Inlay Question

[Breakyr]

I have a homemade smelter that I haven't actually put to use yet. I was considering doing a poured aluminum inlay onto wood.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

Also, I haven't been able to find any solid information about wax inlay on woods either. Would it be possible to chisel out a design and pour melted crayons into it and use a clear coat to cover it and it stay?

I've seen wax inlay spoons, but not much about the process and if it lasts.

Thanks!

 

[Wyatt Co.]

I've used melted solder successfully as an inlay. It's low heat. Everything else just burned the wood something terrible. With molten brass/bronze, the burnt edges gave a nice contrast that worked well and that was in Maple. I learned to leave the work piece thick do after sanding/filing it all down, it was without voids. Both the solder and the brass casting had to be removed, the "mold" cleaned out and then the casting glued/epoxied back into place. It won't stay put otherwise.

Can't help you with the crayons though.

 

[Breakyr]

I appreciate it. I'm actually surprised to find out the bronze/brass was removeable. In my mind I thought it would fill into the fiber a little like glue and be really difficult to remove. At that point it's easier to just make the exact cast you want to inlay and do it the normal way.

 

[Wyatt Co.]

The burnt wood (which is inevitable) creates a carbon/ash berrier between the wood and the casting. It removes quite easily. There is no "bond" as a result of the pour.

 

[Hmerkle]

Hopefully Dan will weigh in here - he has done a LOT of inlay - not crayons (i think) but brass and silver. (not melted either as I think Bill is correct, any metal melts at a higher temperature than wood will scorch or burn, I could be wrong...)


As for the crayons, I don't think that will work since wax is such a good barrier to any finish. (again, I have never tried it, so who knows, maybe you could use a hard wax finish and melt the crayons into a carved feature!!

 

[danmart77]

I have a homemade smelter that I haven't actually put to use yet. I was considering doing a poured aluminum inlay onto wood.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

Also, I haven't been able to find any solid information about wax inlay on woods either. Would it be possible to chisel out a design and pour melted crayons into it and use a clear coat to cover it and it stay?

I've seen wax inlay spoons, but not much about the process and if it lasts.

Thanks!

Skip Aluminum.

Use plumbers lead or pewter. Bring the solid to liquid and back off the heat. It will not burn the wood. If you keep heating it to a higher temp it will burn the wood edges.

Here's an example of a poured muzzle cap. You won't burn the wood if you use the right technique.

​

 

[Breakyr]

Thanks, Dan! I'm not quite ready to give it a go yet, but I definitely will soon!

 

[sawman101]

I've used Inlace and polymer clay for inlays. Using powdered metal, which you can get at Klingspors, or the craft section at Walmart, I work it in and leave an excess that I sand down. With the polymer clay, I work it into the void and then it must be baked according to the instructions on the package. You DO NOT want to sand the polymer clay as the ultra fine particles work into the wood pores, and are impossible to remove. Use a card scraper or sharp chisel to flatten the clay inlay. It works well in small voids, but it's difficult to get smoothness in larger voids. I saw an inlay done with epoxy and wood ash that turned out very well, giving a nice black coloring, but I haven't tried that myself.

 

[Jeff]

Good advice from Dan who knows about this stuff. Relative melting points in fahrenheit.

Pewter	563 (liquid)
Lead	621
Aluminum	1221
Brass	1652-1724

 

[Wyatt Co.]

Never tried pewter. Thanks Dan!

 

[Jeff]

Interesting thoughts about unique inlays. Wax inlays?

Sealing wax may be a viable option but I don't know how well it will adhere to wood.

https://www.nostalgicimpressions.com/Sealing-Wax-Beads-by-the-Pound-p/n800x.htm

 

[sawman101]

A possible problem with the wax might be it shrinks in volume as it cools, thereby not adhering to the wood, but then I'm not an expert, even though you're over 50 miles away. ;-)

 

[Newboy]

You could use a bismuth alloy. One is sold by Brownell’s gunsmithing supply. They use it to make chamber casts. It is silver colored, and the melting point is less than boiling water. And pretty cheap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Jeff]

You could use a bismuth alloy. One is sold by Brownell’s gunsmithing supply. They use it to make chamber casts. It is silver colored, and the melting point is less than boiling water. And pretty cheap.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-.../cerrosafe-chamber-casting-alloy-prod384.aspx

 

[danmart77]

Interesting thoughts about unique inlays. Wax inlays?

Sealing wax may be a viable option but I don't know how well it will adhere to wood.


None of the poured liquids I mentioned or the wax ADHERES to the wood. To make it a bit more clear I will add a few photos to further illustrate.
Additionally, I have used pewter that was ready to pour at 450-460F. This was melted with a torch and kept in the oven while awaiting the pour.

Once you are happy with your design excavation, you cover the surface with graphite. I use powdered graphite applied with a Q tip these days but the pencil works fine. Still need to drill before the pour.

This photo shows a solid cap before the pour. Still needs graphite. What you can not see is the other side of the wood. The barrel side. On the other side you have buggled holes done with a chamfer bit. I like to drill all my holes with angles so the "roots" can not back out.
The pewter does not adhere to the wood it is rooted in position with the gates that flow in with help from the graphite.(see photo 4 in my first reply)

Here is the moment of truth: the pour.

Chevrons were popular back in the day. This rifle is 20 plus years old and used heavily.

pewter is very easy to shape and embellish. I tend to just busy it up and sometimes get carried away. The above shot is good to show the pewter will not burn the wood if poured correctly.

​

Hope this helps.More photos as usual in the Gallery.

 

[danmart77]

Interesting thoughts about unique inlays. Wax inlays?

Sealing wax may be a viable option but I don't know how well it will adhere to wood.


None of the poured liquids I mentioned or the wax ADHERES to the wood. To make it a bit more clear I will add a few photos to further illustrate.
Additionally, I have used pewter that was ready to pour at 450-460F. This was melted with a torch and kept in the oven while awaiting the pour.

Once you are happy with your design excavation, you cover the surface with graphite. I use powdered graphite applied with a Q tip these days but the pencil works fine.

This photo shows a solid cap before the pour. Still needs graphite. What you can not see is the other side of the wood. The barrel side. On the other side you have buggled holes done with a chamfer bit. I like to drill all my holes with angles so the "roots" can not back out.
The pewter does not adhere to the wood it is rooted in position with the gates that flow in with help from the graphite.

Here is the moment of truth: the pour.

Chevrons were popular back in the day.

pewter is very easy to shape and embellish. I tend to just busy it up and sometimes get carried away. The above shot is good to show the pewter will not burn the wood if poured correctly.

​

Hope this helps.More photos as usual in the Gallery.

 

[Tiout]

I've played some with Coper inlay. What works best for me is to typically use a 1/8" router bit to create a channel, hammer in coper wire, fill in with a mirror coat epoxy with color added, and then sand everything down flush. I think you have to use fairly hard woods to hold the wire well. The first picture below is Padauk and the second is pecan.

The box in the first picture was made probably 3 years ago and I just took the picture a few minutes ago. I think i had used a lacquer finish on that, so it has worked to keep the coper shiny.