Adding Inlay to Woodturnings

Craig Timmerman [email protected] www.armadillowoodworks.com

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE

Working with wood that has cracks or other defects is inherently dangerous. Even small bits of wood flying off the lathe can be extremely dangerous, especially if the proper safety techniques and gear are not used. All wood is not the same. What may work with one species may result in catastrophic failure in others. Be VERY careful when working with any wood that has a defect, be it a crack, bark inclusion, hole, etc. Understand the risks and protect yourself from injury. Just because something works with one piece or species of wood, do NOT assume it will work on another. Just because something works for one woodturner, do NOT assume it will work for you. REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS). Background

 Been filling defects in wood for the majority of my woodturning career.  Primarily done with mesquite o Find out rather quickly that if you can’t find a way to “use” the defects in mesquite, you might as well use a different wood as mesquite always has some kind of defect o Two most common: cracks and bug holes  Inlay highlights the natural defects  Inlay material o Crushed turquoise is my most commonly used inlay material, both real and man-made o Crushed malachite and a other crushed stone/minerals o Crushed, man-made coral o Colored powers o Wood dust o Metal powders  I only inlay natural defects, but general process also works for man-made designs as well, and there are far less safety concerns These Inlay Techniques are Not for Everyone

 Don’t attempt these techniques if: o Sanding is something you absolutely abhor o You hate to buy sandpaper, hate using 80 grit sandpaper, you try to use sandpaper until there is absolutely nothing left of the grit on it o You don’t have a power sander (a.k.a. a drill, preferable a right angle drill) . And you think a power sander should last a lifetime o You don’t have good sandpaper, i.e., the backing comes off when you sand (see suppliers reference section) o You don’t have a dust collector and personal dust protection o You don’t like spending lots of money on adhesives

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

 For more details on where you can get these, see the Resources Addendum  Rotary tool, e.g. a Dremel tool, that can run at least up to 25000 rpm. o Does not need to be a Dremel. I’ve had Harbor Freight rotary tools last just as long o Micro air die grinders work well too and get into tighter quarters  Angle drill, sanding mandrels for sanding, sandpaper o Good quality disc sandpaper, you will need 80 grit and up  Air compressor for blowing away dust  Various cutting bits – highly recommend getting the first three o RotaryChisel.com – CT101B cutter o Dremel 9909 – triangle carbide cutter o Dremel 194 – 1/8” high speed cutter o Dremel 115 – 5/16” high speed cutter o Dremel 193 – 1/16” high speed cutter o Various ball cutters – these are great for cleaning out bug holes  West System Epoxy and fillers – gluing structural cracks o 105 Resin, 205 fast hardener o 407 low density faring filler o 410 microlight faring filler o G/Flex 650 epoxy  Bond Optic epoxy – inlay bonding medium  Digital scale for measuring Bond Optic o Needs to read to hundredths of a gram  CA glue – inlay boding medium  Inlay material of your choice Background

 As in many things, the success is based on careful preparation. There are many steps to my inlay process, the actual inlay is really only a small part of the process.  These notes focus on doing inlay in mesquite. Other woods require all of the same steps as mesquite, plus extra considerations. The extra considerations for non-mesquite wood will be talked about in separate section. o Mesquite is one of the few dimensionally stable woods in the world. This makes it ideal for inlay work as mesquite moves very little as is dries and the movement is almost identical in all directions o This means the inlay is less likely to “pop” or come out  Mesquite naturally has cracks in the center of the log/branch. o Typically, these will not get any worse unless you keep the wood in log form o Once in blank form (split log in two), a few more might develop as the blank dries, but if you coat the end- grain with something like Anchorseal, you will minimize any new cracks o These cracks are the primary things I am filling with inlay.  Unlike other woods, when I split a mesquite log into two blanks, I cut straight through the middle of the log o All other woods, I cut out the pith o You can cut out the pith of mesquite if you want, but you don’t have to.  Cut the blank into circle/bowl shape on bandsaw  Remove as much of the bark as possible to avoid it flying off when you turn (YARFYOS)

