the lathe did not deepen the corners too much. I used an hammer handpiece with a #2 graver. From that point, I would then cut into the groove at the bottom. I would then planish the wire into the groove, and planish the top flat. The ends I weld, then fuse into a solid piece. I have a micro plasma welder for non-ferrous metals. The overlapping ends I can fuse into a solid joint. Each burst balls up the wire ends untill I can hammer them into the groove. Any pinholes I can touch up as long as the wire still is above the barrel flats. From that point, I draw file the wire flush with the barrel flats. With wood, I can weld the ends to each other without burning the wood! Any wire over .051, it is at the maximum heat and it is difficult.
In my opinion, wire inlays are the cats meow if they are done well. They make a tremendous difference in the finished rifle. I have set gemstones in the backstraps, and trigger guards of pistols. However, in my opinion, no one wants to pay for that, and they make the pistols hard to use. Even the small ones. People just do not want to fire pistols with rubies, saphires, or emeralds in the backstrap! Silver inlay in brass framed Cap and Ball revolvers looks great! Anyone can do it, I think.
You did a great job on that stock. It looks good. I wish there were close up photos of the wire/wood joinery. I am always looking at others masterpieces. Stocks are awkward to scroll script on. Lots of angles to compensate for. I always dig in too deeply on surfaces like that, and you cannot erase it easily! That inlay work is something to be proud of!
In my opinion,
WELL DONE!
You picked an hard inlay to do.
Cheek pieces are a bear also!

[jim4065]

Thanks Doc. I've never tried inlay into metal. My attempts with wood usually look pretty rough - what you're seeing is my best and the closer you get the worse it looks. I figure I've done about 50 yards of wire, and reckon I'll get good at about a mile.

Still - I love the way sterling looks (but haven't tried gold yet). Brass and German Silver are fun to learn on, but seem harder to work with. How about posting some pictures of your work? I need some inspiration........:-)

[waksupi]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=47725&highlight=fowler

Here is one I did this past winter.

[docone31]

I do not have any photos. I wish I did.
I will post them if I get any. I haven't done any inlay work since the '90s. Nobody wanted it. Everybody was going with black rifles. Phooey on that! I never liked them.
You sure picked a major inlay. It really looks good. I can see where you struggled, but, you pushed through. You did not interfere with the major lines of the stock.
It looks good. A tough job for sure.
When I did the inlay work, I used machineists deburring gravers. I then found, I had to cut my own tools.
I could see from your work, what you did not do. I did not see hammer marks all over the stock throwing off the lines to refinish. That alone, you are off to a good start!
What I learned,
Move the work, not the tool!
Make your template for retracement, take a pin vise, and a pin, and make pin pricks in the center of the lines on the template. From there, I take a black fine point marker to make the letters. Today, we have epoxy rather than stone setters shellac. Epoxy makes it a lot easier. I use round wire in square holes. I set the wire 1/2 the depth of the inlay. That gives me a lot of room to plane down to level with the wood.
Before I start, I put some poly on the stock. This prevents the micro shavings of the wire from getting shoved into the grains of the wood. At least most of them. For complicated intersections, I use 14KT Easy yellow solder. I get one penny weight, and roll it out untill it is almost transparent. From there I cut chips to solder. The 14KT yellow with a well fitted intersection will be transparent against the brass.
I draw file my inlays, or the ones I did. I use an OREGON chain saw guage file. It is the proper tooth to cut rapidly the exposed brass, and it will not dig into the surrounding wood. It is one of the few files I found that will draw file both the wood, and wire equally. Since I am going to draw file the inlay, I rough up the wire before I epoxy it in. For epoxy, I use 24hr., T-88 Structural Epoxy. Once it cures, you are stuck with what you made! It also draw files well. Doing intracate work with the inlay, like setting a stone, or drilling an hole, use Pitch. Heat the peice to be worked on, set into the pitch and let the pitch cool. To remove the piece, flame it, it will pop right off. Put it into the freezer for a few minutes and scrape off the remaining pitch, or drop it into denatured alcohol. That will eat the pitch off.
When I make a toe plate, or wedge plate, I counter sink with the piece in pitch. If you cast your own for your piece, get some roof boots, melt the lead and save the tar. Melting the lead will liquify the tar. At that point, when it cools it is pitch! Melt some on something you can hold in your hand, and use it to hold your piece to be inlaid.
Harbor Freight has a flexible shaft tool. It comes with a foot pedal, handpiece, and motor. You can also get a wood hammer or chisels. If you make your own tools for the hammer handpiece, you can get some real intricate capability. I mean, you can get in real close, and cut really sharply. That is what you need for corners, and the shadow line on the cheek piece.
Cut your gravers to 56*. That is a real good starting point for inlay work.
Most of all, remember, move the piece, not your hands! It seems backwards, but it enables you to keep all your cuts the same. It took me a while to get the hang of it, and it seems awkward, but it works! Spin the piece while you engrave!
When inletting wood, keep the tool speed way down. That way, there will be no chipping, or splits on corners. Do not use rotary bits while inletting! They will grab and drag down the bit opening up the inlet in places makeing it tough to fill. Keep the gravers sharp enough to dig into your fingernail in one touch. I sharpen my gravers to 56*, then jam the tip into wood to break off the feathers. One hit is all you need. If you do not strike at an angle, you will not chip the tip.
These are the tools I use when inletting, and my jewelery repair.
http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=flex+shaft+tool
I do not use the grinder. Only the hammer handpiece, and flex shaft tool.
Once you get used to it, you will never let it go! Use slow speed with the hammer tool.
You did a really good job on your inlay. I hope you are proud of it. Most folks would have given up with that large of an inlay, or made a mess.
It looks good!
Pitch for working on small metal parts, move the piece not the hands, and keep up the good work!!!

