Question: curious,if anyone knows

art65ab

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Nov 11, 2009
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Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Are there any pieces of engraved work you have seen heard of that involves a fully plated engraved firearm with inlaying applied after plating. It would be a gold plate and platinum inlay and silver plate with gold inlays. All inlays after plating. Any info on this is appreciated.
 

Weldon47

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Yes, it can (& has been done). I've done it, I believe Sam Welch has done it as have Alvin White & others.

Weldon
 

SamW

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Weldon, you are right. I have done that with gold inlay, not the other metals. The piece was engraved and all the gold inlay areas prepared/undercut/teethed for the gold prior to plating. I used wire inlay. The plating was electroless nickel. It is a difficult process but doable. I found that if you make chisels out of bronze spring material you can work the gold without marring the plating but you do have to sharpen the chisels frequently. It is really difficult to do flush gold line borders this way and make them look as nice as with the normal processes...just hard to get it down flush and smooth to match and blend with the steel around it.
 

mitch

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like so many things, where there's a will, there's a way. as Weldon & Sam would surely attest, it's not the easiest way to go about things. i personally have done raised sculpted steel inlays without touching the surrounding surface. looks cool as heck, but not the simplest, fastest trick in my bag.

this sort of thing brings to mind that famous quote from the Nixon era- "As Dean said to Haldeman, 'We could do it, but it would be wrong.' "
 

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