What Tools For Silver Inlays On Scales

For wire inlay, all you need to do is make a small steel chisel that is slightly narrower than your wire.
 
I have just taken a tiny scrap piece of steel, hammered it into a kind of micro chisel and heat treated it with a hand-torch.

You do not need to buy special tools for it. Just the "micro chisel" and sand paper.
 
There is a great tutorial in the January 2009 Blade Magazine if you can get your hands on it. Here are some pics of the inlay tool I made following this tutorial. Use X-ACTO #1 aluminum handle that is cut off and mount in a piece of wood that is comfortable in your hand. Oak was sitting around so that is what I used. Take a standard X-ACTO blade and grind it in a screwdriver shaped form with the blade ~1/16-3/33 inches wide at the tip. You can grind several widths for different radius angles. Keep the blade cool so you do not ruin the temper. Now sharpen and strop the newly ground blade tips. Also, depending on the thickness of the wire you will be using, you may have to thin the blades a little before you sharpen them. You want the wire to fit snug in your grooves. Hope this helps and get yourself a copy of January 2009 Blade Mag.

Eric
 

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It is advantageous to take an exacto knife and scribe along the intended line before cutting it with a chisel, this reduces splintering.

George
 
Thanks for the replies. I have also read the tutorials on making the X-ACTO tools. I do, however, want to use gouges and chisels. Can anyone tell me what sizes that I would need. I'm not going to do any carving, just inlays. I don't want to buy the full set, just what would be the mnimum 3 or 4. Thanks.
 
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