I was looking at some of the old FWW mags and back in 1983 they had an article about Wendell Castle’s work. One of the pics shows a great cabinet with small dots of sterling silver embedded in the shape of a fountain.
How does one do this? Do you solder it in some how? Make a little hole and drop hot silver in?
I’d like to try it but don’t really know much about metals in lay.
Alison
Replies
How big were the dots? I know you can get sterling silver wire and small rod of various diameters. I don't personally know a source, but it should be easy enough to find with Google. If the dots are small enough you could just drill and epoxy into the holes.
If you build it - he will come.
Silversmith here...
First here's an excellent source for silver wire. Thunderbird Supply, Gallup NM 1-800-545-7968. Price for silver wire nowadays through T-Bird is about $8-$9 per oz. depending on the amount you order. Price breaks are best at 25 oz. I think they have a $50 minimum. If your in a big city most jewelry or lapidary supply stores usually stock it but expect to pay up to 50% more. Silver is sold by the oz. in gauges- a non frerrous metal gauge actually, which differs enough from ferrous gauges to cause trouble on tight jobs. I don't have one in front of me but they have decimal equivalents which relate to drill sizes..
Obviously I'm suggesting you place wire not melt and drip. Sterling melts at well over 1000 degrees to get liquid enough to pour. You'd need oxy/propane or an acytelene torch with crucible and flux etc to accomplish this too. Go with wire and drill.
Depending on the wood your using, the harder the better, it will finish pretty well. I use flush cut Lindstrom cutters which will leave a small burr easily sanded/filed flush. These cost about $50 though, the burr will be only a couple .010". Determine the size of wire you want to use, and try a couple of different sizes drills to get a nice fit. Probably wouldn't need glue if you get a good fit but a drop wouldn't hurt.
A good book to start with is Tim McCreights Complete Metalsmith.
I started with a book: Indian jewelry making by Oscar T Branson which is geared towards indian type jewelry but has great photos and lots of info and ideas.
Also check:
RioGrande-Alberquerque NM
Indian Jewlers Supply, Gallup NM
Frei-Borel Oakland CA
It won't take much to do what you want.
HTH
Notrix
Edited 2/20/2005 5:13 pm ET by Notrix
Thanks for replying. Great info.
In the past I've done some inlay all by myself ( no instructions included ). Needless to say the results were mixed. It was really fine lines and shapes that defied inlaying whole material.
I would grind up or in the case of silver file off some small shavings and mix them with epoxy. It isn't high art but it got the job done. I don't know the name for it. Street art?
In the book you recommended it wouldn't have a technique like this, would it? I'm thinking of picking it up again and could use some help.
Edited 2/21/2005 9:20 am ET by david
There's a new version of McCreights book out.Check out http://www.brynmorgen.com/ which I beleive is his publishing co.A great place for inlay instruction is luthier supply. Highest art of inlay is arguably on musical instruments. I recall one book Art Of Inlay which was interesting. Don't recall if there was instruction.When I tried some inlay I bough a nice Dremel router base from Stewmac.com. very nice tool! Allows you to use dental burrs as router bits. I beleive they make attachments for Foredom hand pieces now too but you'll have to look. Luthiers Merchantile (LMI.com?) has tons of this sort of thing as well.If I think of anything I post it.HTH
Notrix
lmii.com has all the stuff
Alison,
I used a product from Highland Hardware several years ago, that was melted and poured into a recess (drilled, routed, etc.) I no longer see it in their catalog, but they may be able to tell you where you can find it.
Birdseyeman
I've done inlays with sheet pewter and with sheet silver. I cut the inlay first. I use a jewelers saw, but you could use anything you like. I sand the wood to its final surface. Then I place the inlay on the surface and trace around it. If the inlay is a simple shape, I trace with a marking knife. If it is a complex shape, I trace with a sharp pencil. Then I use a router to cut a recess as deep as the metal's thickness. If I used a pencil to do the tracing, I try to stay just inside the pencil mark. I test-fit the inlay and adjust the fit if necessary. Sometimes I have to drill a little hole from the back side so I can poke the inlay back out of the recess while I'm fitting. You may want to do one final sanding before you glue the inlay. I use epoxy to glue the inlay in, but I know folks who use super-glue.
Do you free-hand the router, or use a guide in the shape of your inlay?
Jamie, how thick are the sheets of pewter and silver? What source for these? (I will also google for an answer!)
I've done some simple, single shape inlays (circles, squares and straight lines) with ebony, and I'm ready to try something more complex if I can find a source for those types of materials.
Notrix, good suggestion on the wire!
tony b.
Alison
It is a little beyond the use of wire "dots", but I suggest that you check out a DVD by Silas Kopf http://www.silaskopf.com  for some really good insights into how you might go about it. Check it out, it's really well produced, has some beautiful work and is well worth the investment. Also, he's one of the experts at FWW, so you could ask him direct.
Regards,
AussiePete
Retirement is a life long opportunity.
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