Inletting complex and detailed shapes

[smart dog]

Hi Folks,
There were several threads recently that involved inletting complicated and difficult decorations or components.  I applaud all of the authors and it is great to see folks pushing themselves.  Consequently, I wanted to repost some information I included in my tutorial on English fowlers that may help some of you with these challenging tasks and may inspire others to try.  Here I inlet what is arguably a most challenging side plate.  Possibly, as difficult as any of you will ever encounter.  The first step is to accurately outline it on the stock.  I have 2 carving knives that I use for that purpose. One is just a skew knife with a sharp point at the end.  The other is a chip carving blade that I modified such that it can scribe a line in tight corners and stab in a line where needed.
 





I outline the shape and then stab in the edges.  Notice that I drew pencil lines on the wood to be removed.  I find that invaluable on complex inlets and it prevents tears when you remove the wrong wood.





Then using micro chisels, I stab in the outline more deeply.
 





Then using small and micro chisels,




I clear away the wood in the mortise.  In really tight corners just take your tiny chisel and mash it into the wood to be removed until it is pulp that can be scraped out.




These delicate inlays cannot be tapped in with a mallet.  They must just require finger pressure to install in the mortise.





And there you go.







Very small and complicated inlays can also be a challenge just marking tracing their outlines on the wood.  Here is a trick I learned from David Price that makes that task easy.  Use Scotch tape to hold the inlay on the wood and then place a flexible metal ruler over it.  Give the ruler a good smack and the inlay will be marked on the stock.  Then use tiny chisels to cut the mortise.




















And there you go.  I hope this inspires some of you to go for it.

dave

[StevenV]

Outstanding Dave , and THANK YOU for sharing. So once piece is in position you use that knife and outline the edges, not a pencil first and cut on the inside of the pencil line?        Steve

[David Price]

Nice tutorial Dave, and nice work on that side plate. You make it look so easy others will be inspired to try. Hope to see you at Harley's woods walk in April.

David Price

[Jim Filipski]

Very Nice & Clean work! Will be tackling one Soon ....Thank You!
Jim

[PAFlinter]

Wow, very impressive!!!  Where would one get a side plate like that??

[hawkeye]

Yes, very impressive work.
Master craftsmanship

[smart dog]

Hi,
Thanks for looking, folks.  I hope some of you will be inspired to push your current limits.

PAFlinter,
I made that side plate from scratch first carving the design in wax and casting it in Delft clay.

 I cast it in 3 pieces that were then soldered together.  I designed the sections so the joints would be invisible.






Then I glue the assembled plate on a block of wood and cut in details using die sinkers chisels.

The plate is then smoothed and polished using stones, scrapers, riffler files, and polishing sticks dipped in pumice and rottenstone. I use a jewelers saw and needle files to clean up the edges.




insta image download hd











And then it is ready for inletting.




I made 2 copies of this plate and am inletting it a third time on my restocked English rifle as I write this.  I cast it in fine silver not sterling because it tarnishes mush more slowly.

dave

[t.caster]

Great tutorial, thanks for showing your most excellent work!

[PAFlinter]

  Holly Smokes!

[Percy]

Wow, that is awesome work. Master craftsman for sure, thanks for sharing.

[foresterdj]

Incredible artistry!

One question I have when I see these fine detail small and thin inlays is, "How are they held in place?"  Is it just the perfect tight inlay that holds them in place?

[Clowdis]

Some pretty tight inletting smart dog, especially in walnut where grain tends to splinter. I enjoy your tutorials.

[heinz]

Smart dog, Nice post with great pictures.  Was the three piece construction used because of limits on your casting equipment or limits related to the delft clay?  Or just personal preference?
I ask because I have always used plaster investment for lost wax and I have been thinking of trying the delft

[smart dog]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for looking.  The tight inletting will hold the plate in nicely along with the lock bolts.  Sometimes small pins may be needed but not with this plate. I use epoxy for the really tiny inlays although they often have pins but some are just too small.