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

 Before mounting on lathe inspect blank for ALL defects, especially looking for: o Bark inclusions – there is no structural strength in a bark inclusion o Cracks with any gaps – even the slightest gap in the crack is a potential failure point o Cracks that connect to another crack – this is a sign that the piece of wood between the two cracks is a potential failure point o Structural cracks – cracks running 1/2 or more around a blank . Cracks that run all the way around a blank are big red flag! o Small branch locations – these typically will look solid, but they can have a small amount of bark around them and therefore have the tendency to fall out o Holes of any kind can be weak spots in the wood, especially as the blank is hollowed out  If any defects scares or worries you, move on to a different piece of wood (YARFYOS) Blank preparation: secure defects

 NOTE: I my opinion/experience, CA glue is not a structural glue. Do NOT assume that CA glue will hold any crack safely while you turn on a piece of significant size. (YARFYOS)  All of the above defects should be secured before mounting on lathe o Bark inclusion . Remove ALL of the bark-you MUST get to solid wood-gluing to bark still leaves a weak spot . Fill gap with West System epoxy and 407/410 filler (see addendum on mixing West System epoxy) o Cracks with gaps . If gap is not wide enough to accept epoxy, make bigger using rotary tool and various bits . Fill gap with West System epoxy and 407 filler o Connecting cracks . If solid crack (no gaps) might get by with using some thin CA glue to stabilize, just remember that CA glue is not a structural glue. If there are any gaps in crack, thin CA does no good. . If any question of instability, cut into crack using rotary tool and cutter bits (Rotary Chisel cutter works well here) and fill gap with West System epoxy and 407 filler o Structural cracks . Test to see if piece wants to split at crack – try prying apart with screwdriver or something similar  If any movement/give at all, move on to different piece . If crack appears sound and doesn’t go all the way around, open up crack and fill gap with West System epoxy and 407 filler o Small branches . How solid this are depends on how dry the wood is  If greener wood, a little thin CA should stabilize these, but they will need inlay fill around them later . If dry, cut the bark away from round the branch and fill gap with West System epoxy and 407 filler o Holes . If bug hole, clean out and fill with West System epoxy and 410 filler  Openings in bug holes are deceiving, many have to be opened up and made longer  You don’t have to fill these now, can be done prior to putting in inlay . If some other hole, clean out to solid wood and fill with West System epoxy and 407/410 filler  Glue does not stick to dirt!  See section on using West Systems epoxy-deep holes need to be filled in layers

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

Mount on lathe and turn outside shape

 If you normally turn at high speeds, turn wood with defects at a slower speed  Stay out of the line of fire  Always wear your safety gear, especially eye and face protection  NOTE: All defects MUST be tracked throughout turning process (YARFYOS) o Check to see of any crack is getting bigger o On filled defects – if you don’t get epoxy deep enough, you may turn it away, and the instability is again revealed and must be corrected again.  Once outside is shaped, go through defect identification and securing process again Turn inside shape

 NOTE: As you remove material from the inside, tension is released in the wood and can cause the defects to change o While this is important in mesquite, it is even more important in other woods where movement can be greater  These are not pieces that you try to impress others by showing how thin you can turn something.  Keep a good wall thickness o Any epoxied crack needs a glue surface to hold it together  As you make the piece thinner, stop and check any defect you secured and make sure it is also secure from the inside. o If not, stop and repeat the securing process on the inside o This is difficult/impossible on hollow forms so keep the speeds low and stay out of the line of fire!  Be very aware of changes in sound and balance of the piece (YARFYOS) o If a wobble appears STOP the lathe immediately! It is a sign something is wrong! o Often a higher pitch sound is an indication of immediate failure as well Prep for final defect identification

 Shape of piece MUST be complete before inlay is done. It is not easy to reshape a piece after inlay is done unless using very soft inlay material, and even then you will probably have to redo the inlay due to turning some of it away.  Sand entire piece to 120 grit o Remove all tool marks and tear out, use 80 grit if needed . Only use 80 grit where needed, don’t sand entire piece with it if you don’t have to  Sanding is done to remove turning defects so you are not trying to sand those out when sanding the inlay o If don’t do before inlay, you can sand away the inlay trying to gets these marks out later o Also, sanding can reveal small cracks that you didn’t see when the piece was rougher . Want to identify all the cracks early in the process and fill them all at the same time

