epoxy inlay?

D

dgjester

Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
10
the next knife on the project list is a sgian duhb, somewhat modernized. i want to use black micarta for the scales, and was wondering if i could do a sort of shadow inlay with it. the thought was to shape the scales, sand to 800 and then use a v shaped burr in a dremel to route out some knotwork patterns. tape off the handle and fill the grooves with black epoxy and then buff the epoxy. think it will work? i'm hoping there will be just enough contrast between the two to make it interesting. got the idea from the "shadow tartans" that stillwater kilts uses.
 
Try it on some scrap wood. I think you will find that carving the knot work is a better idea. There are some other problems with what you describe, but lets just say that it won't work well.
 
bladsmth said:
Try it on some scrap wood. I think you will find that carving the knot work is a better idea. There are some other problems with what you describe, but lets just say that it won't work well.
Click to expand...

What are some of the other problems/pitfalls Stacy? I was thinking something similar with epoxy additives for glow in the dark inlay (but cutting a groove horizontally for some anchor point like with metal inlay).
 
The V-shape hole will not hold the inlay, it will need to be undercut with a 30 degree inverted cone burr.
The resin may not not wear well, and will quickly get dull and ugly.
The pattern may not end up as evenly cut as you planned.
Those "shadow patterns" aren't cut in by hand with a dremel.
 
i'm not worried about carving it, i've done that before. never worked with micarta, though, and i thought that the dremel or something similar would be better for it. is there any way to make that sort of black on black pattern work?
 
If your hand carving skills are good enough, go ahead and try it. It certainly is possible, just not necessarily simple.

For the fill, use the hardest resin you can get. A bar top or top coat resin would be the best choice. Dye it whatever color you wish. Only use real epoxy colorant in the resin. Don't use paint or other dyes. The dry powder colorants sold by K&G are the best IMHO. A tiny amount ( toothpick dip) will color a batch or epoxy. A jar will last years, maybe a lifetime for some makers. A jar of red, white, black, and tan can be blended to make a pretty good match for nearly any normal knife handle material when gluing up handles. No more ugly glue lines.
http://www.knifeandgun.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=40
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top