# inlay questions



## Tclem (Jul 27, 2014)

Believe it or not I have some bowls that have been drying for a year and in the next couple of weeks I will start finishing them. A couple of them have some cracks that I want to "attempt" to inlay some tourquiose or something in them. I have done a little research but would like to know what you guys think I should use and maybe some of you guys process in going about doing this.
Thanks
And no comments for @SENC you will just confuse me


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## Nature Man (Jul 27, 2014)

I'm also very interested in this subject. Think I have at least two rough cut bowls that are good candidates. Chuck


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## SENC (Jul 27, 2014)

Tony - I experimented some with metal inlays on a few calls. I bought the sampler pack from Packard Woodworks. I mixed it with both CA and with 5 min epoxy with good results. I'll be following this thread, too, since I'll have to do the same with some olive.


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## Tim Carter (Jul 27, 2014)

I do a lot of inlay work, using lapis, turquoise, malachite, coral, marble, red pipestone, onyx and other stones. After you have a supply of the stone you're going to use, you usually need to crush it into smaller pieces. Attached is a pic of my rock crusher-simple but very effective. Once you have it crushed, you'll need to sort the stone by size. I use an old bowl I turned some time ago. If you tilt the bowl to about 30 degrees and continuously tap it on your bench, the stone will sort itself by size from dust to nuggets. Now you can easily pick the size you need for the crack or space you're filling. Once the stone is in the crack/space, I use thin CA to glue it in place. The thin CA will wick down through the stone very quickly and evenly, providing a very good bond with the wood. If you're filling a larger space that goes all the way through the piece, I use clear packaging tape on one side, fill the space with stone, glue it and taking the tape off when the CA has set. You'll usually pull some of the stone out when you take the tape off so you have to add some stone and glue it in place. Another thing to consider when you're filling a larger space is how you want it to look. If you fill the space so the stone is to the top or slightly above the level of the wood, it will look like terrazzo when it's sanded back level with the wood. If you fill the space and leave the stone somewhat below the level of the wood, you'll have to add CA to bring it to the level of the wood and you'll be able to look down into the inlay and get a sense of depth. When you start sanding these inlays, ALWAYS wear a mask or respirator! Stone dust and your lungs don't play well!! One last thought-The area of the piece that has the inlay is going to draw the viewer's eye so I try to have a strong contrast between the colors/patterns of the wood and stone.

Reactions: Like 2 | Great Post 1 | Informative 2


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## barry richardson (Jul 27, 2014)

Pretty much what Tim said, except I use 5 min epoxy these days because it can be tinted any color you like, and it sands much easier than CA. I make up small batches by adding crushed stone to the the epoxy and working it into the cracks and voids with a popsicle stick or similar, leaving the fill proud of the surface. After an hour or so, I use an old file and bring the fill areas down to flush, then sand.

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 2


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## Blueglass (Jul 27, 2014)

Tony also look in your enviroment for materials. This Blue Mahoe drum the wood had voids in it and I went through a number of ideas. Then I went to the beach with my wife and daughter, I collected the shell pieces that had eroded just to the thin translucent, irridescent layer. I crushed them into various size mostly with my hands but also a hammer. Used the liquid Titebond CA from Depot. I have also collected saw dust from many of the woods I've worked with for later.

Reactions: Like 1


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## outofthisworld (Jul 27, 2014)

This sounds very interesting to me also. I would like to see more examples of this with different materials. If anyone cares to share pics I would appreciate it. Also what is the best CA glue to use for filling cracks and gaps etc. Thanks


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## Blueglass (Jul 27, 2014)

I know in. nC ther ewes plenty of feldspar which is a softer stone that moonstone is a variant of. It is ver chantoyant. If I were there I would be using that. It is pretty common.


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## Torque Turner (Jul 27, 2014)

Lots of good advice here. I'd like to add that I spray a quick drying lacquer on my bowls before I apply CA glue to prevent staining the wood adjacent to the cracks you are filling.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3 | Informative 2


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## DKMD (Jul 27, 2014)

I've used a fair bit of fuchsite lately for filling cracks and voids, and I've used thin CA to set the inlay. I always apply some kind if sealer around the defect before filling and gluing... Otherwise, the CA wicks into the wood and goofs up the finish. I like shellac for sealing, but lots of stuff will work.

Also, I've made a habit of cleaning off the lathe and putting a newspaper down on the ways when I'm turning African blackwood or ebony... I put the shavings in a bag to save for inlay/fill.

You can also incorporate very fine glitter into small defects... Hobby Lobby sells little assortment packs of metallic ultra fine glitter which seems to work well.

Reactions: Thank You! 2 | Informative 1


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## SENC (Jul 27, 2014)

@DKMD reminded me of a little trick I picked up from a fellow callmaker to cover the ways when collecting shavings or to protect them a bit from glue, finish, or wetsanding. Magnetic air vent covers - just simple magnetic sheets with vinyl glued to them. They're cheap, stick to the top of the ways and don't shift around, can be easily cut to size if working on a small project, and store without consuming any space on the front, back, or side of the nearest flat metal surface. Available at most hardware stores.

