Thanks for the link..
That was the idea I had of getting the gold overlay in place. I put the vast majority of inlays in place with that method but with a little difference in technique.
The idea is the same,,just a bit of different technique. This comes from inlaying hundreds of gold and silver figures into firearms parts that have been color case hardened, hot blued, rust blued, nitre blued and abused.
I start with polished, clean metal. No scale, old blue, case color, etc.
Instead of a graver, I use a chisel point punch. It looks the same as the one I use to detail the gold figures once they are in place and polished off. I've caught myself using the same tool for both at times.
Very accute angle,,very sharp, A width that is convenient to the work surface. If you have a lot of area to cover,,go wide. To get into narrow areas, make a narrow point.
Lay it back at a slight angle just as with the graver method and strike it into the surface. It drives up a burr as wide as the edge of the chisel. Now without lifting it from the work surface, walk it along while tapping it,,making a continuous line of burr from one end of the area to be scarred to the other.
With a narrow enough tool, you should be able to go right accross even a deep pan w/o stopping no matter the direction.
It's fairly fast work once you master the rhythm of the tool & hammer and your hand/finger pressure on the tool. Tipping the tool ever to slightly in the direction you want it to travel helps it get going.
Same technique is used in dovetailing line cuts for inlay with a punch.
Go back and leave a tiny space behind that first line and run another line the length of the inlay area. When you've finished, you have a series of somewhat parallel lines, each a continuous burr.
Now you want to do the same thing again to the surface ,,2 more times.
Making a total of three sets of parallel lines/burrs. Each set at approx. 120 degrees from next.
This will cut each line of burr into multi hundreds if not thousands of triangular teeth. Each row pointing up at a slight angle and at 120degrees from the other line(s).
Three lines is enough. If you over do it, you'll start to chop the teeth off with the next additional rows you try to add. Too finely spaced and you will have the same problem. It takes a bit of practice but better too much space between parallel rows than placing them too close.
For an additional anchor at the edges, you can cut a line just barely in from your edge and under cut it with the same punch. Creates a dovetail and is the standard method of holding line inlay. It will make a nice tidy, clean edge to your sheet inlay as well when the final polish is done.
Make sure the surface is clean, clean before applying the gold. I brush with acetone usually.
Anneal the gold. As I said in the previous post, I heat it to red. Cool it and use it. Make sure the gold is clean too. Keep even finger prints off of it.
Look over your area again for any burrs that may be too high. Cut them off with a graver. You don't want them poking through the sheet gold.
Use a thickness you deem necessary for the job. This attachment method will hold any thickness to the steel. Extra is just that and will end up as expensive filing. Collect it for the gunmakers/engravers retirement fund jar.
The annealed gold with snag easily onto the steel teeth. The teeth being 3 directional won't let it move if you've done everything right. Extra thick gold sheet will 'flow' as it's hammered into place, so don't mistake that for the whole piece moving about.
I would probably shape the gold sheet out a bit first to be able to set it into the bottom of the pan and stake it into place. Then working up the sides and back staking it down into place till you reach the top edges.
A brass, steel or even a hard wood tool shaped appropriately for the job tapped carefully with a hammer is all that's necessary to stake it into place.
Work up to those edges and pay particular attention at that point to make sure they are secured. Then trim the excess that has swaged and flowed it's way out with a flat graver (trimming go into the Engravers retirement fund jar).
Then burnish and/or carefully plannish the pan area smooth and polish. Polish the upper edges to reveal the gold to steel abutment where you undercut it earlier.
You can also do the area with gold wire using the same cross hatched teeth attachment technique. You have to be carefull when laying the new wire against a previously attached piece to make sure a square joint is formed. If overlap occurs, thin pieces will curl off in the final polishing and reveal part of the technique. If done correctly, none of the cold formed joints will show and it will be attached as firmly as a one piece inlay.
A continuous piece of wire can be used somewhat like coiling a rope on the ground if you're careful. The gold flattens as swaged into place and you can guide it somewhat into small odd shapes if they exist. A full piece around the edge is good to start then continue inwards.
Most of my inlays & overlays were done with wire. Much quicker than cutting out small pieces of critters with a jewelers saw from tabs of sheet stock.
