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Old 07-14-2008, 02:07 PM
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MikeDubber MikeDubber is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Evansville, Indiana
Posts: 510
Default Re: ---Mike's Contest Submission Discussion---

Chris:

I do use a 90 degree graver to make a fiinal cut entirley around the inlay cavity, but that's done more to clean up the edges than to undercut. The chisel (I've promised several responders that I would include a photo of that tool) is used to "undercut" or "upset" and raise the edges in preparation for the inlay.

I have to be very careful in explaining that I do not prefer wire inlay over sheet inlay...not do I use wire more than sheet. I do believe that I save both time and material using wires to fill inlay cavities. First I don't have to trace out and pierce the inlay from a sheet sheet or file and fit it to fit the cavity (that's a very time consuming process). Secondly, there are no unusable cuttings left over from cutting a sheet. Yes, those can be melted down, rolled out and reused, or sent to a refiner - but all that eats up more time and cost. Wires are quick and simple. The cavity is prepared exactly the same way and when its ready you simply start inlaying gold wire...as per the tutorial.

I don't prefer wire when I'm inlaying into a curved surface - like on the recoil shield of this Colt SAA. I would never trust wire to stay in/on that kind of surface - so this would have been a really bad place to try to accomplish a wire inlay - too big and area and outwardly curved. Wires tend to stretch and bend upwardly as they are set and when they are not confined in a flat place.

Mike
....and about the Budweiser thing - it's Coors for me and my Road King...America first!

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