Inlay Advice

[ripmyfly]

I have searched the archives for this & forgive me if I missed my answer. I am working on a large war club. i want a large moon inlay on the gunstock section. Someone told me I could router it out & melt a sterling silver spoon? Another said sliver souder would work. I have wonder if copper would work well & since this is a crude weapon even lead... of course Im afraid that my next child might be born naked if I use lead. :grin: Will any of these metals bond well? Also do I have to have a perfect pour or can I work the top surface smooth after completion? Thanks for any advice!!!

 

[LRB]

You don't want to pour it. Cut it out of whatever metal you want, then inlet it in, secure with tiny nails. The only practical metal to use in a pour would be pewter, or similar metal because of the high heat required to melt silver, or especially copper.
If you must pour, use pewter. It will not bond, you will have to under cut the cutout, which needs to be about 1/8" deep. A pour needs a mechanical lock in. You can also drill some angled shallow holes in the cutout to help hold the pewter in place.