My first attempt at a brass inlay was mostly successful, but I need a better strategy for bending the wire into tight radii (4mm radius in this project). I would love to hear any strategies other people have found that work!
Groove, lettering inlays and recess for the crest cut on an LR2.
1/4" downcut for flat regions, 60-degree V bit for the two larger letter cuts, 20-degree V bit for the smaller “Retired 2025” text. 1/16" downcut for the brass inlay grooves.
Generic epoxy fill for the letters, after spray-coating clear varnish to prevent bleeding.
Just a thought: what if you 3d-printed a mold, based on the carved shaped. Then you could hammer and sand the brass into the mold, without risking tearing/ruining the wood?
what if you 3d-printed a mold, based on the carved shape?
Ooh, I like that idea: thanks!
It could be a 2-part mold too: have the inner radius part fixed down, lay the wire over it and then come in with a matching external radius part; have clamp support points so a clamp can be used tighten them up. Hmmm…
When you say you sprayed clear coat varnish before the epoxy fill, did you spray the entire piece with this? Or just around the epoxy areas?
I have done some inlays filled with epoxy, and the bleeding always seems to happen, probably because of the dye I use to color the epoxy.
Does spraying with varnish before have any impact on putting finish on the rest of the piece?
When you say you sprayed clear coat varnish before the epoxy fill, did you spray the entire piece with this? Or just around the epoxy areas?
Does spraying with varnish before have any impact on putting finish on the rest of the piece?
When I do the spray, I focus on just getting good coverage in the carved regions. I don’t deliberately spray the uncarved flat parts of the board, but I used the spray-can varnish so there is definitely overspray for several inches around the lettering!
In terms of later finishing though, that overspray gets taken off along the way. I pour the epoxy proud of the surface, and when I remove that excess epoxy with a surfacing bit and sanding, it also removes the top layer of the flat wood, which gets rid of the sealant overspray.
(There is a risk there though: if I’m too aggressive with the material removal, it also takes away some of the lettering; there’s a bit of that problem in this project where some lines in the “out!” were almost completely removed.)
I have done some inlays filled with epoxy, and the bleeding always seems to happen, probably because of the dye I use to color the epoxy.
Interesting: I haven’t tried dyes myself; I use the flaky mica/minerals for colour. I don’t think using a liquid dye that would make a difference for colour bleed, but you never know.