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

Open defects for inlay - cracks

 Need to make a recess in all defects to accept the inlay o Recess is approximately 2mm deep o Sanding inlay always removes more wood than you think, recess must be deep enough to account for this. o Easy to sand areas (e.g. rim of bowls) should be cut a little deeper  Cut into cracks to make a space for the inlay material o Use the Rotary Chisel CT101B cutter for the initial cut o Then use the Dremel 9909 cutter to make it wider o Inside of bowls are hard to use the CT101B cutter everywhere and you will have to resort to the 9909 cutter  When cutting into cracks, always make the crack longer that you think it is (longer than what you see) o Most cracks are always a little longer than what you see  The wider cut allows for using a medium grit inlay. Without making the cut wider, you will only get powder into a crack o Just using powder just puts a single color line in your work. Adding some grit gives it more character.  The CT101B cutter doesn’t make sharp turns, great for straight lines. o Coming back with the 9909 bit you can make the curves and enhance the cuts so they are no so sterile  If a cutter every skips off the crack (and it will) it will damage the wood o Now you get to be creative and artificially create a “crack” to cover up your mistake o Don’t think you can sand these out, just make another place to fill with inlay  For cracks you previously secured with epoxy, you need to cut some of the epoxy out to make room for the inlay o I use the Dremel 194, 193, 115 cutters where I can for this o I touch up using the 9909 cutter o NOTE: very important that the epoxy is totally removed from the sides of the crack for the depth of the inlay. . If you leave it coming up the sides, you might reveal it when you sand the inlay down and then you have to repeat the whole process  Use a magnifying glass to find cracks that are hard to see with the naked eye  Cracks are rarely only on one side of a piece. o If you have crack on the inside, almost always there will be one on the outside o If you have a crack on the outside, sometime there won’t be one on the inside . If the wood is thicker, the crack might not go all the way through, but it usually does o Cracks sometimes go at an angle, so the inside crack may not be directly opposite the one on the outside  If you are going to use epoxy as your inlay bonder, once you have cut into all cracks, put a thin line of thin CA glue in the crack o NOTE: Don’t do this if you are NOT using mesquite—see the section on non-mesquite inlay o NOTE: DON’T flood the crack! The CA glue will “freeze” and you’ll have to dig it out again o Seals the crack so the epoxy don’t soak into the wood as much o The capillary action of the thin CA glue will also show you if you didn’t make the cut long enough . This concept can also be used to test if a crack exists, just put a drop on a potential crack and if the glue follows a thin line, you have identified a crack o The CA glue MUST be completely dry before epoxy inlay works is done. Wet CA and epoxy don’t mix well.

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

Open defects for inlay – holes

 You don’t want to waste inlay material filling the entire hole o Fill the hole with something else, either CA glue and wood dust or epoxy and a filler  I typically fill large voids prior to/during the turning process using the West System epoxy and the 407/410 filler o I like to use a bit of 407 filler and some 410 filler, 407 is stronger for large voids  Bug holes usually are done after the turning o NOTE: bug holes are typically round tunnels that have been exposed, you need to make sure the exposed bug hole is a “U” shape not a “O” shape . If leave as an “O” shape, when you sand, you will expose more of the hole and will have to re-fill o Again using West System epoxy and 410 filler—bug holes are smaller and the 410 filler is fine for these . Once dry, you will need to sand this level o Can also use CA glue and wood dust . Might be able to not fill entire hole, leaving recess for inlay, but typically CA glue will freeze and you still have to dig some out o Use blue tape to close hole on one side and fill from other if hole goes all the way thru  After hole is filled need to dig out recess for inlay. o I use the Dremel 194, 193, 115 cutters where I can for this o I touch up using the 9909 cutter o NOTE: very important that the epoxy is totally removed from the sides of the hole for the depth of the inlay. . If you leave it coming up the sides, you might reveal it when you sand the inlay down and then you have to repeat the whole process

Adding inlay - Bonders

 I use two different bonding agents for my inlay o Bond-Optic Epoxy o Thin CA glue  Why Bond-Optic? o Very UV stable o Developed for the glass and lapidary industry as a cheaper alternative to Hxtal o Typically the faster an epoxy sets, the less UV stable it is . 5 minute epoxy will start to turn yellow with just a few hours of sunlight  I had one test that turned color without even being expose to sunlight o I’ve done my own quick personal test with Bond-Optic and showed no signs of turning color after 20 days of full sun. Company claims product was tested under high intensity UV light to simulate 20 years of age. After testing discoloration was not detectable to the naked eye.  Down side of Bond-Optic o Slow dry time means it takes longer to do everything . 7 hours before can move/rotate a piece do second fill . 2 days before you can sand it . 7 days for full cure o Must use scale to measure: 2 to 1 mix o Very watery – runs everywhere . Limits the area that can be covered in one batch

