Need advice. First attempt at wire inlay.

[Rolf]

I did my first attempt at wire inlay. It's half of the design I'd like to do around the the buttcap of the pistol I'm working on. The top of the buttcap tang would be to the right side of the picture. For practice I'm using brass strips 0.012" thick and 0.085"wide.

I am having trouble cutting the wire channel deep enough without knocking out chunks of wood. This is a specially a problem when the wire design makes an in closed loop. This picture shows the chisels I've made out a old hacksaw blade.

This is my second attempt. The wood in the in closed loop split and fell out. I've glued it back in. Any suggestions to what I'm doing wrong? I've got to be able to do this design without knocking out wood, before I dare try to do this on the pistol stock.


Best regards
Rolfkt

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I think you have cut your ribbons too wide.  .060" is the maximum that I use, and in a tight loop I might go down to .032".  Thin your chisels down too,  They don't need to be as thick as the ribbon - just close.  On a tight loop, make sure you cut straight in.  If you slope toward the centre, you diminish the wood at the base of the incised line.
To improve the look of the design, file a taper on the last 1/2" of the ribbon, 'til it comes to a point, almost.  Give it a try.

[John Archer]

Taylor...just a quick word of appreciation for your presentation on wire inlay at the gunmaker's fair. I bought the PCN DVD....good stuff!

John.

[Rolf]

Taylor,
Thanks for the advice. I've got some left over 0.04"(1mm) sterling wire. I could roll in flate to 0.012" thick. that should give a strip about 0.05 wide. I'll thin my chisels to. When using strips 0.032" wide, have they ever fallen out of the finished stock?

Best regards

Rolfkt

[tallbear]

Rolft
I turn the wire upside down prior to installing it and gently tap it with a chisel perpendicular to the length of the wire .This puts little teeth on the bottom.Install each piece and wet it to lock it in before cutting and installing the next piece.

Mitch

[Acer Saccharum]

You can drag a file down the length of the wire, which scores the flat sides of the wire, giving the wood some grip on the wire.

[chris laubach]

I agree with Mitch about the teeth on the bottom method. I like this method much better.





When you have areas where a piece of wire comes off of another piece it looks better (JMHO) if you make the end of the wire tapered so it flows better off of the previous piece of wire. I hope that makes sense??

Here is one I did that will show what I am trying to explain.




Chris Laubach

[Acer Saccharum]

Good pictures, Chris. Thanks.

Tom

[tallbear]

Chris
Thanks, I was going to get a pic up today you saved me the trouble!!!Nice wire work!!

Mitch

[Woodstock]

To keep it from falling out, do the file thing as suggested, then take a piece of about 60 grit sand paper fold it over and pull the wire through it. This creates some roughness on the sides and helps it hold. I also use water with just a tad of wood glue mixed in. Just enough to make it white. The glue helps swell the wood for a tighter fit. If you are rocking and pushing the blades to make the cut, you may want to use a light hammer and tap instead of pushing. This will help keep from rocking the blade side to side and breaking the wood out. I am not to steady so the hammer makes it a bit better for me and helps keep it straight and parallel with the surface you are working on. The wood also makes a difference. It looks like Walnut you are working with. You should not have a problem with that. I tried some exotics like Cocobolo on some pistol grips I made and it busted up pretty bad.   

[Daryl]

I can see where Cocobolo would be nasty. Any of the very hard exotics would be difficult. Imagine what it was like for Taylor inletting sterling into ebony.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You are not likely to have the ribbon pop back out in walnut or maple, if you score the ribbon lengthwise.  On the wheellock dag that Daryl illustrated, one of the ribbons wanted to pop back out of the cross grained inlay at the pommel of the grip.  I took a page out of Chris' book and removed the ribbon carefully, then set up teeth on the inside edge with a sharp knife and a light hammer.  the silver is only .005" thick x .032" wide, so I had to be careful not to cut too deeply.  I tapped the ribbon back into the cut, and had to remove some from the lenght on this second application.  Now that ribbon will not come back out...a very good fix, and something that should have been done first time around.  I'm grateful for Chris' advice.
Tapping the inletting chisels with a hammer rather than puchi8ng them into the wood by hand pressure alone, works best for me.  I get a clean cut perpendicular to the surface and exactly the correct depth.

[El Mac]

Taylor...just a quick word of appreciation for your presentation on wire inlay at the gunmaker's fair. I bought the PCN DVD....good stuff!

John.

Where would one come by that DVD?
Thanks...

[keweenaw]

Rolf,  use thinner wire, .010 is actually pretty thick for wire work.  Remember your chisels aren't removing any wood just putting in an incised groove for the wire to go in.  Even if you're doing multiple widths you're still not removing wood, put the first piece in, run the chisel down beside it and then put in the second piece. 

Tom

[John Archer]

The Gunmakers Fair DVD is available from the PCN TV website store. It's listed under the special presentations tab.

John.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

John, I appreciate your kind words regarding my seminar.  I'd never given one before, and I literally "winged" it.  I kept asking myself, "What am I doing here, amidst all these super talented people?"  I was very pleased by the reception I received.  My audience was very patient and non-judgmental.  It started off badly as I lost track of time, and Jesse Curran found me drooling all over Mark Wheland and Art de Camp's work, and I was fifteen minutes late.

[El Mac]

The Gunmakers Fair DVD is available from the PCN TV website store. It's listed under the special presentations tab.

John.

Thank you John.

[Rolf]

Thank you all for your kind advice. As usual it's been a big help. This is my fifth attempt at the pattern I want to do around the pistol buttcap. I think I'm getting the hang of it. A few more practice rounds and I'll start on the pistol stock. So far I've only inlaid wire on flat surface. Anything special tips about inlaying on a curved surface, like a pistol stock? I'm doing the practice rounds in brass. On the pistol I'll be using pure (999) silver.


Best regards

Rolfkt

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Doc, make sure you use Chris' method of upsetting the inside edge with a knife or chisel, when attempting to go around a curved surface.  Otherwise, the ribbon will want to spring back out of the cut.  Keep the ribbons narrow, or you may find them wanting to fold over as you tap them into the cut.  I anneal the silver (or brass) after I've cut the ribbons out, and before I process them.  Good luck.

[Robby]

Rolfkt, Being a practice round, maybe you didn't bother with tapering the ends of your wire, if so, I think it would be good practice do that as well. Those tapered ends can be easier to deform, Just a thought . Also, some times the flat spots in the arc's, weather tight or long can be blended into the curve better before the final setting of the wire with a little judicious poking and prodding with a piece of wood whittled down for that purpose. Good luck! I admire your patience.
Robby

[Rolf]

Robby, I taperd the wires where they branch off from the main wine. Should the ends of the curls also have been taperd?

Best regards

Rolfkt

[Robby]

Rolfkt, I think so, yes. There may be times when it is not appropriate, but in nature, the end of a tendril is tapered, at least that is the way I envision them. I did notice they were tapered at the trunk, I probably would have done them a little thinner, but that could just be the picture itself. I can't wait to see the finished gun, always enjoy seeing your stuff.
Robby