Advice on approaching Inlay work on a gun stock .

[Al Mutairi]

Need your advice please .

What is the best laser setting for an inlay work on a gun stock ? The gun stock has a shine on it not sure what the coating is ?

Inlay material used is mother of pearl < 1mm thick. This is my first time ever to work with mother of pearl & I am not what preparation work is needed to be done ? & what the best suitable adhesion procedure to wood ?

How to handle the laser kerf difference to have the best fit ?

I appreciate the assistance .

Regards to all,

Al Mutairi

[Mike Null]

Al

As far as settings are concerned, they vary widely from machine to machine. In your case there is no listing of what you're working with so settings might be a stab in the dark anyway.

When I have done inlays I have found that doing the cutout in layers is preferable to doing it all at once. That seems to help get to the desired depth.

Do a search on inlays and you'll find a number of good tips.

[Bruce Volden]

Al

I hope this is your gun! Inlay is fun and pretty but I first experimented on my guns. The shine (glossy) on the stock is quite often polyurethane and is difficult to match up when disturbed. It also has a "thickness" which affects laser depth of cut/raster. Depending on how complex of a design is going on the stock~make 2~in case you get too deep. We're only talking 1mm thickness. Also the radius of a stock can often throw things off when inlaying ie. the stock may be too high in places (don't sand it down!!!) or the inlay may end up too recessed. But it is a good challenge!

Bruce

[Al Mutairi]

I forgot to mention the specs of the machine I am working with ,,,

Universal , 60 watts , 2" lens ...

[Richard Rumancik]

Al, you might look at the library for books on inlaying for musical instruments (guitars etc) to get some ideas. I recall one artist who tended to use cyanoacrylate for all his mother of pearl inlays but don't take my word for it. He seemed to be using generous amounts as it was used as an adhesive and filler. These books won't tell you about lasering though. If it were me I would be doing a lot of practicing on wooden boxes etc before I tried a gun.

To get the depth you'll need to do some experimentation. Which means you need to estimate settings, engrave, and possibly do multiple passes. I would make sure I had the gun clamped down rigidly though so that you don't bump it between passes. (Clamp the gun to a board and the board to the table?) If you move it, you will be in trouble as you would have a hard time re-aligning it.

If you have a curved surface you might find that you have to focus on the high point, engrave, and then repeat with a focus on the low point. I haven't done this myself but saw it suggested in a magazine recently. That would give you crisper edges around the perimeter.

Practice on flat pieces first . . .

[Mike Null]

Here's a thread which may be helpful.

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.p...hlight=abalone

[Frank Corker]

I used abalone but not in anger, just a test run to see if I could cut it and I could. It's prone to getting a burned edge around it and you need to remember that if you are going for a tight fit.

(I may have my facts wrong here... I was wrong once before and had to eat a hat) Have you ever got a little too close with your fingernail to something extremely hot? Or ever put a fingernail on a soldering iron, well if you haven't don't worry, it's not very rewarding. However when that happens it burns the edges and bubbles it ever so slightly making it raised and leaves a brown crumbly residue on the edges. I believe (this is where the facts are probably wrong) that it's the keratin that is the cause. The abalone and mother of pearl have a similar texture.

Both stink too when burned..... no I mean they really stink bad.

That said, peg attached to the nose and all, the piece that I inlaid into wood looked absolutely fab. The finish was a little dull but it does cover extremely well to a little transparent varnish and only enhances the colour when it's wet. Nature is just such a beautiful thing, I know, I check my mirror every day!!

[Bill Cunningham]

I keep checking my mirror everyday too Frank, but I can't see the real me for some old fart standing in the way

[Frank Corker]

I keep checking my mirror everyday too Frank, but I can't see the real me for some old fart standing in the way

LOL - brilliant