# New to stone inlays



## Desert wood (May 20, 2015)

I have just begun trying to learn how to use crushed stone for some small designs that I've carved into some pieces of wood. I'm very new at this so this and I know that I must be doing something completely wrong. I purchased some stone powder for my inlay and a thin, medium and thick CA glue not knowing which one would suit my project best. The groove that I have to fill is approximately 1/8" wide. I filled the groove with the powder and tried to top it with the medium CA glue and the glue just beads up and rolls off of the powder onto the wood along the edges. I then tried the thin CA glue and got the same results. The glue will not soak into the powder. What am I doing wrong? Is the powder too fine for inlays? Should I be using slightly larger pieces like grains of sand? Thanks in advance for your help!


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

You might try mixing the glue with the stone powder is a seperat vessel before applying to the wood. I can see super glue absorbing too readily into crushed stone. I'd also wager that an epoxy would likely work better than super glue, due to the longer work time


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

I've had that problem using other fine powders but haven't tried crushed stone. Stirring it into epoxy might work but I've found that you can mix too much stuff with epoxy and change it's curing and hardening rate. Whatever you do it's important to do a test on some scrap.
Larger size pieces of crushed stone or other things work well with the CA glue but really fine powders I think need to be mixed or stirred into something. However then you run the problem of creating air bubbles that must be dealt with. On epoxy with a long curing time it's not to problematic. After it's mixed simply spread it out on a piece of glass with a rubber spatula and squash the air bubbles out. then gently put it back into the grooves you cut. Don't know how you would do that with CA.


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## tom brouillette (Jan 15, 2015)

Your "thin" isn't thin. Mine is thinner than water. I actually have more problems with it running than soaking in.

This is a wedding gift I turned for my great-niece.


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

What Tom said. The thin I use has no noticeable surface tension and soaks into powder instantly. Medium will roll off dry powder as you described. If I use ca, I fill the void with the material, wet it with thin, then flood it with medium which will absorb once the powder is wet with thin ca.

I'll check to see what brand I am using. I believe it is labeled "super thin". 

I think a lot of people mix it with epoxy then apply like john said. Epoxy is probably a better material for inlay but I've had good luck using ca too.


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## Desert wood (May 20, 2015)

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I forgot to mention that I did try to premix the powder with the CA glue. The "thin" hardened instantly, and the medium seemed to become too thick to spread. Honestly, I purchased my thin CA at a hardware store so it probably was not ideal for this project. I'll be ordering some super thin and give it another try. Thanks again for your help! I'll let you know how it goes!


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## cuerodoc (Jan 27, 2012)

I use either CA or epoxy--guess it just depends on the day--or sometimes the size of the defect I'm working on.
+ 1 on the thin CA---if you want some fairly decent--ie cheap--thin CA, I happened onto some at Walmart--a pack of 5 tubes for like $1.75--tried it on a whim, now they can't keep enuff on the shelves for me. They work out to just the right amt in the tubes & it's convenient, did I say cheap?


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

Desert wood said:


> Honestly, I purchased my thin CA at a hardware store so it probably was not ideal for this project. I'll be ordering some super thin and give it another try.


 Yes, I've never seen the _really_ thin CA in a hardware store, though I have seen CA glue labeled as "thin" in those places.
If you get the real stuff, like either of these, I think you'll find your problems will vanish.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

I use the super thin CA from *Starbond from CPH International* and I think that it will penetrate anything. They always have a booth at all of the various woodturning symposiums.

Once the inlay material has been wetted with the super thin CA, that can be followed with thicker CA adhesives or wait until it cures and top with something else like Inlace or clear epoxy.

Always do the inlaying before the final turning has been completed because inlaying is always messy and will stain the wood. Allow for turning away at least 1/16" of wood after inlaying. Soomething else that needs to be mentioned is that CA is rather brittle and tends to chip out badly when turning it. That is why I recommend a top fill layer of a clear resin material. Also, epoxy and Inlace sand about the same as wood does so there won't be a hump as a result of sanding. Since CA is hard, it is difficult to get a smooth surface flush with the wood when sanding.


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## tewitt1949 (Nov 26, 2013)

star bond :thumbsup:


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## Desert wood (May 20, 2015)

Thank you so much for all of your helpful suggestions. I found actual thin CA at a hobby store today and gave it a quick try on a piece of scrap wood. Perfect! It soaked right in! So glad to at least get past that step.......I'm sure this will lead to more questions soon. &#55357;&#56842;


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