Replies

1. 
   md2453 | Apr 23, 2008 05:05am | #1

   LD

   Don't sand!  Use a cabinet scraper and bring the ebony inlay to the same level as your background wood.  Simple clean and no dust.

   Madison

1. 
   LD | Apr 23, 2008 02:42pm | #3

   I did scrape, but the ebony still seemed a little rough, so I was sanding with 320. Do you feel no sanding is necessary on a scrapped piece?Thanks, Dave

1. 
   md2453 | Apr 23, 2008 03:58pm | #6

   I never sand dark inlay when I've got a light background.  If your scraper has a good clean and sharp edge you really shouldn't need to sand after scraping.

   Enjoy!

   Madison 

2. 
   RMillard | Apr 23, 2008 02:41pm | #2

   I level it with a scraper, but some sanding is necessary. I use a random orbit sander hooked up to a shop vac, and this keeps the dust under control.

   Rob Millard

   http://www.americanfederalperiod.com

    

3. 
   blewcrowe | Apr 23, 2008 02:42pm | #4

   As Madison said, scrape it or plane it. I've also heard of waxing the surrounding wood first, before placing the inlay. But I know exactly what you're going through because I first made that mistake myself. What's really bad is placing ebony on white oak or a coarse wood. That dust gets in the grain grooves and sets you in a fit.

4. 
   JerryLen | Apr 23, 2008 03:19pm | #5

   I fool with marquetry and a finished piece may have 15 to 20 different species of wood in it from the lightest maple or holly to the darkest ebony or black dyed veneer.  The different species will also have a range of textures from the tight grain of maple to the porousness of oak or ash.  A common way to deal with this problem in marquetry is to scrape the surfaces so they are close to being in the same plane and then seal it with one or two coats of shellac.  This gets into the lower areas of the porous woods and greatly helps in preventing dust from other woods from sticking on the sealed surfaces.  After the shellac dries you can sand and then vacuum and you should have little or no contamination of one color wood into another.  Hope this helps.

   Jerry

1. 
   LD | Apr 23, 2008 04:42pm | #7

   I never thought of sealing it. That should work well if Tung oil can be applied over the shellac. I always use tung oil as a finish and I would hate to change that as I'm very pleased with the results. So, the ? is, can tung oil be applied over wood sealed with shellac.Thanks, Dave

1. 
   blewcrowe | Apr 23, 2008 04:47pm | #8

   Since shellac is a sealer, not really, at least not to the degree of putting it on raw wood.