I do a lot of this. A few warnings are in order. 1st, if this is actual stone, it MUST be inlaid completely below the surface. It is nearly impossible to sand stone enough to lower it flush, at least, without sanding away too much wood inadvertently. (If you use a synthetic stone chip like InLace Granules - no problem - it sands like wood.) 2nd, as was demonstrated in your video, you have to be REALLY CAREFUL using accelerator with thin CA as a little too much generates enough heat to bubble the glue and cause white spots. I move the can further from the surface and start spraying off to the side so I can sweep over the part to be accelerated very quickly. A tiny bit of mist from this stuff is enough to cure the glue within seconds. And rd- if you power sand large areas of CA you're going to get really obnoxious fumes. They will make your eyes burn - can't be good. So do so with a fan over the surface blowing the fumes away from you.
Nice. Want to point out that most superglue will discolor light color wood as it wicks into the endgrain (the grain exposed down in the channel after cutting a channel) leaving a dark unattractive stain alone the grain of the wood near the inlay. To prevent this, apply DEWAXED shellac to the exposed grain inside the channel covering all the end grain. You can apply it with a q-tip or from a spray can, very simple process. Shellac is compatable with most any wood and any finish. Zinsser Bulls Eye in spray or quarts can be bought at any hardware store. Luthiers that superglue bindings into spruce tops know this problem, and simple prevention quite well! Nice video, great technique to add to the tool box.
Suggestion from a woodturner (Thanks Dave!). If one seals the wood area in which the inlay is to take place - for example, I use a 50-50 mix of Zinnser Universal Sanding Sealer and Denatured Alcohol - the CA glue will not stain the area around the inlay, so the finished product looks much better. If the area is sanded, and another application of stone or powder is needed, re-sealing is necessary. Inlaying immediately after sealing works fine - do not have to wait until the sealing mixture fully dries.
Fantastic! I'd recently done some crushed glass inlay into a piece of poplar and ran into this exact problem. I also support the idea of a sealing layer of glue after sanding if you're looking for a dark wood/light inlay contrast, just to keep your stain from seeping through cracks between the small chips you might not be able to see. While that's probably much less noticeable with stone than glass, some porous stones might take the stain, and it's a little heartbreaking to have something like that happen at the end of an in-depth project.
I agree. I’ve learned the hard way about CA staining wood. Currently project I used linseed oil for color and the a wipe on mimwax poly. Now I laying begins.
I just received my order, a twisted stick and 4 medallions, but I have 2 questions for you please. 1. Twisted stick- what's the best way to remove the bark. 2. Medallion- How to inlay my medallion. Thanks. Clifford from Social Circle, Ga.
Hi Clifford. We usually use a knife to remove most of the bark and then a rotary tool (like a Dremel) to remove the bark in the twists. You could also you a sander like our flexible drum sander once most of the bark has been stripped. Here is link. treelineusa.com/flex-drum-sander/ Usually the medallions are glued to the face of the stick, but if you wanted to inlay it into the wood you could trace the outline onto the stick. Next, use a rotary bit to remove material inside your line and then glue in place. Feel free to give us a call for additional help.
Good question. Where you have applied the glue it will not accept stain. It will act like plastic in those areas and not absorb the stain. See the comment below from Dave the Woodturner on how to prep the wood incase the glue spills over or soaks into the surrounding wood. Feel free to give us a call and we can give you more specific information for your project.
Great demo - planning to place an order with you at Treeline, but I'm trying to figure out how much material I need. What size are the bags shown in the demo?
Hey I enjoyed all your videos. I just received my order and was wanting to see if you had a video on inlaying my purple heart into my cane shaft, I'm making for my friend, which is a Vietnam Veteran. Thanks for all your videos, they have been a real help to me.
So easy to do. I do worry about the 'dishing-effect' and the product I'm going to be dong hundreds of logo inlays is semi-finished so I will need to lacquer it again or maybe refinishing the entire piece :-(
Hi Aida. According to the manufacture the cold weather should not hurt the CA glue as long as you are above freezing. The colder it is the thicker the glue. If you use the accelerator (hardener) the glue should set quickly no matter the temperature. I hope that helps, but if you have additional questions please let us know.
