Brian Gray
Posts: 339
Joined: 2004-01-21
Location: Sandusky, OH
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I think that the trick here involves a couple of things.
1. Make sure that your sand is the right temperature so that you get an even burn that penetrates.
2. Make your inlay just BARELY proud so that you are trimming as little as possible.
3. Last, experiment with cross-sections.
As far as your temperature goes, I have no idea exactly what temperature the sand should be. I go by the time to burn. If your piece gets the look that you want in less than five seconds, then the burn is too fast and your sand is too hot. By burning too fast, you are only scorching the edges and not getting a burn that saturates the wood. I try to make sure that my burn takes 10 seconds or longer...this way the burn penetrates the wood, and spreads evenly. Since you are doing inlay, and your material will be thinker that standard veneer, you might want your burn to be even longer than 10 seconds. Also - make sure that your wood is not touching the bottom of the pan...you'll get the edge scorched that way. Remember that even with marquetry you are going to sand or scrape some. So a burn that only is on the surface will lose it's color somewhat. With your application in inlay, it will be even worse, cause you will probably remove more material.
When fitting your inlay, I would fit the piece first, then trim to where you are almost flush, THEN sand-shade. This way you are removing as little material as possible...no matter how even you can get the burn, the outer edges will always be a little darker than the inside. You want to eliminate this effect on your project as much as possible by not removing much material. This might be tough if you fit is nice and tight. The piece might get stuck. Use a dental pick, or something tiny to pry it out. You also could drill a tiny hole from the under-side of your project through the substrate WITHOUT your inlay piece fitted. This would allow you to take a small drill bit, or something similar, and pop out your inlay piece if needed. Depends on if your hole on the bottom would be exposed. You could always fill it.
The last thing, and most important, would be to experiment with cross sections and various species. Take test pieces, and sand-shade them. Then use your scroll saw, or a chisel, or whatever, and cut the material down the middle. Look and see how deep your penetration is with whatever material you are using. jcousins is right-on above when he says that different woods shade differently. So let's say that maple doesn't give you the burn that you want...well, try holly. Then try birch...then soft maple...you get the idea.
Good luck!
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