Inlaid Steel Thingies

I'M NOT DEAD
Sorry about the long absence, but there were exams and stuff to deal with, then I didn't make much of anything i felt the need to post for a while, but yesterday, while playing around, I found the answer to a problem that’s been weighing on my mind for a while: Inlaying.
I’ve never really been clear on how its done, and no one wanted to tell me, so I had to work it out for myself.
These little steel things are easy enough to make, as long as you’ve got the heat, so let's begin.

Step 1: Cut the Steel to size.

For a moderately-sized thingie, you should use a piece of steel about 1 inch long by 3/4 of an inch wide by 1/8 of an inch thick. This’ll give a nice bit of room to decorate it without being too big to heat properly. Cut the steel from the bar ans clamp it in a vise.

Comments

[wyvernflight]

Another way of doing the inlays is to use scribes and such to undercut the metal, making a trapezoid like hole and hammering (lightly tapping to slightly bend the softer inlay metal) inlays in. This is done remarkably well with copper based alloys that change weird colors when heated like you have done or with inlays made of wire. Try to use a small chisel to indent the metal for small lines and then undercut. Some metal combinations need heat, either like what you have done above where the whole piece is heated and then hammered, or just a torch to heat the inlay material so it stays soft.

[nepheron]

erm....where do u live?? why are there a bunch of comunist children around!!! AGGHHH

[Vendigroth]

england, nr. liverpool i gave just one thingie away, then the whole bloody street came and wanted one! i think the unofficial motto is "all for one, one for all, and none for the person who makes them!"

[BARBARIANROCKER]

may i ask if you ever used nickel shavings? if so how did it turn out?

[Vendigroth]

I've never used nickel for this, but i imagine it'd stick well to the steel and make very shiny silver dots. Something to look out for, though is the fact that nickel has a rather high melting point..

[nepheron]

ok ..something bothered me about you living near liverpool...but i couldn't put my finger on it... than it hit while reading a book from my favorite author.... Brian Jacques!!! BRAIN LIVES in liverpool. so....if you see him tell him a fan from the u.s. says not to die soon and keep writing :)

[Vendigroth]

the chances of me seeing him are infintessimal... but if i do, i will.

[nepheron]

oh, and tell Brian Jacques that i couldn't find "Red wall abbey" in any American phone books so i assume its in england...

[callmeshane]

If there are too many children, simply sacrifice them. Sacrificing children to the Mountain Fire Gods is necessary. They demand it.

[Vendigroth]

I know, but there's just soooo many fire gods, and they're all so cool, i couldn't choose one over any of the others.

[Bright Shadow]

I have a hobby of making things out of wire (like scorpions,dolphins,ladybugs, etc.), gave one to a second-grader at my school, and like you said, TEN THOUSAND* COMMUNIST CHILDREN WERE SCREAMING AND FORCING ME TO MAKE THEM SOME FLIPPIN' SCORPIONS!!!1

*rough estimate

[nepheron]

great!

[Leon Close]

Instead of using the bluing solution, what about reheating to get some pretty coloured patina happening on the steel? On a bigger piece you could get some variety by applying local heat with a torch or a piece of hot metal.

[Vendigroth]

i reckon blue tempering colours'd look nice with sterling. i considered it, but bluing seemed more permanent and easy. 's a nice idea...

[KentsOkay]

Cool man, good to know you aren't dead.

[nepheron]

ya lol

[stevoIution]

Can you add a closer close-up?

[Vendigroth]

macro mode's a challenge for me, but i'll give it a go later.

[stevoIution]

I'll just save it and zoom in on the pixelated goodness

[ironsmiter]

are you really after the look of Mokume?

http://www.mokume-gane.com/Pages/What_is_Mokume.html

a very simmilar look is achievable using 2-3 layers of nickle and brass.
tempature control is stricter than your method(which is "technically" fill soldering)

a bit of borax(sometimes still available in the detergent asle of the grocery store) or other flux should make the silver "stick" better for you.

[Vendigroth]

yup. i thought i might make some mokume out of a stack of coins, but i'm not sure of the process, temperature range, etc.

[jtobako]

Two ways of doing mokume-forge welding or soldering. Forge welding has a more critical temp depending on the metal. Soldering should be done with silver solder (jewelers or welders, not plumbers). If the steel is undercut slightly, the copper can be hammered into the hole.

[Austringer]

In "The Complete Metalsmith" by Tim McCreight he gives a brief description of how to do Mokume-gane. He describes putting sheets of copper, silver and/or gold which have been cleaned with pumice (and surprisingly, not fluxed) between two steel plates which are tightly bolted together. You put this in a forge, heat it until the metals you are fusing start to have a sweaty look, then pull it out, give it a few quick taps, and take it out of the steel clampy thing. He talks about the inlay method you describe, Jtobako, and just about ever other technique that jewelers use. A fun little book.

[Pat Sowers]

Nice when I can start forging I should try this. I am thinking of taking a black smiting class when I go to collage.

[bleachworthy]

Wow, good job! you could really make this shine well if you had a milling machine. now i have to make something to do this with... I'm thinking a wooden box of some sort, with a piece of inlaid steel on the top. I think I might use my grandpa's CNC mill, and do this. I'll post it when I'm done, wish me luck!

[Weissensteinburg]

You get a + from me, just because the first line of this instructable was "I'M NOT DEAD" *seriously thinks about leaving for a while, just so I can say that*

[frollard]

That is a pretty neat process. Would an map gas torch be sufficient to melt the alloys? I don't have a blast furnace.

[Vendigroth]

MAPP'd be a better choice, because its got more energy per unit of mass. Also, to make the most of your heat, you can make a sort of cave around the piece in any heat-resistant material, so the heat doesn't wander off.