Wire inlay first attempt.

[threedee]

Well, always wanted to try.
Got 1,6mm diameter wire squished in rolling mill, resulting in 2.3x0,8mm ribbon. Annealed with a lighter (that took awhile). Drawn out design in coreldraw, lasered the design out in 100x100mm chunk of oak. Gaps/stabs are 0.7mm wide and some 1.5-2mm deep.
Now, after initial success of "6" perimeter struggling with tiny fiddly infill bits (my stupid design ). Knock in, superglue (tried the other way around - made a mess...) Working from inside out. Borders corners are gonna be fun...

(No, i'm not using the mallet that often, just happen to be in the pic. Using copper bars as hammers, small screws as knocking in pins, etc...)

Any tips for someone who never done wire inlay in his life ?

(yeah, its crooked, off to the side, need to fix damn laser pointer on the laser head for precise(ier) positioning, this is just a test/experiment)...

 

[bjm]

I have nothing to offer by way of tips (having never done it myself) but I will say congratulations on overcoming your doubts and getting on with it - that's half the battle All you have to do now is keep at it - you'll figure it out from the mistakes you make. Mistakes are your friend not your enemy!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.cooksongold.com/Wire/Co...-prcode-860-1243&query=copper wire&channel=uk
You don't say what the metal is, but you can buy square section copper (and silver, but it's expensive).

 

[threedee]

Ah sorry, its copper. just plain multistrand cable split. single strand was 1.6mm diameter. My friend has a rolling mill, so made a flat ribbon out of that wire.

 

[Inspector]

I watched a gunsmith decorating the stock of a flintlock with silver. He used a thin chisel pressed into the stock to make a line. Drew the silver ribbon through a pair of scissors to sharpen the edge. Put a little glue on the incised line and tapped in the ribbon with a small hammer. Then he filed off the excess, followed by sanding. I have no idea if the process was something he developed or learned off other gunsmiths. Looked good though.

Pete

 

[Steve Blackdog]

I have used copper wire to inlay my logo on guitar headstock, with reasonably pleasing end result. Practice will no doubt make perfect (or less imperfect!).

 

[threedee]

Progress report.

Fiddly bits done, all of the number insides are done. One ring perimeter on the inside missing, but that one is easy'ish.

Picked up on some shortcuts, like using slotted head bolt as a guided hammer. Outer perimeter of the number went in in like 60 seconds using bolt head to precisely hammer on leading edge of the wire being inserted, which made the wire bend itself to the shape of the trench.
This bolt is going into my inlay toolbox. I also figured i need to get a hold of or make a set of narrow flat nosed punches to help in tight spaces. Bolts i have here all have a burr on the edge from rolling the threads and messing up the wire if used as a punch (although it will be sanded off later).

Broke out tiny bits of wood in 2 places by being an ***** and not having good enough light. Cut wire a tiny bit too long and it pushed the wood out to nearby empty trench. Nothing major, but something to keep an eye out in the future.

Whole progress up to this point (not including design/lasering) took me about an hour to do.

 

[threedee]

Well, this is bull hit.

Did i hear someone say "don't lean on a belt sander, eejit" ?

Meh, fixable...