How to inlay wire??

"Bezel wire" is thin flat strip. That's what the jewelry and precious metal suppliers call it if you go shopping with them. Tell 'em you want "thin strip" and they give you an odd look until they eventually say, "Ah, you mean bezel wire". :eek: Hoover & Strong in NY has been a good source because you can choose the silver hardness. :) The stuff I've gotten from Ultrapure Metals in NJ has been excellent, too, but very pricey. Rio Grande is a decent source if one wants dead soft wire. One can always buy sheet and trim it into thin strips oneself, but that's a bit of a PITA. Charlie, do you know what hardness the Dixie stuff is? Is it sterling or fine? Thanks!:)

The round and square wire is for a different inlay technique.....

Not all woods will swell in a way that will grab the silver; too much oil. Those are the ones for which glue will be necessary. There's something magic about curly maple fibers and the way they absorb water and swell around that wire. Perhaps someone here's a "woodologist" :) or whatever and can explain why?? There's a reason *almost all* the wire inlay you see was done in curly maple. :)
 
Euro walnut works good too.......
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To see some of the finest wire inlay ever done check out 17th-19th century firearms..........
 
Chuck, is that the name one would look for if they wanted to buy some of that wood to try? "Euro walnut"? "Wood" :) that be the same as when I've seen "English walnut" for sale?

I wonder if the wire used in that exquisite top piece was hammer-flattened from round wire? Notice there are some thicker areas? Tighter spirals than I could ever cut, that's for sure. How masterful.

The bottom piece displays some neat pin accents. How wonderful the old stuff is. There've been some Jay Hendrickson (sp?) pieces shown in the last couple years that rival that kind of skill level.

Thank you for sharing, sir!
 
Fitz - I used Euro walnut as it could be English, French, German, Spanish or even Turkish - all IIRC are Juglans Regia.

Based on the few - very few - super duper originals I've handled as well as the multitude of pictures I've seen it's my considered opinion that they rolled the wire to varying thicknesses.

BTW - www.americanlongrifles.com (owned and run by Peter Nap) is an excellent repository of info by some of the finest modern muzzleloading forearms makers, many who are top notch wire inlayers. Do a search and be sure and click on the archives...........
 
Wild Rose said:
Regards given - she's beading her little fingers to the bone........:D
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"Taskmaster Chuck".....sounds like a rap DJ! :D
 
Fitzo - The thicker areas on the top picture are where two or three strips run together.One is tapered into the other.You can fair them together seamlessly with a little burnishing.There are also two sizes of wire used in that inlay.Those tight curves are where the 1mm wide tool comes in handy.I made some with a curve to the blade that are 3mm wide.They make tight scrolls real fast.
Those pieces in the photos are nice work,aren't they!
 
I was looking at the main scroll down by the butt, Stacy. I'm pretty sure it's not a "fair" what I'm looking at. (Cool to know that word, though, thanks!) The main line gets a little thicker and has a wrinkle. There's definitely a little bit of a "gink" there, not that it matters. It just made me wonder if perhaps the wire was hand flattened. No biggie.
 
I would say no. Antler has no grain or fiber. You can do regular inlay, but not wire work.
Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
I would say no. Antler has no grain or fiber. You can do regular inlay, but not wire work.
Stacy
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My father was a gold smith, He did wire inlay on bone and ivory and once he did wire inlay on a pair of grizzly bear claws. I don't think antler would have been a problem.
 
Antler can be done, but it is a somewhat different procedure than the technique being discussed here. It requires cutting the channel with hand gravers,and hammering in the wires. (I am a goldsmith by profession,too)
Stacy
 
okay, well could someone set up a thread with instructions, i am making a knife for the first time and really want the handle to shine.
 
With a due respect ,I would suggest you try to modify that army knife in a simpler fashion. You can only tackle so much when you are not skilled yet. Do the antler handle by drilling it out and epoxying the tang in. That is how 99% of the makers here do it. Later on, after you have acquired more skill, you can practice wire inlay in wooden handles, and move on to engraving. Then you can try inlay in ivory and bone. It may take many years to acquire these skills.
My first suggestion would be to get several good books on knifemaking. Read them cover to cover (two or three times).
I know it seems easier to just post a question, but without the basis of knowing what the processes are, you may not be able to utilize a simple answer to your post.

BTW, filling out your profile helps us give better answers.

Also, welcome to the forums.
Stacy
 
hello, thank you all guys for a very interesting discussion.Just to add to the knowledge bank here is a link to a rather new video on the subject by a french knife maker "http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-5974521963504305988" it is in french but quite evident to watch
Patrick
 
i see in one of the replies it directs you to a how to article using a hammer and a ground saw blade that will work but i believe using a exacto blade ground to size and inserted into a palm grip round wood handle will give much more precision.
 
well another 6 months learned from this thread . What a excellent site to learn from. So much information my brain may implode but wow its great.
 
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