Brass Inlay

Hi John, I use brass inlay occasionally. I prefer to use CA glue (thin) rather than epoxy. Normal tools and abrasives work fine but don't apply too much pressure when sanding. The wood normally will sand faster than the inlay. I haven't encountered any problems.

Bob, Naugatuck Ct.

I epoxied a brass ring to a piece of wood I was turning. The brass cut nicely with a scraper. The only thing was in sanding, the brass (powder from sanding) seemed to smudge the wood a little. Martin

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I have had good results with putting the powder into the void, then adding the thin grade of CA. CA will stain some - usually light colored woods. Test a scrap and if it stains, seal the area around the inlay with Deft, etc. I don't use accelaerator, but imagine that it would be OK to do so

Yes. I usually power sand to 100 or 120, do the inlay and go back to the same grit to smooth it out, the progress to finer grits.

I don't think that I have really had any. Be careful not to make a mountain out of the inlay as getting rid of it might get you into touble with the surrounding area.

Hope this is of some help

Kip Powers Rogers, AR

For inlay purposes you probably would want to avoid using accelerator, because it usually fogs the CA. At least all the accelerators I have used have done it. Letting it air cure will prevent that and keep it crystal clear.

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September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

Earl, I put some solid brass into a turning. The brass will sand fine, it just depends on how fine a grit you go to. You want to go to at least 400. The only problem I had was the brass powder (from sanding) smudging onto the wood. You can get a good finish on the brass using regular turning tools and taking light cuts. The piece I did, I used a scraper for the brass. Martin

John, I use a mixture of two part epoxy and key filings to fill voids. I get 15 minute epoxy from a RC Model shop, and I clean the key machine at Home Depo. I usualy color the epoxy black and use it on mesquite. After the epoxy and color are well mixed I add the filings. If the mixture is to thick or the void to complicated I add a drop or two of alcohol to thin the mixture. I pack the void as well as posible and leave it a little proud. If the void goes through I use a clear plastic packing tape to close the back side. Don't use a duct tape, it will melt. If the void goes through and you don't want color I would color the walls of the void before adding the epoxy. I sand with a disk and the lathe off. Things to watch out for: Mix the epoxy correctly and completely. Use brass flakes not dust. The smaller the particals the duller it will be and it will smuge. Make sure the epoxy is fully set before you start sanding and do not over heat. Hope this helps. Have a Happy Bob Edwards, San Antonio

How do you color the epoxy? I have some old pistol grips that need a screw hole filled in and was thinking of using epoxy - primarily for strength, the new hole will be close to the old, but I really need to color the filler black. Thanks in advance.

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If your grips are wood, I'd use either colored white or polyurethane wood glue mixed with sawdust. You can color with dry pigment. (A little goes a long way.) It'll be more flexible, will bond with the wood better and be less likely to crack with age and the flexing caused by recoil.

Thanks for the info. I was going to inlay a bowl I'm making but decided it would better with a wood inlay so will try the brass on the next bowl. Glad it evidently smooths down enough. I will for sure sand to 600 grit. Earl

What you are talking about is called cold-cast brass. Some epoxies have an acid hardener that reacts with the brass, turning the casting green. You will want to experiment first. Obviously, you will want to use a water-white epoxy. Sometimes a little Cab-O-Sil silca thickener is added to the mix.

Google and you will find things like:

Everything you guys said is true! I asked about inlaying a strip of brass. Tried it on a small bowl about 4" in diamenter. The brass was too thick to bend around and hold. Tried CA and epoxy and neither would hold it in place. Even the expoxy would not hold to the brass. I must have had the wrong kind. Finally cleaned up the groove, went to a key place, got some brass shavings, mixed it with epoxy. It worked great except as someone said, it doesn't shine up well. But I didn't want to try ca glue cause the groove was so deep after cleaning it up, thought it would take too much.

Next time I'll try the ca glue and filings in a very shallow groove.

Thanks for the advice.

Earl