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

 Bond Optic vs. CA glue o Since I don’t view CA glue as structural I don’t use it for things like bowls where I want the strength of epoxy o Another woodturning expert highly suggested not using CA for anything that would be washed, like a bowl o General opinion is that CA glue is not a long term glue—it will fail at some point . Another woodturning expert feels it will last longer if used in a specific way  This is how I use if for my inlay work, see below o CA glue appears to be UV stable. My simple tests show no yellowing after 20 days of full sun. o I use Bond Optic . On anything long term, e.g. high-end artwork . Anything needing good structural bond . Anything being washed o I use CA glue . On inexpensive items . Things I need to do fast to make a profit . Things that may not be around in 10 years (inexpensive items)

Inlay with Bond Optic

 Will describe using crushed turquoise for inlay material, but process would be same for other inlays  Currently using man-made turquoise (see resources addendum), process is same for real turquoise o Turquoise I use comes in three different crush sizes . Powder . Medium . Chips  Transfer Bond Optic into smaller squeeze bottles for easier dispensing  Measure epoxy using a digital scale (my choice is the AWS-100) o Needs to read to hundredth of a gram o Very useful to have a “tare” button to reset the scale to zero once it has weight on it . The AWS-100 will read zero on power up if something is on the scale prior to start up, this way the weight of the container won’t be in the weight shown  Bond Optic is a 2 to 1 mix  Mix in small batches (measured in grams) o Typical .50/.25(.75), .80/.40 (1.20), 1.00/.50 (1.50), 1.40/.70 (2.10) o Use small cup to mix in, e.g. cut off bottom of yogurt cups o I use small pieces of 1/24” veneer as stirring sticks, flat toothpicks work, but are a little narrow o Mix only what you can fill in about 5 minutes, bond optic has long open time, but it can get a little gummy. . Can always add more resin/hardener to thin it out (.20/.10)  After mix, you can heat for a 3-5 minutes, this will make it set faster (still very slow) o I heat with a small halogen lamp o Don’t have to do this, but highly suggested if your shop is cool (70 or less) above 80 I don’t do this

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

 Once epoxy is ready, mix in the turquoise o I mix in medium with some power, power helps give the background of the mix color . NOTE: don’t mix in any chips unless you are only filling really big cracks, chips require recesses at least 3/16” wide. o Can just do a powder mix, but you use a lot of powder to get a thick enough mix . Powder only inlay sands the easiest, but has no “texture” o Trial and error to get the right mix o Want enough medium to give the inlay some texture, enough powder to give background the color you want . If you don’t use the powder, the mix is a little translucent and you need to color-in any West System epoxy background otherwise it might show through, i.e. color it with a black Sharpie so the tan epoxy doesn’t show. o Not too thin or thick . “Trowel” thickness – want it to be able to flow off your mixing stick  Trowel into the cracks o Fill proud of crack, need to allow for soaking into wood and some shrinkage o Work back and forth-need to work it to try to work out any bubbles  Only fill what you can without it running o Takes multiple fills for turned objects  Can make dams with blue tape, e.g. at the rim of a bowl, but it will still run a bit under the tape o The stuff that runs under the tape won’t have the grit in it and typically has to be cleaned out once dry before continuing the fill  If there are large areas to fill, add chips to give even more texture o Can be mixed in at start if doing a lot of area, however, I typically do a standard mix of medium and powder, put in recess, then add chips directly to recess and kind of mix as I fill  Best you can do is two fills per piece in one day, one fill in a.m. and one late in the day  Must wait a minimum of two days before hard enough to sand. o Not fully cured for 7 days, like to wait that long before putting on a finish

