Following the iron brush

A series of close up views showing the process of wire inlay

Demonstrated and written by Ford Hallam




Step 1

Here, I have chiselled a “V” shaped groove into a mild steel plate. I used the corresponding chisel seen in the image. The groove is cut so that the width matches the diameter of the wire I want to inlay. The wire is fine, or pure, silver. The other chisel in this image is a shishiai-bori chisel; it’s useful in this instance for cutting the spiral of steel away cleanly.
The silver wire is annealed and the steel rule in the corner of the image is marked in millimetres to give a sense of scale. There is actually a more efficient technique that would be more appropriate for inlaying wire of this thickness, and particularly for straight lines. I wanted to follow this particular method though, using thicker wire than I’d usually use, so that you’d be better able to see how it works. The other technique I mentioned will be the subject of another tutorial at some time.


Step 2

Now, using a flat chisel, I’m pushing the inner face of the groove vertical. With the chisel at this angle, I placed the tip in the base of the “V” groove and tap the chisel so that it moves down and toward the edge. I’m not really trying to undercut the groove in this instance. Forcing the sides vertical like this also raises a slightly raised edge to the groove. When doing this be careful not to damage the opposite edge of the groove. Once the first side is
completed do the same thing to the other side.


Step 3

With both sides of the groove forced up, and outward, this view shows the wire in position prior to being tapped into the prepared channel. You’ll notice that the wire is slightly wider than the groove. It’s generally better to have too much metal to force into the channel than too little, as that would result in ugly gaps in the finished inlay.
The tool seen here is a flat bottomed punch which I’ll use to work the wire into place. It has a lightly textured face to prevent any unwanted slipping. These punches, used like this, are called narashi-tagane in Japanese workshops. This texture can be applied simply by tapping the face of the punch with a coarse file.


Step 4

I’ve begun to work the silver wire into the channel here. You’ll notice the excess material has spread over the edges of the groove. As I’m tapping the punch down onto the silver it is being forced into all the tiny crevices in the bottom of the channel, there may be a sleight undercut but I’m not relying on that. As I tap down on the silver the raised edges of the steel are also being pushed down and inward. This is what actually holds the wire in place. It is really important that the wire you’re intending to inlay be in its softest state, that way it tends to stick quite well in the first few taps as you gently work the metal in place. It’s important to start from one end and move steadily forward without coming back to rework earlier stages of inlay. If you do that, you’ll spread the silver further and if it has nowhere else to go it will eventually be forced upward and out. When working the silver down and into position it’s a good idea to stop before you begin to touch the steel surface with the punch. If you do accidentally mark the ground you’ll find that it takes a lot of effort to remove the marks when finishing. You’ll also notice that I left the end of the wire untouched, this would be important if you were going to join the end to further inlay, you’d lay the last piece in place and work the two ends in together. As in a border or a circle for instance.


Step 5

Now the wire has been completely worked in and I’ve begun to chisel away the excess silver using the shishiai-bori chisel. You can also see the rough texture on the wire which the flat punch left. You could, of course, use a file to remove the unwanted material at this point but personally I find the chisel to be far more efficient and less likely to rip the wire out. Again, as with the punch work, try to stay just off the iron ground. This will again save lots of unwanted work later.


Step 6

Here you can see that all the excess silver has been chiselled away. You’ll know when you’re getting close to the surface of the steel when you begin to cut into the raised edges of the channel. It’s best to stop at that point. You’ll also notice a few marks at the right hand end of the inlay. Try not to do that!, it just makes for more work later. Inlay like this can be levelled further by using scrapers, I haven’t used any here as their use is really the subject of another tutorial.


Step 7

The completed inlay. I’ve polished the surface level using only a Scotch stone, ( Water of Ayr ).

This is a further sequence of images showing the same procedure as shown previously. This time actually being applied to create a sample plate. I’ll keep the commentary brief as I think the images are for the most part self explanatory now.


The design is first engraved using a “V” shaped chisel, then one of the edges is worked.



One edge done, you can see the opposite edge of the groove is unmarked. These are the tools used so far.



Here, only one edge is complete, now for the other one.



This is brass wire being worked in. Notice the end hasn’t been touched, that will be worked in when the wire is brought all the way round to finish the border.


That’s the brass wire border in place.


This is the fine or pure silver being inlaid. I tend to gently lead the wire along the channel it is to go into.


Here you can see a line that will join another already inlaid, notice how this channel actually cuts into the existing line. This is to ensure that there is no break in the inlay. Elsewhere on this sample I’ve not done this and you can see the difference in the finished plate.


I am now adding in some pure gold but as there is already quite a bit of inlay here I’ve removed the excess silver with a chisel. To make the silver wire that is already inlaid a bit more visible I’ve wiped it with a copper sulphate and salt solution. That’s why the silver is pink now.