How do you suggest getting a carved area to inlay the crushed stone in?? What did you used to carve that line?? Also when I buy the turquoise crushed stone should I get the crushed stone and the powder or is one better than the other to use??
Good questions. Usually a rotary tool (like a Dremel) works great for making the groves. Choosing between the crushed stone and the powered stone really depends on how big of a crack you are working with. If it is a fine crack then only the powder will work, but if your cracks are a little bigger then you could use either. Sometimes people will first fill the void with the crushed stone so they can see the "nuggets" and then backfill with the powder to make sure they fill the voids all the way to the edges. Feel free to give us a call if you have additional questions.
It is similar to crazy glue, but it is very watery thin. Being so thin it allows the glue to soak down through the stone, especially when using the powder inlays.
Thanks for the video. I I have a question though, once the CA glue is dried and I’ve sanded it down, what should I use to finish a walking stick? I was thinking of using wipe on polyurethane...
Hi Alex. Good question. Keeping in mind that the area that has been glued will act much like plastic (not porous and difficult to stain) usually a lacquer based finish would work great for the final top cote. I would recommend practicing on a scrap piece of wood to make sure you like the results.
@@treelineusa for something where a dark stain was going to be used would you recommend at least one layer of stain before doing this and then another after? I am planning to do this on a muzzleloader build (just assembling a kit, nothing overly special), and want the wood to be almost black so plan on using a black stain powder mixed with water (I live in the desert and don’t have to worry about humidity staying in the wood), then a slight burn, then do the inlay work, then restain if necessary, then protect the wood with a mixture of turpentine, pine tar and walnut oil (similar to what the American cod fleet used to protect the dories)... even without the stain and burning the pine tar mixture leaves wood dark, protected from the weather, and doesn’t slip through the hands when wet; all important since I spend part of the year at my property in S.E. Alaska where I use my black powder weapons for hunting....
@@Rick_Sanchez_C137_ Hi Rick. If the glue spills outside the inlay area it will make the wood almost like plastic and will not absorb stain. Here is a comment from another viewer that we have found to help on projects you plan to stain. If one seals the wood area in which the inlay is to take place - for example, I use a 50-50 mix of Zinnser Universal Sanding Sealer and Denatured Alcohol - the CA glue will not stain the area around the inlay, so the finished product looks much better. If the area is sanded, and another application of stone or powder is needed, re-sealing is necessary. Inlaying immediately after sealing works fine - do not have to wait until the sealing mixture fully dries.
hi , I honestly am working on my 1st project out of logs given the fact I might be able to save a few trees if I succeed in the challenge of making centerpieces out of logs , which came because I protested against the fact that many trees went down and simply said " you people have no idea what beautifull things are made out of wood ! " , given the fact I said so , I am now the one who has to prove it but without EPOXY nor other things , so I was asking myself that I could find someone here to help me out with " how to do an inlay from sand without epoxy " , would woodglue be fine ??? do I have to paint it ? thx , subscribed anyway
Hi Vicky. I hope you enjoy this new venture! Wood glue might be a little tricky to use. Most people will use a thin (or watery) super glue (also called CA glue) and it seems to work great.
Hi Michael. We sell it right here at our store. Here is a direct link to our site. www.treelineusa.com/inlay-materials Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
Super glue comes in different thicknesses (viscosities). To be able to soak through the crushed and powered stone, the glue needs to be almost like water thin. If you try something different than the Hot Stuff Original, I would recommend to make sure it is water thin as well.
Great video... glad I found it. Maybe a dumb question but I have a pine dining table with a clear lacquer finish that I'd like to add turquoise to. Is it possible to add the inlay without having to sand and refinish the entire table top?