[zampilot]

That looks like very good and tedious work. No offense at all, but is it Elvish? My 17 yearold claims to read it well!

[jim4065]

"Yes, but the language is that of Mordor." - Gandalf

Sorry - couldn't resist. It's a blatant copy of the inscription inside the Ring.

[docone31]

Whatever floats your boat!!!
No matter what it is, it looks really good.
It is also very hard to do.
Good for you.
I kinda got the itch to inlay my Hawken Wannabe. I fashioned a brass toeplate.
My touch was better, less entries into wood I did not want to touch, microscopic actually, but I had forgotten some stuff. It showed up when I put the butt plate back on.
No one will ever notice it, however, someone who knows Hawkens will see the deviation. My plane was off from the inlay entry to the exit at the buttplate. I had to compromise there. Draw filing does wonders.
The inlay I used was 1/16" flat stock, so I had some room to blend. I always made the transition so the heel of the toe plate was flush with the bottom of the butt plate. This time however, the heel was split at the butt plate.
I used to so enjoy doing that work. This time, it did not have the same attraction. What I do in my jewelery repair, and design/fabrication, has really changed my touch.
Where the tip of the toe plate, when I did them before, I had previously used a chisel and graver, this time I used my hand piece from the Foredom. I was able to mark the inlay, burr into it with a flame burr, then underlay with a reverse cone burr. I could open up the inlay to the marks I had made easily. I did not even draw blood this time!! I was able to counter sink the brass toe plate to accept #6 brass screws.
I snapped one off below the inlay. That was a pain. I was finally able to drill out the center with a #67 wire drill, then remove the remaining metal with a flame burr. I then drilled to accept a 1/2 oak dowel.
With that dowel leveled, a redrill for the hole, some JB Weld under the toe plate, screw it down wet and sand it off the next day.
Not much to sand, the JB filled the small gaps and blended into the overall finish. I filed the screw heads down untill there is only a shadow between the screw heads and the countersink.
Somebody who doesn't know a thing about Hawkens would be impressed. I am just not that excited about it. I am definately going to have to do another semi-inlet set up. I saw some from Track of the Wolf, a nice full stock left hand Hawken. I like full stocks, I love the feel of the wood.
You did good on that inlay. I like it. A lot of work there.
It will last a lifetime and be something to hand down.
Good job.