Process – Inlay with CA

 Process is a bit faster with CA, but still time consuming.  NOTE: Extra care needs to be taken if not using mesquite. CA glue does not bleed into mesquite as bad as other woods. If using other woods, apply a surface resist of shellac or sanding sealer, before using the CA (see the section on using non-mesquite wood for more info)  Use method suggested by Steven Hatcher who does lots of the mineral-crystal inIay using CA  Start by placing the largest size inlay material in the recess first (e.g. chips) o Secure that with a minimal amount of thin CA – DO NOT FLOOD! o If only doing one piece, can use an accelerator, otherwise, let it harden on its own . I highly recommend an aerosol accelerator such as Kwik-Frame . Spray across the piece, not directly at the glue-seems to minimize the CA “freeze” affect  Next add the next largest grit of inlay, filling in the gaps of the first (e.g. medium) o Again use a minimal amount of CA  Finally, Use powder to fill in the remaining gaps o Can use a more liberal amount of CA this time  According to Steven, doing the fill this way creates an aggregate like concrete and makes it hold better.  NOTE: highly recommend running a fan when you use CA to blow the fumes away from you  NOTE: highly recommend you use the fine CA glue bottle tips that Starbond (CPH International) provides with their glue. Allows for very fine application of CA

 Most inlay material dulls tools, e.g. all stone, man-made turquoise, etc. Best way to smooth out the inlay is to sand it – power sand only o Even if can cut inlay, if you don’t get the piece remounted exactly on the lathe, it won’t turn perfectly true, thus making any cuts difficult  If using the man-made turquoise, the sanding grit you start with depends on the grit of the fill o If used chips – 80 grit o If used medium – could start with 120, but sanding is much faster with 80 (I always start with 80) o If used powder – could start with 180, but 120 would be better  Need very good sandpaper for this, must be heat resistant o If the backing comes off your sandpaper just sanding wood, it won’t works to sand the inlay o Highly recommend the sandpaper from Turningwood.com . The Mirka sandpaper from here holds up better than any I have used. Backing never comes off and the paper doesn’t wear out as fast  Always sand with you first grit with the lathe OFF o Only sand where the fill is, try to only sand with the grain to avoid adding even more sanding marks o Get everything level with the wood and all of the glue off  Then you can sand with the lathe running, going through the grits o Best if you can run lathe in reverse for every other grit o After every grit, check to make sure you have removes scratches from previous grit o Check for cracks you might have missed after every grit  After 180 grit, fully blow off all the dust and carefully check the surface o If you used the Bond Optic, look carefully at the inlay, looking for small holes. These are caused by bubbles in the epoxy o CA does not do this  Epoxy can bubble over, looking solid, but when you sand, it cuts through the surface layer and leaves a hole o These bubbles are very noticeable, and must be filled . Mix more epoxy with just powder and fill the holes . Alternatively you can use powder and CA  Even with the best sandpaper, you use a lot. Do not try to use worn out sandpaper, it just slows you down. If it isn’t cutting, toss it and grab another piece. Finish

 Use finish of your choice.  For bowls I highly recommend Mahoney’s Utility Finish o The amber oil also disguises any glue that might have bled into the surface  Other items I use things like Deft lacquer, teak oil, wipe-on poly

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

 While mesquite has naturally occurring cracks, other woods typically only have cracks for a few reasons (there may be more) o Wood was left in log or half log form too long o The pith was left in when the blank was cut o The piece did not dry uniformly and cracked – typical with rough turned bowls o The blank has a place where a branch was coming out . This is like a mini-pith area, and will always crack, these defects are the most likely to fail if inlaid as these areas tend to continual move over time.  For non-mesquite woods, the pith should always be removed if you are doing side grain work like bowls o It is almost impossible to keep the pith from cracking and these cracks will continue into the rest of the blank if the pith is kept o If doing bowls, best to process the blanks and rough turn the bowls as soon as you can after getting the wood  If rough turning bowls, a few of things reduce the chances the blank will crack when drying o Center the bowl blank in the log, so that the center of the log is centered in the bowl o Rough turn to a uniform thickness o Try to make bowl dry uniformly by sealing the end grain o Slow the drying process by putting the blank in a paper bag. Some cover it with shavings.  Using inlay on defects in non-mesquite woods can work, but since the wood moves more there is a chance for failure  Before doing inlay in these woods, the wood must be dry, if it is not dry it will move more and inlay may not hold  Go through same detect and secure process for the defects as describe above  Cut recesses for inlay as describe above  NOTE: These woods soak up CA glue and the epoxy much more than mesquite, so you must apply a surface resist to the surface before applying any glues o A surface finish seems to work the best – sanding sealer or shellac (this is what I use) o Wipe this around the defect and let dry o Seal the crack as described above with a thin line of CA  Use the Bond Optic and inlay mix as described above to complete the inlay  Sand flush as describe above o NOTE: these woods are much softer than mesquite and the inlay. It is very easy to over sand the wood and leave divots/ripples in the wood

