Trad Gang
Main Boards => Hunting Knives and Crafters => Topic started by: kbaknife on December 30, 2009, 01:10:00 PM
-
Thought some of you guys might like to see Silver Wire Inlay done.
I wanted to take pictures of this process anyway, so there's no reason to not share them with ya'll.
Since it's a Hunter, it should fit into this forum quite well.
You will see some pictures in the background on a few of these here. It's a photo of a knife that my customer wanted to emulate on his knife.
This is a pattern I call "Wandering Vine" and is one I have used many times.
Here's a little step-by-step:
This semi-finished knife with the layout and some of the in-letting tools involved:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cm-1.jpg)
A little closer shot of the layout:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cma-1.jpg)
Gotta just LOOOOOOOVE the take-dwon knife when it comes to stuff like this:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmb-1.jpg)
The handle in the bowling ball vise - (thank you, Mr. Keeslar!)
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmc-1.jpg)
-
It's still early and I'm not ready to sit down - yet:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmd-1.jpg)
A little close-up of the process:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cme-1.jpg)
The main "vine" nearing completion:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmf-1.jpg)
When I do a "branch" or wherever two "things" come together, I use a small hammer and beat the silver wire down veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery thin so it blends in seamlessly:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmg-1.jpg)
-
Here is the completed inlaying done, along with little seed "pods" at the ends of the branches:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmh-1.jpg).
Now, I saturate the handle material with water so as to swell up the crushed wood grain and make it fill in the voids and "grab" the silver wire to hold it in place.
Prior to putting the wire in, it is drawn through 220 sand paper to put lengthwise scratches in the sides to help hold it in when the wood is swelled.
If it was summer time, I would place the handle out in the sun to dry, or maybe in my kitchen gas stove, since it always holds about 120 degrees from the pilot light, but since it's the middle of winter, I'll set it atop the wood burner and head to the gas station for a cup of coffee and a cookie!
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmi-1.jpg)
Came back, clamped up the handle and filed the excess metals off.
Now the other side, some stain and finish.
I call it "good"!
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmk-1.jpg)
-
Nice, Karl.
Do you want a block of lexan? Tell me what size your T/D handle blocks start out at.
-
Usually about 1 1/8 X 2 1/8 X 5.
-
You got it, man. I'll get it out Monday. Don't mean to hijack your thread, sorry.
Keep going...show us the finish process.
-
Karl
That is outstanding, I'm like Ray lets see the finshed product. thanks for sharing
dana
-
Give me a couple days.
-
That's a great bowling ball vise. Great idea.
CJ
-
Man thats awesome. Anxious to see some final pics of it!
-
In this chair is where I spend about 1/2 my life.
Here I will take the filed handle from 220 up through 800. Then, I really wet the handle good with denatured alcohol. While it is wet, it raises the fine grain that I have "smashed" down into the handle material and then it will dry very quickly so I can continue working.
Then, back to my favorite chair, and "cut" off the newly raised grain with 1200 grit, and then finish off with 1500.
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cml-1.jpg)
The completed handle ready for some COLOR!!
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmm-1.jpg)
Amazing what a little color can do to some nice curly maple!
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/tools/cmn-1.jpg)
Now I'll finish off the guard and put a good soaking coat of gun stock finish on the handle to dry over night.
0000 steel wool in the morning and then another coat of gun stock finish.
Finished picture probably on Friday.
-
Very Nice Karl, you always amaze me, some of the finest work i've every seen
thanks for the show
dana
-
Thanks Karl,You did good!!! :thumbsup:
-
man that is nice , thanks for letting us watch. Drew
-
Yea Buddy I LIKE! Thanks for the tutorial :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
-
Super looking, Karl!
-
Thanks Karl! Very nice, I love that pattern!
Steve
---------
Potomac Forge
---------
IN GOD WE TRUST
-
Thanks for sharin Karl. You do very good work.
-
WOW!Thats just beautiful!
-
Karl, I am sorta new here. But I read all your and Lin Rhea's posts and responses, I am not ready to try any wire inlay yet but I did notice your awesome little pipe vise that you were doing your sanding in, the red and black one. I am going to build one this weekend, if you would, tell me what you are using inside the vice for your clamping material, or if you have the time maybe a short list of materials. I am not trying to waste your time, I can see most of the material, but if there is anything not so obvious I would like to know. Thanks Dirk
-
Dirk, the obvious materials are the pipes that I scrounged here and there and used some that fit closely together without much slop.
Inside is simply two bars of steel running lengthwise - 1 stationary, the bottom one tack-welded - and then the top one free-floating. Both covered with leather. The top one has two nuts welded to it for the locating bolts to sit in.
AS you weld it together, just think ahead about how much room you will need here and there and where things go and where you don't want them to go.
I can't give you any kind of dimensions because my parts were simply picked out of a scrap pile and I'm sure yours won't match.
-
Karl, Very nice explanation. I've got the tools and bowling ball vise, just haven't jumped in yet. Thanks for the help...Jeff
What stain are you using to bring out the curly maple?
-
I just used some Feibing's dark Brown.
-
Thank you Karl, I would have had to play with the one I'm going to build before I'd have realized the bottom piece should be tacked in. Real neat idea thanks for sharing. Dirk
-
Karl,
After I emailed you, I found this source for the Magic Maple Stain. I figured folks here would want to see it too. Lin
web page (http://www.dunlapwoodcrafts.com/ez.htm)
-
Thanks, Lin. I couldn't find it on Al's site.
I think Dunlap's is where I got my maple!
-
Karl,
This stain is a water based stain, unless I'm mixed up. I'm finding that there is a learning curve to go along with every new type of product.
This stain sometimes requires heat to set the color. If you direct heat from a heat gun, you can see the colors darken. The stain reacts with sugars in the maple and the heat allows you to play with a range of color shades , from a yellow, then to brown, then to almost black.
Of course, you would want to apply it after all sanding is done and your ready for the finish or sealer, which is separate from this type of stain. I have had to touch up my sanding and restain the touch up areas and blend it, which works well. It's pretty forgiving right up to the time you seal it. Lin
-
That's starting to sound a whole lot like muriatic acid, which reacts to maple the exact same way!
-
It dont have the smell or fumes, but I dont know. The good thing is its cheap and you control the color shade. Lin
-
Thanks, Lin.
Here's how this one turned out:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/Knives%2009/cmf-1.jpg)
-
Turned out nice.
-
very nice ! thanks for sharing
-
Great inspiration....
Anybody ever do this with brass wire???
-
Thats NICE