Hmmm....It's necessary to sand to keep things level, esp since the piece will be balancing glasses etc but if you're not planning on changing the final finish of the table you could technically sand soley over the inlaid design then treat with the same clear coat you currently have on the table to finish it off. In theory, the sanding would just disappear within the existing finish once coating over the inlay making sure to blend it gently with a brush or sponge. Of course, this will depend on the type of finish (thickness) you've got on it now. Resin is also a good alternative. It's self leveling and could be poured overtop the entire table, though, if you don't have much experience with resin it might be more trouble than it's worth since resin can be very unforgiving if not handled properly. If you go the resin route DEFINITELY try a few small sample pieces (you wouldn't have to do an inlay for the samples) to get a feel for mixing, curing, & pouring capability. I'd still recommend sanding after the design is inlaid prior to adding resin & again, your existing finish may react with the resin so check for that too. Honestly it's worth it to refinish the whole table imo. It will look a lot better if you do & there is WAY less chance to royally screw it up (which I've done countless times looking for shortcuts in my 35 years of artistic endeavors) haha! For reference, I'm a jewelry designer/jack of most arts & am looking to broaden the use of natural materials.... so, I'm kinda-sorta legit to listen to in terms of design elements I suppose? Take it for what it's worth lol! Good luck on your table!
@@The_Salty_Siren I second the motion. Lol I was literally going to say that it's most likely best to refinish the entire table top. It's a lot more work trying to be careful in a specific area, then to make sure the chemicals you use wont react with the present finish etc and then to carefully sand down the inlay and make it blend in the best you can. The reason I say this, is because I tried to do it and ended up having to just sand down and refinish the entire thing anyway.lol and I too have a bit of experience, (not trying to point it out to boast) so, it wasn't a beginner's mistake. It was just me being impatient at the time out of excitement. Lol it would seriously, actually be quicker to do the whole thing in one go than to tip toe around every single step of the process. Lol
You definitely could stain and seal the wood first and that would help with the possible running of the glue. Because you usually sand when you are finished it may negatively affect how the stained are looks after sanding. Certainly test on a scrap piece first.
I do a lot of this. A few warnings are in order. 1st, if this is actual stone, it MUST be inlaid completely below the surface. It is nearly impossible to sand stone enough to lower it flush, at least, without sanding away too much wood inadvertently. (If you use a synthetic stone chip like InLace Granules - no problem - it sands like wood.) 2nd, as was demonstrated in your video, you have to be REALLY CAREFUL using accelerator with thin CA as a little too much generates enough heat to bubble the glue and cause white spots. I move the can further from the surface and start spraying off to the side so I can sweep over the part to be accelerated very quickly. A tiny bit of mist from this stuff is enough to cure the glue within seconds. And rd- if you power sand large areas of CA you're going to get really obnoxious fumes. They will make your eyes burn - can't be good. So do so with a fan over the surface blowing the fumes away from you.
Great points, thanks.
Not all heroes wear capes
Nice. Want to point out that most superglue will discolor light color wood as it wicks into the endgrain (the grain exposed down in the channel after cutting a channel) leaving a dark unattractive stain alone the grain of the wood near the inlay. To prevent this, apply DEWAXED shellac to the exposed grain inside the channel covering all the end grain. You can apply it with a q-tip or from a spray can, very simple process. Shellac is compatable with most any wood and any finish. Zinsser Bulls Eye in spray or quarts can be bought at any hardware store. Luthiers that superglue bindings into spruce tops know this problem, and simple prevention quite well! Nice video, great technique to add to the tool box.
Thank you! Excellent tip!
Suggestion from a woodturner (Thanks Dave!). If one seals the wood area in which the inlay is to take place - for example, I use a 50-50 mix of Zinnser Universal Sanding Sealer and Denatured Alcohol - the CA glue will not stain the area around the inlay, so the finished product looks much better. If the area is sanded, and another application of stone or powder is needed, re-sealing is necessary. Inlaying immediately after sealing works fine - do not have to wait until the sealing mixture fully dries.
Fantastic! I'd recently done some crushed glass inlay into a piece of poplar and ran into this exact problem. I also support the idea of a sealing layer of glue after sanding if you're looking for a dark wood/light inlay contrast, just to keep your stain from seeping through cracks between the small chips you might not be able to see. While that's probably much less noticeable with stone than glass, some porous stones might take the stain, and it's a little heartbreaking to have something like that happen at the end of an in-depth project.
+William Hall awesome information from you two, thanks👍
Thanks for that!
Treeline ; you give me good ideas for inlay my guitar thanks !!!!!!!!
I agree. I’ve learned the hard way about CA staining wood. Currently project I used linseed oil for color and the a wipe on mimwax poly. Now I laying begins.
A beautiful clear explanation, thanks.
