My First Inlay

[Liesl Dexheimer]

I created my first inlay, came out ok I suppose. Only question I have is how to get rid of the residue from engraving. I could have masked the wood but then I would have to weed the tape out. I tried using 320 grit sandpaper but that didn't really work. Tried both mineral spirits and rubbing alcohol which worked only a little. I tried a little 409 which I know is probably a bad idea but it seemed to work better than the other things I tried but I still have a glow around certain areas? Any other suggestions?

[George M. Perzel]

Hi Liesl;
I am not sure just what your process is or what material you are using. Easiest way is to cut pieces with laser, assemble (glue) on a thin ply backing , let it dry and then sand the whole thing flush. If you are using veneer then cut a very low power/high speed/low PPI to minimize heat/smoke effects and assemble with little or no sanding.
Good luck
george

[Gary Hair]

I use denatured alcohol on wood and it works really well. Use microfiber cloths and you won't leave any paper towel fibers.

Gary

[Liesl Dexheimer]

As far as process is concerned, I raster engraved the scene first (this is where I'm having the problem with residue). I vector cut the veneers without any problem because I masked them prior to cutting.

[Richard Rumancik]

. . . I could have masked the wood but then I would have to weed the tape out. . .

So you made a pocket in the wood base for the people, tree, mountain etc by raster engraving? I'm not sure why you hesitated to mask the base wood. You say that you would have to weed but it doesn't seem like that would have been particularly difficult for this item. In my opinion, trying to remove the tar and residue that comes out of wood with chemicals is next to impossible.

Sounds like you tried to sand before bonding. This is a bit tricky as you could round the edges of the pockets. Your inlays will probably be sunk or raised rather than flush. If you sand it down enough after bonding as suggested by George, then it may disappear, but then you need to ensure the veneer used is thick enough. The option to masking is pre-finishing with urethane or something that will prevent absorption of the residue. You could still sand flush after bonding as George suggests and then refinish the entire item with urethane or other finish.

[Martin Boekers]

I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Endust (Pledge works, but has a bit too much wax or silicon in it).

www.mrclean.com/en_US/magic-eraser.do?gclid=CPPOocei0aYCFULNKgodMwpTIA

Spray a bit on the "eraser" and make a few light passes over the wood, quick and easy!

[Robert Walters]

I use denatured alcohol on wood

I use denatured alcohol on (almost) EVERYTHING! I love that stuff!!!

It's also GREAT to remove the residue that's left on laser table/grid when cutting wood/paper.

[Liesl Dexheimer]

I actually did sand before putting in the inlay but gave up on that because it didn't look like it was working much. In retrospect I wish I had masked before engraving, maybe I will make another one.

I never thought of using endust, I'll try that. I did use denatured alcohol which hasn't worked,

[Bruce Volden]

One thing that came to my mind was-why not shoot a light coat of sealer first?-this would prevent a lot of the smoke being absorbed into the receiving piece of wood. You'll be sanding things flush anyway so the sealer would also be affected by the sanding. Also, there are certain woods that are just plain hard to get away from having the smoke haze present--pine has always been a nemisis for me. HTH

Bruce

[Martin Boekers]

I use Endust on all the wood plaques I engrave!

These are sealed plaques though, I don't deal much with bare wood.

Good stuff!

[Mike Null]

Liesl

I think you have to use a mask or better, sand and put a finish on the wood before engraving to facilitate cleaning. Also cut the inlays form the back side for a better fit.

[Liesl Dexheimer]

It's amazing what a mask can do!179546

[Mike Null]

That's much better.

[Dee Gallo]

Liesl,

That looks so much better! I'm impressed that your first try came out so tight and the cleaner version is even better.

cheers, dee

[Frank Corker]

I agree, much better on the second one.

[Robert Walters]

Seen this, but haven't tried it...

http://www.epiloglaser.com/tl_wood_residue.htm

Mmmmm orangy!!!

[Mike Null]

Looks like a good find, Robert.

[Richard Rumancik]

The Epilog Laser instruction sure looks convincing but I guess I'd have to see it first hand to be entirely convinced. Especially the tar on the outside edge of the engraving. In my experience, if you wet the tar residue down with anything it will turn to a penetrating stain and discolor the wood. Unless of course it is pre-finished or sealed wood. But the orange hand cleaner did a good job on the inside of the graphic as well.

[Robert Farrell]

Here is the first one i did. 179717

[Dee Gallo]

Robert, I love the use of the wood grain - good job! I wish my first one came out as well. And welcome to the forum, too, we look forward to seeing more of your work!

cheers, dee

[Robert Farrell]

Thanks Dee, It was tiger maple veneer on birch

[Frank Corker]

Very nice effect and more than appropriate for your image. Nice job on that Robert, would look great in the middle of a table.

[Mike Null]

Robert

You took a nice piece of art and made it infinitely better with your skillful use of materials.

Thanks for posting.

[Liesl Dexheimer]

Absolutely beautiful job Robert! I'm still trying to get the knack of getting the right depth for the inlay, can be tricky...

[Robert Farrell]

I use my micro-meter to check the depth,more important is the fit,I do an outside contour of .001" for the rastered area 179949

[Mike Null]

I examine the rastered area by eye or, with a magnifying glass if I suspect a problem, then take one of my carving knives (miniature chisel) and remove any high spots.

[John Barton]

We use wet paper sometimes to mask with. It wipes away easily and really stops the residue and smoke buildup.