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

Addendum - Mixing West System Epoxy

 Strong epoxy developed for boating industry  Has various fillers that can be used to change the consistency of the epoxy, without affecting the bonding strength o Very easy to make the epoxy thicker so it doesn’t run everywhere  Uses a 5 to 1 mix, easy to meter when using their pumps (sold separately)  Available at boat supply stores (e.g. West Marine) or Amazon  I use the 105 resin with the 205 fast hardener, if need more work time, there is a 206 slow hardener  For fillers, I use the 407 low density faring filler and the 410 microlight faring filler o 407 filler makes a harder epoxy, can be turned, but you’ll know it’s there . I use this for all structural cracks o 410 filler make epoxy “softer”, easier to cut, easier to sand . I use this for non-structural gap fills like bug holes o Will also mix the two fillers as the 410 will thicken the epoxy using less filler o NOTE: Stay away from any filler that says “silica” - extremely hard, when cured, cannot cut  To mix, just one pump of resin and one pump of hardener o Mix completely o Add filler to make epoxy the consistency you want . I like a peanut butter thickness for most of my defect filling  You have about 10-15 minutes of time to use the epoxy before it starts to heat and harden o Full cure time in 6 hours, but I wait overnight  NOTE: If filling a very deep hole, you will need to do it in layers. If you try to fill too much (anything over ½” deep) the epoxy heats up too much and will bubble and renders the epoxy worthless

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).

 Rotary tool o Dremel – Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes o Off brand – Amazon, Harbor Freight o Micro air die grinders – Amazon, Harbor Freight, Northern Tool  Angle drill, sanding mandrels for sanding – TheSandingGlove.com o Can get similar from Amazon, but Bruce tests all his drills before selling them  Good quality disc sandpaper, you will need 80 grit and up – Turningwood.com  CT101B cutter – RotaryChisel.com (Creative Technologies) o NOTE: Owner is having health issues and company is being taken over by his kids. Be patient, it will take a while for them to get things going again. You might email Tawny Hines before trying to order ([email protected])  Dremel 9909 – triangle carbide cutter – Amazon (Lowes and Home Depot carry a bigger version that you don’t want)  Dremel 194 – 1/8” high speed cutter – Amazon, (Lowes and Home Depot sometimes carry these)  Dremel 115 – 5/16” high speed cutter – Amazon, Lowes, Home Depot  Dremel 193 – 1/16” high speed cutter - Amazon  Various ball cutters - Amazon  West System Epoxy, pumps and 407/410 fillers – Amazon, West Marine o Spend the extra money and buy the pumps, makes measuring easy  Bond Optic epoxy o Rare Earth Trading (Leander) – rareearthtrading.com . If in the Austin area, you can save shipping by picking it up o Agates Anonymous – agatesanonymous.com o Highland Part Lapidary – hplapidary.com  AWS-100 Digital scale - Amazon o There are a couple of variation of this scale, the basic one I use is about $11 o If get something else, it needs to read to hundredths of a gram  CA glue – Starbond (CPH International) starbond.com o You get free micro tips for the glue bottles o These guys are always at SWAT and AAW symposiums o If doing lots of inlay, buy the 16oz bottles  Aerosol CA accelerator o Kwik-Frame is best and fastest I’ve use o TheSandingGlove.com  Man-made turquoise – tuckersturnings.com (formerly WalstonWoodworks.com) o I suggest buying powder, medium, and chips separately. He sells a blend of all three, but you don’t use chips everywhere and the bag settles so mix doesn’t stay mixed. o Sold in 1 pound bags. Find a friend and split it. o Ken also sells copper powder  Real Turquoise and other crushed stone – Dennis Liggett, DennisLiggett.com  Other powdered metals – Ebay.com  Other inlay material o Brass filings – Try Home Depot and Lowes at their key makers o Dyed sawdust – TheSandingGlove.com

REMEMBER—YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY (YARFYOS).