Inlay turquiose

[raftert]

Has any one inlayed turquiose or coral in there tooling?

Tim

[gtwister09]

Tim,

No I haven't but I have seen some done. Check out these by Jerry Tucker. Jerry Tucker Bracelets

Regards,

Ben

[Tina]

I have experimented some with inlays of resin. It aktually works good but one have to use very small moves doing it:-)

[tazzmann]

I have inlaid gemstones into knife sheaths before. I use a three layer approach. The bottom layer, the middle layer that has a cutout of the EXACT size of the stone and then a top layer that has a cutout slightly smaller than the stone which "holds" it in place. The middle layer keeps the stone from moving around better. Sometimes the stone needs shaping to help it fit correctly in the leather and to make it a little more pleasing to the eye.

[whinewine]

If you're going to do turquoise in leather in some sort of a flexible setting, like a bracelet, (because turquoise tends to be a soft stone with variable hardnesses within the stone itself) it is suggested that you epoxy a stiff backing to the stone itself if you're using a flat, thin stone. In a jewelry setting, like a bracelet, the metal itself provides the rigidity... a leather bracelet by itself is too flexible to provide rigidity for a thin stone.

[DCKNIVES]

It's been awhile but like Tazzman, I did mine in a sheath.Dave

[Luke Hatley]

the way d c knives did the turquoise i did a lot of wrist bands , leather coversd belt buckles and also belts, back in the 60's

and 70's.........some times i really miss thoes days.......as far as the crafting days. "I wish i knew then what i know now".

[raftert]

It's been awhile but like Tazzman, I did mine in a sheath.Dave

Dave,

What kind resin do you use for the inlay on your sheath. Very clean and nice work.

Your knife work is outstanding.

Thank You,

Tim

[DCKNIVES]

Thanks for the kind words Tim. Not sure what you mean by resin for the inlay.The turquoise I use is a reconstituted product.Basically they take stones like turquoise and lapis, to name a few and mix them with a polyester resin. this allows my to machine it without the use of lapidary equipment.It is available from most knifemaking supply companies.As far as the inlay no glues , epoxies or resins were used.I glue the sheath up like normal without the collar and insert the knife.I then took the turquoise piece and shaped the back to match the contour of the sheath, using my Dremel. I then ground the sides leaving a lip at the base and a taper on the sides. After polishing, using sandpaper and a buffer, I then make the collar cutting a hole just a little larger than the top of the inlaid piece. It is then dampened and I insert the piece into the collar and wrap the collar around the sheath gluing only near the stitch lines, then stitch up sheath.This allows it to float somewhat and reduces breakageand popouts. I hope somewhere in here I answered your question. Good luck my friend. Dave