Edited to add a picture:

Reactions: Like 2 | Thank You! 1


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## Nature Man (Jul 28, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> Pretty much what Tim said, except I use 5 min epoxy these days because it can be tinted any color you like, and it sands much easier than CA. I make up small batches by adding crushed stone to the the epoxy and working it into the cracks and voids with a popsicle stick or similar, leaving the fill proud of the surface. After an hour or so, I use an old file and bring the fill areas down to flush, then sand.


Barry -
Please share a bit more about the epoxy you use. Easier sanding is always preferred! Do you also spray the ares to be filled with lacquer or other sealer before beginning the inlay process? Thanks! Chuck


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## barry richardson (Jul 28, 2014)

No, sealing is not necessary, the epoxy is not absorbed in the wood like CA. I don't have a particular brand, whatever is on hand. CA gets very hard (like glass) and if you sand the area a lot, the wood sands away faster than the filled area, leaving it uneven. this is also a function of the stone you use. Good quality turquoise is pretty hard and can be tough to bring down to level, that is why I prefer lower grade softer turquoise, and it looks the same with a finish on it. Leveling it with an old file works great prior to sanding. I kinda went to school on different materials for inlay when I was making this stuff;

Reactions: Like 3 | Thank You! 2 | EyeCandy! 2


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## Foot Patrol (Jul 28, 2014)

Great Thread. Following.


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## Tclem (Jul 28, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> No, sealing is not necessary, the epoxy is not absorbed in the wood like CA. I don't have a particular brand, whatever is on hand. CA gets very hard (like glass) and if you sand the area a lot, the wood sands away faster than the filled area, leaving it uneven. this is also a function of the stone you use. Good quality turquoise is pretty hard and can be tough to bring down to level, that is why I prefer lower grade softer turquoise, and it looks the same with a finish on it. Leveling it with an old file works great prior to sanding. I kinda went to school on different materials for inlay when I was making this stuff;
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Barry, so do you put the epoxy in then the tourquoise ? And where should I buy the tourquoise from? 
Thanks


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Jul 28, 2014)

You can just google where to buy it online, usually runs like $10 an ounce i believe. I searched around online and found a jewelry making business out of Arizona that sells "floor trimmings" of turquoise, it's $30 a pound from them, so if you plan on doing a lot I'd go that route. Good looking stuff too, they had 2 different sizes when i bought some, i got the smaller pieces and use a coffee grinder and it grinds it all up good.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## barry richardson (Jul 28, 2014)

I got my stuff at the a mineral geeks convention, they have a lot of them here. You can google or try ebay and get many hits. How much do you need? I can send you some... To answer your question, I mix the stone and epoxy all together, then work it into the cracks. Inlace makes ready made kits that are similar, but are expensive, and look like grout IMO...


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## Tclem (Jul 28, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> I got my stuff at the a mineral geeks convention, they have a lot of them here. You can google or try ebay and get many hits. How much do you need? I can send you some... To answer your question, I mix the stone and epoxy all together, then work it into the cracks. Inlace makes ready made kits that are similar, but are expensive, and look like grout IMO...


So I will have to crush the stone or can you buy it crushed? And I should just search or turquoise stone? If you have some spare I can send you something back. What size wood would you need or you still wanting some pen kits?


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## gman2431 (Jul 29, 2014)

AWESOME thread, I almost started one similar this morning until I found this. 

I also have a ton of stuff that needs to be filled and have used some things with varying results so I will be watching this closely.


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Jul 29, 2014)

You can buy it already crushed or whole stones. I haven't done much inlay yet but from what I've seen, depending on the size of the void you're filling you'll want different sizes I believe. Start with bigger pieces then fill in the gaps, but that's with using ca glue I think , I haven't tried epoxy yet. I have enough to spare some too. I have two pounds of the stuff


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## barry richardson (Jul 29, 2014)

Tclem said:


> So I will have to crush the stone or can you buy it crushed? And I should just search or turquoise stone? If you have some spare I can send you something back. What size wood would you need or you still wanting some pen kits?


You usually buy it in chips like Joseph shows, usually referred to as floor sweepings. Bangleguy, a member here, made a video for doing inlay, a lot of good info there, he shows a good way to crush the stone. The quickest ways I have found to crush it fine is to tap it to about rice size with a hammer, then use a piece of steel pipe like a rolling pin, but you need a big slab of steel for your anvil....
Looks like you may be able to source some Turquoise from Joseph


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## Overtrim (Aug 11, 2014)

Another option for filling voids is baking soda or backing powder. Flood the void with medium CA and sprinkle a thin layer of soda. Completely soak the soda with thin CA Repeat the process until the void is fill. I use my finger near the top and smooth the soda before flooding with CA. The soda almost has the appearance of stone.

It is difficult to color CA, but you can color the soda with pigment and use it. I like the use of Pearl EX pigment. It is dry and mixes well with the soda. Place a small amount of soda in a small container and start with about 10% Pearl EX. Mix well. You can get some fantastic looks by starting with the white soda around the edge of the void. Then the next ring use the colored soda. Add a small amount more of the pearl EX for each ring towards the center.

Reactions: Thank You! 3 | Useful 1


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## duncsuss (Aug 12, 2014)

If you want a fill that's in the brown-to-black range, you can use coffee grounds as the fill. I've saved the grounds from my morning brew and let them dry out a few days. Then pack them into the void and drizzle with thin CA.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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