Tips/Tricks for Fitting Inlays

Erin Burke

Erin Burke

KnifeMaker...ish
Joined
May 19, 2003
Messages
1,330
Good morning folks. I'm working on a set of balisong handles that will have oval-strip inlays of either stabilized bone or G11 (or something). I milled the slots for the inlays using a 3/16" end mill. I also milled some through-pockets in the bottom of the inlay-slots to allow me to easily pop the inlays out as I test fit them. Here's a photo of the rough-milled handles for reference.
5362398187_886f5a30a2_m.jpg

Does anyone have any tips/tricks/jigs for fitting up this type of insert? I would appreciate anyone willing to share their methods? Thanks in advance.

Erin
 
Maybe put a clean piece of paper over it and do a rubbing? Kinda like historians did to read old text on artifacts. If you are patient, you can make them extremely accurate, and then you have stencils to transfer to your inlay materials....
Just a thought, i am sure others will respond with some real good ideas.

Mike
 
Another idea, you can use an inside caliper if they are straight, and transfer your dimensions to your material.
 
You could maybe use inletter's black- you know, coat the bottom of the inlay with it, keep checking the fit as you shape it, the black will let you see clearly where contact has been made at the edges and more needs to be take off. Don Fogg does this to fit the scales to the bolsters on some integrals.

When hand inlaying with an exacto knife and needle files, it's a good method to do a finished full scale drawing of the project, and cut the pieces out of the drawing. Then glue them to the materials for a guide to cutting/shaping. When the fit is close, you file the edges bit by bit, with a little "overhang" so that the underside of the piece fits in first. Then you get a tight press fit on the top of the piece. I don't know, maybe you could take a rubbing of the recess as mentioned, then use that as your drawing to cut the inlay pieces.

Hope any of it helped. I know it's not super "techy" advice.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I really like the idea of a full scale print glued to the inlay material... I may give that a try. I also thought about milling a slot with the same dimensions in a piece of steel to make a template... then I could use it to scribe the dimensions onto the inlay material.

I think I could have elaborated on my question a bit more however. What I'd really like to know is whether anyone has any tip/tricks/jigs/etc. for actually holding and shaping the inlay. These inlays will be fairly small and thin... I worry about holding them in my fat fingers while sanding. :D

Any tips for the actual shaping and fitting of the inserts.

... maybe I'm just over-thinking things, and should just sit down and do it... ;)
 
Erin, on a thread by Patrice there was a bunch about how to hold small thin non-magnetic stuff for shaping. As I recall, a bunch of people chimed in with using a tape handle to hold the material. One guy said Gorilla tape held like the dickens and was well nigh indestructible. This was maybe a week ago?
 
Under cut the inlay slightly as was mentioned, Use a tiny bit of superglue to put it in place. Carefully scribe around it, pop it off and start cutting and fitting.
 
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