Use a sanding block to keep the wood level.
That is freaking awesome. Thank you for the video. You gave me some ideas now.
Amazing!!!
Great demo, thanks
Great tutorial
This is awesome!!!
Very nice and simple, thanks
I just received my order, a twisted stick and 4 medallions, but I have 2 questions for you please.
1. Twisted stick- what's the best way to remove the bark.
2. Medallion- How to inlay my medallion.
Thanks. Clifford from Social Circle, Ga.
Hi Clifford. We usually use a knife to remove most of the bark and then a rotary tool (like a Dremel) to remove the bark in the twists. You could also you a sander like our flexible drum sander once most of the bark has been stripped. Here is link. treelineusa.com/flex-drum-sander/
Usually the medallions are glued to the face of the stick, but if you wanted to inlay it into the wood you could trace the outline onto the stick. Next, use a rotary bit to remove material inside your line and then glue in place.
Feel free to give us a call for additional help.
Hello PJ, I have purchased your crushed and powder stone and wonder if I can stain the project piece
(Cypress wood), over the stone?
Good question. Where you have applied the glue it will not accept stain. It will act like plastic in those areas and not absorb the stain. See the comment below from Dave the Woodturner on how to prep the wood incase the glue spills over or soaks into the surrounding wood. Feel free to give us a call and we can give you more specific information for your project.
Great demo - planning to place an order with you at Treeline, but I'm trying to figure out how much material I need. What size are the bags shown in the demo?
Hi John - The bags shown in the video are 1 oz bags. Please let us know how we can help!
Hey I enjoyed all your videos. I just received my order and was wanting to see if you had a video on inlaying my purple heart into my cane shaft, I'm making for my friend, which is a Vietnam Veteran. Thanks for all your videos, they have been a real help to me.
So easy to do. I do worry about the 'dishing-effect' and the product I'm going to be dong hundreds of logo inlays is semi-finished so I will need to lacquer it again or maybe refinishing the entire piece :-(
Hi. I wanted to ask what viscosity works best for this type of project. Thin, medium or thick
Usually the thin works best so it can soak through the material.
what ie the lower temperature thet we can work with CA glue? Thanks AIDA.
Hi Aida. According to the manufacture the cold weather should not hurt the CA glue as long as you are above freezing. The colder it is the thicker the glue. If you use the accelerator (hardener) the glue should set quickly no matter the temperature. I hope that helps, but if you have additional questions please let us know.
How do you suggest getting a carved area to inlay the crushed stone in?? What did you used to carve that line?? Also when I buy the turquoise crushed stone should I get the crushed stone and the powder or is one better than the other to use??
Good questions. Usually a rotary tool (like a Dremel) works great for making the groves. Choosing between the crushed stone and the powered stone really depends on how big of a crack you are working with. If it is a fine crack then only the powder will work, but if your cracks are a little bigger then you could use either. Sometimes people will first fill the void with the crushed stone so they can see the "nuggets" and then backfill with the powder to make sure they fill the voids all the way to the edges. Feel free to give us a call if you have additional questions.
Is that glue like crazy glue?
It is similar to crazy glue, but it is very watery thin. Being so thin it allows the glue to soak down through the stone, especially when using the powder inlays.
Thanks for the video. I I have a question though, once the CA glue is dried and I’ve sanded it down, what should I use to finish a walking stick? I was thinking of using wipe on polyurethane...
Hi Alex. Good question. Keeping in mind that the area that has been glued will act much like plastic (not porous and difficult to stain) usually a lacquer based finish would work great for the final top cote. I would recommend practicing on a scrap piece of wood to make sure you like the results.
@@treelineusa
for something where a dark stain was going to be used would you recommend at least one layer of stain before doing this and then another after?
I am planning to do this on a muzzleloader build (just assembling a kit, nothing overly special), and want the wood to be almost black so plan on using a black stain powder mixed with water (I live in the desert and don’t have to worry about humidity staying in the wood), then a slight burn, then do the inlay work, then restain if necessary, then protect the wood with a mixture of turpentine, pine tar and walnut oil (similar to what the American cod fleet used to protect the dories)... even without the stain and burning the pine tar mixture leaves wood dark, protected from the weather, and doesn’t slip through the hands when wet; all important since I spend part of the year at my property in S.E. Alaska where I use my black powder weapons for hunting....