Heinz, in this case it was the limitations of gravity feed and cooling in the two piece clay molds.  Delft clay casting is basically the same as sand casting but with the clay.  The side plate was so complex that I could not cast it in one piece without the molten silver cooling too quickly to flow into the tight corners.  However, I recently made a much bigger cope and drag that offers a lot more insulation around the object.  That might do the trick.  I also am going to try to use Probond Casting sand as filler in the mold.  I would put clay on the surfaces that touch the model but back it with the sand.  That should make the process cheaper when making a large object that requires a large cope and drag and a lot of clay or sand.

Here are photos of casting a copy of an original thumb plate using Delft clay.

   










dave

[Jim McQuaide]

Dave, your level of skill (and patience) to fabricate and inlet that sideplate is amazing. Many thanks for the excellent tutorial.

[Jakob]

Where did you get your tiny chisels from?

[smart dog]

Where did you get your tiny chisels from?

They are just micro carving tools sold by Garret Wade, and Dock Yard.  You have to be gentle with them and sharpen them carefully but I've had my set for many years.

dave

[Jim Filipski]

I'm really liking this Thread... Thank you
Jim

[smart dog]

Hi Jim,
You are welcome.  A couple of tricks I learned.  Stab in the edges and really be firm when two edges are converging into a point.  I make absolutely sure that I stab that point firmly.  If you do that, when you back cut to remove the wood in the mortise you won't have to try and dig into the pointed area to remove the wood.  It will pop out in front of your chisel. Secondly, don't obsess overly about small gaps.  They will almost always disappear when you stain and finish the stock.  Finally, you have to be very careful about installing delicate inlays and then removing them while making the gun.  I do not push them home in the mortise until final installation.  I just press them firmly with fingers so they still mark tight spots in the mortise edges but not any harder.  I clean the edges with my stabbing chisels as best I can.  Usually I final sand and scrape the stock with the inlay removed, then stain and put on a couple of coats of finish.  Then I position the inlay in the mortise and squeeze it all the way home using one of my leather padded pattern maker's vises.  After that, the inlay is never removed again and I complete the finish with the inlays in place making sure any finish that slops on to the inlay is wiped off completely before drying.

One final thing.  I did not have anyone to show me how to do this kind of detailed casting, polishing, and inletting work.  I learned it on my own by diving in and doing it.   

dave   

[Jim Filipski]

Very good info: I appreciate it! I have done detail work before  but nothing as intricate as that type of side plate! This is a big help to me!
Thanks
Jim

[Fly Navy]

Beautiful work and your skill level is off the charts.

[mony]

Yep, thank you for taking the time and energy to share you knowledge.

[JTR]

It's always enjoyable to see how you go about doing these intricate inlays, and thanks for posting the details!
John

[Tom Currie]

Dave, Thanks for taking the time to post pics and provide instruction on your work. It's quite inspirational, must also take a LOT of patience on your part to do such fine work. 

[smart dog]

Hi,
Well I inletted that plate again.



I wrote previously that I had inlet this plate and its copy before but actually the first plate was inlet twice, once on a Chambers fowler kit that I bought second hand from someone who started it but could not finish it. I put the first plate in that gun then had to scrap the stock because the guy had so badly butchered the trigger guard inlet I could not salvage it. Then I used that plate on my English rifle that had too much drop and for which I am now restocking. The copy went on my English fowler.  So that makes 4 times I've inlet this plate. This time I had the challenge of dealing with a knot that was hollow in the center.  It is where the dark staining is in the photo near the front of the plate. I filled the void with stained AcraGlas.  It was a challenge to cut into that section but scary sharp tools were (and always are) the answer.  It came out fine with no gaps and it will look like it grew in the wood when I finish the rifle.  The design is inspired by an iron plate on a fowler by James Freeman, one of the best makers in London before 1750.

dave