Working the gold in, it’s so soft that initially I just push it in place with a hand held punch. Once it’s all in place I secure it with a punch and hammer. That's a regular household pin there, held appropriately enough, in a pin-vice. The fine gold wire is 0.25mm in diameter.


All the inlay is in place and I’m chiselling the excess metal off. It takes years of dedicated practice to get the brass and the steel on either side to peel off like a banana like that.


All the excess is now removed. I’d now go on to use a scraper to further refine the surface but as I’ve not done the tutorial describing their use yet, I'll proceed directly to polishing level with a Scotch, or Water of Ayre stone


This is the plate after 20 minutes of polishing. It’s quite tricky getting it all to show up as it’s so bright.


Another view of the completed sample plate. The flower is just lightly engraved and may form the basis of another tutorial detailing yet another variation on wire inlay.

Oh yeah, I like it this way!

Does anyone has a cigarette for me?

Ford,
First off great tutorial .
Every time I've attempted to do wire inlay in this manner (punching up the sides rather than under cutting the channel) I've always ended up with a rather ragged looking border. Is this due to poor punch controll during the formation of the channel on my part or uneven depression of the walls when securing the wire? Is there some solution to either of these problems?
thanks,
Dustin

hi ford
very well explained and nice round scolls may i suggest to those who havent done any inlay when removeing the excess gold with the flat chisel by makeing a chisel out of hard brass you can strip the gold and silver off with no fear of damageing the metal base and pulling your hair out trying to fix a slight mistake
i hope you dont mind just want to help a bit
chris

Hi Chris,

you can suggest your "alternative" approach by all means. Have you actually tried this method, or in fact this from of inlay though? You may also notice that some of the iron ground is being cut away here also.

Personally, I'd prefer to see the correct approach being applied, as the skills needed are all part of an ongoing development in terms of ability. By encouraging a "safe", less demanding, alternative you miss the opportunity to learn.

These tutorials are not just presented so that people can easily take them "off the shelf" when needed and be applied as some sort of "clip art" decoration. The slow mastery of these processes builds technical skills and a precise understanding that is impossible if difficult steps are avoided.

The classical tradition which I'm presenting is a coherent system that has evolved over more than 1000 years and has given birth to some of the worlds most remarkable metal art. The methods and approach of these artists were not at all simple, nor easy, and any attempt to learn from the past it is sometimes going to entail doing things the hard way to ensure we don't miss something of value. The fact is we can only begin to asses the value of each aspect at the end of the learning process, not at the start.

I may appear a little severe, arrogant even , but, as I've written elsewhere, until you have a thorough understanding of the technique and it's use you really are in no position to "make improvements".

I've written far too much here if this is seen merely as my reaction to your innocent "brass chisel" suggestion, however, my comments are directed towards the whole idea that may be accidentally condoned if I don't make my view clear at this point.

Namaste, Ford

The brass chisel is not compatible with this technique. Even when using gold or silver you still have to cut the base metal to remove the burm that remains slightly raised.

You probably already gathered there is a sensitive issue here that you have brought to the surface unintentionally. The general principle of diluting Japanese techniques with innovation or seemingly good ideas is a sensitive one especially for Ford. In some other technique your suggestion maybe great! In this context though Ford is trying to preserve an accurate picture of how these techniques (as taught to him) were done. They can and have led to some of the greatest metal art on the planet, but if we change everything willy nilly before understanding them completely the techniques become fuzzy and lost. this was bound to come up sooner or later.
Regards,
Patrick

Note from Admin;

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Please bear in mind that not all our members are native English speakers so text lacking basic punctuation or reasonable sentence structure become a real communication issue. The point of the forum is to foster communication, in that, a certain degree of consideration toward your readers is essential, and helps to avoid creating the impression that you are either illiterate, or just plain lazy.

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Hi there Leon,

so? ...it was good for you too, huh?

Great tutorial Ford. I will definitely have to give this a try in the near future.

Thanks for such a detailed write up.

-Donovan

Yes Ford. I'm ready for another.

Fantastic Tutorial Ford !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I am new to this art form it has alot of potential
if applied and mastered in my field.
I will fix my avatar soon some of my work 18k & Silver Bear Claw Necklace
Joe Cera
http://www.ceraswaxes.com

Hi Joe,

good to hear from you, and to know that this is of use to you too. How did you get on with the shakudo?, btw.

Impressive piece of jewellery there, perhaps you might show them in the introduction section where they won't be overlooked. You could also tell a little about yourself and your interests etc. It's always handy to get an idea of the abilities etc of the people we're talking to, if you know what I mean.

regards, Ford

Thanks for you comments Ford.
As for the shakudo well it was fine ,one problem the sword maker I will not
mention names,As excited as I was to venture into this field I got Burned Financially I gave
100% to this and got nothing in return,so i lost intrest. I would love to learn to make sword fittings and your art form,Im just afraid to Ask,I do not like to bother anybody.
Joe Cera