@@Rick_Sanchez_C137_ Hi Rick. If the glue spills outside the inlay area it will make the wood almost like plastic and will not absorb stain. Here is a comment from another viewer that we have found to help on projects you plan to stain.
If one seals the wood area in which the inlay is to take place - for example, I use a 50-50 mix of Zinnser Universal Sanding Sealer and Denatured Alcohol - the CA glue will not stain the area around the inlay, so the finished product looks much better. If the area is sanded, and another application of stone or powder is needed, re-sealing is necessary. Inlaying immediately after sealing works fine - do not have to wait until the sealing mixture fully dries.
Where do you get your crushed stone?
We sell it right here at www.treelineusa.com
hi , I honestly am working on my 1st project out of logs given the fact I might be able to save a few trees if I succeed in the challenge of making centerpieces out of logs , which came because I protested against the fact that many trees went down and simply said " you people have no idea what beautifull things are made out of wood ! " , given the fact I said so , I am now the one who has to prove it but without EPOXY nor other things , so I was asking myself that I could find someone here to help me out with " how to do an inlay from sand without epoxy " , would woodglue be fine ??? do I have to paint it ? thx , subscribed anyway
Hi Vicky. I hope you enjoy this new venture! Wood glue might be a little tricky to use. Most people will use a thin (or watery) super glue (also called CA glue) and it seems to work great.
can you tell me where you bought your stone power
Hi Michael. We sell it right here at our store. Here is a direct link to our site. www.treelineusa.com/inlay-materials Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
Can you use super glue
Super glue comes in different thicknesses (viscosities). To be able to soak through the crushed and powered stone, the glue needs to be almost like water thin. If you try something different than the Hot Stuff Original, I would recommend to make sure it is water thin as well.
@@treelineusa thanks
Thank You
Great video... glad I found it. Maybe a dumb question but I have a pine dining table with a clear lacquer finish that I'd like to add turquoise to. Is it possible to add the inlay without having to sand and refinish the entire table top?
Hmmm....It's necessary to sand to keep things level, esp since the piece will be balancing glasses etc but if you're not planning on changing the final finish of the table you could technically sand soley over the inlaid design then treat with the same clear coat you currently have on the table to finish it off. In theory, the sanding would just disappear within the existing finish once coating over the inlay making sure to blend it gently with a brush or sponge. Of course, this will depend on the type of finish (thickness) you've got on it now. Resin is also a good alternative. It's self leveling and could be poured overtop the entire table, though, if you don't have much experience with resin it might be more trouble than it's worth since resin can be very unforgiving if not handled properly. If you go the resin route DEFINITELY try a few small sample pieces (you wouldn't have to do an inlay for the samples) to get a feel for mixing, curing, & pouring capability. I'd still recommend sanding after the design is inlaid prior to adding resin & again, your existing finish may react with the resin so check for that too. Honestly it's worth it to refinish the whole table imo. It will look a lot better if you do & there is WAY less chance to royally screw it up (which I've done countless times looking for shortcuts in my 35 years of artistic endeavors) haha!
For reference, I'm a jewelry designer/jack of most arts & am looking to broaden the use of natural materials.... so, I'm kinda-sorta legit to listen to in terms of design elements I suppose? Take it for what it's worth lol!
Good luck on your table!
@@The_Salty_Siren I second the motion. Lol I was literally going to say that it's most likely best to refinish the entire table top. It's a lot more work trying to be careful in a specific area, then to make sure the chemicals you use wont react with the present finish etc and then to carefully sand down the inlay and make it blend in the best you can. The reason I say this, is because I tried to do it and ended up having to just sand down and refinish the entire thing anyway.lol and I too have a bit of experience, (not trying to point it out to boast) so, it wasn't a beginner's mistake. It was just me being impatient at the time out of excitement. Lol it would seriously, actually be quicker to do the whole thing in one go than to tip toe around every single step of the process. Lol
Why not stain it first?
You definitely could stain and seal the wood first and that would help with the possible running of the glue. Because you usually sand when you are finished it may negatively affect how the stained are looks after sanding. Certainly test on a scrap piece first.