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Thread: Turquoise Inlay

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    lufkin tx
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    2,054
    Wally knows his rocks. Real turquois is quite soft and cuts with a sharp detail gouge and power sands flat--only if you use epoxy which is 4 times easier to cut than CA. It doesn't tend to stand up proud like CA. I work the stuff down with cheap HF air grinders and 180--300 grit discs. Epoxy also does not stain light colored wood like CA is famous for. For a contrast try black dyed epoxy/turquois paste for repairs. When sanded down it's different. A fine cut file works well on curved surfaces.
    Last edited by robert baccus; 02-12-2014 at 11:02 PM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Garrison ND
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    28
    Does your epoxy stain your wood like c a

  3. #18
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    Dec 2012
    Location
    Brenham, Tx
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    109
    Thank you for all of your responses.

    RP

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Shawnee. Oklahoma
    Posts
    52
    If I am using ca I will first coat the area with sanding sealer to prvent the ca from staining the wood.
    SAM

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Little Hocking, OH
    Posts
    676
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Kent View Post
    And your current source for turquoise is…?

    To rebirth the thread. Just getting in to inlaying, I think. Best place to buy turquoise these days? I don't mind pounding it myself, unless there is a cheap crushed alternative. Not a turner, just wanting to use it on other things.

    Thanks

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Southwest Louisiana
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    155
    I get my turquoise on eBay, mostly coming from China, not that expensive with free shipping. But you have to crush it.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Little Hocking, OH
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    676
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Nix View Post
    I get my turquoise on eBay, mostly coming from China, not that expensive with free shipping. But you have to crush it.
    Since I'm not a turquoise expert, is there any difference between turquoise from China and turquoise from other countries. I'm assuming the stuff I'm seeing on ebay is genuine? China prices look too good to be true.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    San Diego, Ca
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    1,647
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark W Pugh View Post
    To rebirth the thread. Just getting in to inlaying, I think. Best place to buy turquoise these days? I don't mind pounding it myself, unless there is a cheap crushed alternative. Not a turner, just wanting to use it on other things.

    Thanks
    I've looked on eBay and found companies selling various grits or mixtures of powdered turquoise. Search with words like turquoise inlay under the crafts section. You will also find reference to Inlace (a trade name). In fact Rockler and Craft Supplies sells Inlace. Last fall I bought a bunch of turquoise colored rocks at a rock/gem store. They were dyed and are a rock slightly softer than real turquoise. When I smashed some, the result looked pretty good and I thought that the slightly softer stone would sand more easily. But I haven't finished a project yet.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    lufkin tx
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    2,054
    I have seen several methods of crushing turquoise which can be complicated or slow. I buy the cheapest blender I can find and throw in a couple of ounces. Shaking the blender helps a lot. You get dust to small rocks but a few sifters sort it out for your various uses.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    lufkin tx
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    2,054
    Try a cheap blender and several screen filters to sort out the sizes it produces.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    TX, NM or on the road
    Posts
    845
    I use the real turquoise, but I found that turquoise Inlace form Craft Supplies works easier than the real stuff. For the real turquoise I got mine from Gilmer Rock Shop, found them on eBay.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Mountain Home, AR
    Posts
    547
    I use natural turquoise from gem and mineral shows or my own collection and crush it with a hammer. Sometimes it will contain pyrite which adds to the natural look of the inlace, but it sands plum awful and will leave black streaks on the piece. I use a Thompson gouge to turn it down flush and they do fine. My BB gouge dulls almost immediately and just won't cut it. One thing to remember is that leveling crushed stone isn't like cutting solid stone - crushed stone will cut easier than you think with quality steel. You're cutting the adhesive as much as you're cutting stone. As far as CA vs epoxy, I don't think CA cures much or any harder than CA glue. Maybe it does, but certainly not as hard as the crushed stone you're bonding with it.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Pendleton, KY
    Posts
    803
    I use an old coffee grinder. Throw in a handfull and grind for a few seconds. I repurpose old rattle can lacquer lids by drilling progressively smaller holes into different lids and use them to sift out various sizes of stone to use for inlay.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Green Valley, Az.
    Posts
    1,202
    Craft Supply If you want a large supply, the gem show in Tucson is a good source. It is in February each year.
    Last edited by Wally Dickerman; 02-22-2016 at 8:52 PM.

  15. #30
    Delighted that you are posting again ,take good care of yourself.

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