I want to do a little bit of inletting. I have a couple of small containers of Jarrow's inletting black. But that stuff seems greasy and messy.

On U-tube there are a few videos that show some folks using a small lamp to make smoke for the medium that makes the inletting marks.

Where does one purchaae one of those lamps and what kind of fuel makes good inletting smoke?

Don't think that soot is any less messy than the black inletting black; it isn't. It is very inconvenient to use. Flame and all the soot you are depositing on your shop.
You can use any small oil lamp, or even a candle. Ebay is full of them.

Make it yourself. 50:50 mix of artist's black oil paint and petroleum jelly.

I have just used a kerosene lamp

Nearest antique store. Get the cheapest oil lamp they have and throw away the top part.

I got mine from Rio Grande jewelry. It's an alcohol lamp used my jewelers. The lamp and an extra pack of wicks and you are good to go. I'm sure any jewelry supply would have it. Kerosene from wally mart instead of alcohol.
I tried the rub on but much prefer to smoke in the parts.

if you think inletting black is messy just wait until you try soot

Any smallish glass bottle with a screw-on lid can work.
Punch a hole in the lid the right size to hold whatever piece of rope you want to use as a wick, fill with Paraffin (I am sure there are concoctions that produce more soot but Paraffin works just fine).

That way, when you decide that inletting black works better, then you haven't spent any real money.

I can’t help with your question here, but check out this thread on DIY stock making:

https://forum.accurateshooter....king-thread.3923285/

Do you have Dave Wesbrook’s book on stockmaking? The back of the book shows what tools he used.

I’m interested in doing the same. I’ll start with putting new barreled actions into a couple of used stocks.

some guys steal lipstick from the wife and use it for inletting.

I use Prussian Bluing it is a light non drying blue grease used in Machining for fitting parts like bearings to shafts.

Amazon has it.

Search Prussian Bluing.

Look real close and you can see the Prussian Blue on the barrel

quote:

Originally posted by LongDistanceOperator:
I can’t help with your question here, but check out this thread on DIY stock making:

https://forum.accurateshooter....king-thread.3923285/

Do you have Dave Wesbrook’s book on stockmaking? The back of the book shows what tools he used.

I’m interested in doing the same. I’ll start with putting new barreled actions into a couple of used stocks.

Sadly Dave Wesbrook died a couple of years ago. I think his book is out of print. You may be able to find one on ebay but expect high prices. Also try Amazon, they may have a copy lost somewhere in one of their monster warehouses.

Luckily I bought a copy about 10 year ago.

Very good book. Dave was a little difficult to get along with but he was a great stock maker and really knew the trade.

Cheap black lipstick from the Dollar Store or like store. It's pretty hard to find most of the year but we are entering the season now (Halloween). It works great.

quote:

Originally posted by WoodHunter:
some guys steal lipstick from the wife and use it for inletting.

I use Prussian Bluing it is a light non drying blue grease used in Machining for fitting parts like bearings to shafts.

Amazon has it.

Search Prussian Bluing.

Look real close and you can see the Prussian Blue on the barrel

I have a really dark walnut stock. I might try lipstick so I can see it better than inletting black.

Is that a Kimball vise???

Neatest one I've seen was an 8oz. PVC glue can with the dauber removed from the top. The bottom of a 30-30 case was drilled out, the proper sized hole drilled in the can top, the case slipped in from the bottom and soldered around the rim. Add cotton wick and kerosene.

quote:

Originally posted by Recoil Rob:
Neatest one I've seen was an 8oz. PVC glue with the dauber removed from the top. The bottom of a 30-30 case was drilled out, the proper sized hole drilled in the can top, the case slipped in from the bottom and soldered around the rim. Add cotton wick and kerosene.

You can get empty glue cans at a plumbing supply store (I’m a plumber). Does it work better than a ready made lamp???

quote:

if you think inletting black is messy just wait until you try soot

THANK YOU!!!
You guys are searching for a solution to a completely non existent problem.
(Yes, I started out using soot; what a mess) And where do you think all the soot you don't use on your parts goes? Think about it.

Probably not, just looks better...

quote:

Originally posted by LongDistanceOperator:

quote:

Originally posted by Recoil Rob:

You can get empty glue cans at a plumbing supply store (I’m a plumber). Does it work better than a ready made lamp???

duplicate

duplicate.

quote:

I tried the rub on but much prefer to smoke in the parts.

Why?

I use prussian blue for inletting, I take a plastic 35mm film canister and cut an opening in the lid to fit an old toothbrush. Squeeze a quantity of prussian blue into the film canister, apply with the toothbrush. When not using insert the brush into the film canister and snap the lid. The best no mess solution I've found.

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:

quote:

I tried the rub on but much prefer to smoke in the parts.

Why?

I work in ivory a lot. Soot doesn't stain it. Same with working very light colored woods.
Hey; we all like what we like. Some of the experts gave you their opinion of how you should work, they didn't try to answer your question.
I tried the modified bottles and cans first. Get one made for the job. Night and day difference.
two cents worth

kolo pan:

PM your mailing info. and I will send you a small burner on a half cup size glass base complete with a wick and snuffing cap.
I've had it for years and never used it.

Then you can learn firsthand what Tom has been trying to tell you.

George

I used inletting black for years until Clayton Nelson told me to try Prussian Blue . You apply it very thin with a tooth brush. It gives more accurate impressions than inletting black, easy to clean up. It shows up well on dark wood too. You can buy it at your local automotive parts store. It's not expensive, lasts a long time.

I see some metal smiths using kerosene lamps for metal fitting.

To add something different to the mix. I am color blind, and dark blue (Prussian Blue) and dark wood, is VERY difficult for me to see the difference.

When I learned scraping, the gentleman who taught me was older and he used a product called canode die spotting ink. I use red and yellow for scraping, and though I have not tried it on stocks yet, but I think it would be the ticket.

The contrast between the two really highlight the areas that need to be removed. The best part, is unlike prussian blue, you can wash up with water.

Carbide lamp. We used to use them for blacking open sights when shooting Bullseye on an uncovered range. Years later I used it for shooting handgun metallic silhouette matches.

Coincidently, I just found it when I was packing last week for our move to Kentucky.

A long time back, I took a stockmaking course from Chuck Grace at Trinidad State. He said you could always tell the nose pickers in the course. I think of that every time I use inletting black.

While I was in gunsmithing school in the early '90s (MCC class of 93) stock making by hand from a blank was still part of the curriculum (4 stocks required). I tried several different making compounds, including lamp black, gear marking compound, Vaseline with red chalk dust, but ended up settling on Jarrows Black or Gold. The speed and accuracy picked-up greatly after going to Jarrows as I had a solid mark on the work.

If the greasy nature of some inletting compounds turns you off, use dry erase markers. They come in a variety of colors to suit any wood.