Insert metal inlays in a SAK scale. Does anyone have experience with it?

[Sneider]

As the title suggests, has anyone here successfully inserted a steel or nickel silver inlay into a cellidor or celluloid scale?
I know of someone who milled out the cross and shield in high-precision and then glued the inlay in. I was thinking more of a combination of heating and pressing.
No idea if that is possible and would work.

[Fortytwo]

Not in plastic no, but for the sake of completes I'll add that I have been able to do it in wood using a vice.

[kamakiri]

Oh, it’s certainly possible.

 

[DavZell]

If you have spares to experiment with, you could try heating the shield and then trying to push/melt it into a scale.  If you do try, tell us how it goes.  If it fails, show pictures, as we might have ideas how to work around whatever went wrong.  Gently heating the scale in warm water first might help a bit.

[Helvetica Bold]

 Vic manage it if course but who knows what black magic they employ to make it work! 

[kamakiri]

Vic manage it if course but who knows what black magic they employ to make it work! 

They do (very briefly) show some of their methods in some of their videos. I’ve seen two different techniques. But both are tough to see any details of what’s happening. But they gave me some workable ideas.

[kamakiri]

go to 5:17

https://youtu.be/rh7xEII6w1o/t=317

[Sneider]

Oh no, sorry I didn't see your answers! How unkind of me.
I was able to visit the Victorinox factory. A member of staff told me that the inlays are pressed into the cellidor with very high pressure.
The production lines are really impressive, but little can be seen in detail.

I haven't tried it myself yet, I think that without a precise set-up, no satisfactory results can be achieved.
With heat and pressure, makes sense, but press in the inlay smoothly without deforming the scales ...?
 

[kamakiri]

Oh no, sorry I didn't see your answers! How unkind of me.

I return the favor.   

[Sneider]

I return the favor.   

Looks interesting! Do you have experience with it?

[kamakiri]

Looks interesting! Do you have experience with it?

Yes, I do. Kidding aside...

I was able to visit the Victorinox factory. A member of staff told me that the inlays are pressed into the cellidor with very high pressure.

High pressure or at least some pressure is certain. I’d be surprised if no increase in temp was involved.

The production lines are really impressive, but little can be seen in detail.

Took more time than I care to admit to pick up on some of the details. Sometimes, reverse engineering a process is harder than one might think.

I haven't tried it myself yet, I think that without a precise set-up, no satisfactory results can be achieved.
With heat and pressure, makes sense, but press in the inlay smoothly without deforming the scales ...?
 

DavZell made the only suggestions I will provide or confirm. As that is how I got to where I am and what I can do in this regard. Get some old scales to test on. Fix some loose or partly detached or damaged inlays. That’s how I started at least. And I simply disagree with the assessment that ‘no satisfactory results can be achieved’. I was pleasantly surprised at some point.

When I read your thread, I thought about the pictures I could post that would show that it could be done. Trouble is, that the restorations and fixes would essentially show: nothing.

Anyway...I pondered what new thing I could do that would prove otherwise. And the result is in the unmodified / non-redacted version of the pic I posted. My apologies for that, but I have other reservations and concerns about sharing everything I do or can do publicly here.

[Sneider]

OK, Kamakiri, thanks for your advice. Learning effect and understanding are often better if you work it out yourself.

[kamakiri]

OK, Kamakiri, thanks for your advice. Learning effect and understanding are often better if you work it out yourself.

Then you understand part of my philosophy. 

Forgive me a bit for sharing these in such low res. At first, I though low-res would just look like fakes...so I didn’t think it would be worth sharing at all. But incorporated into cross-eye stereogram format...well, would be hard to fake for me at least. So here are two samples.

The seahorse is the largest single custom inlay I have successfully set. Dark Knight inlay is about as small as I can make. I poked my fingers several times making that one. 

Sometimes knowing that something can be done is motivation enough for somebody to do it themselves.

[xfrench]

Thank you for sharing.

[kamakiri]

Thank you for sharing.

I’m glad somebody feels that way! 

[kamakiri]

Posted one of the higher res pics of the seahorse inlay in another thread. Adding it here too since this thread was the reason I took the pics in the first place.

[hulk.]

celidor and tolerant to heating to some extent.
it softens a bit like wax without necessarily being burned.

next and purely theoretical, but if I had to integrate a logo.
I will use the same transfer method as for clothes with an iron.
preferably on an old dimension (the full ones) to be able to exert pressure.

it's an interesting topic

[pfrsantos]

celidor and tolerant to heating to some extent.
it softens a bit like wax without necessarily being burned.

next and purely theoretical, but if I had to integrate a logo.
I will use the same transfer method as for clothes with an iron.
preferably on an old dimension (the full ones) to be able to exert pressure.

it's an interesting topic

The topic, yes. The contents...

 

[kamakiri]

celidor and tolerant to heating to some extent.
it softens a bit like wax without necessarily being burned.

next and purely theoretical, but if I had to integrate a logo.
I will use the same transfer method as for clothes with an iron.
preferably on an old dimension (the full ones) to be able to exert pressure.

it's an interesting topic

Older ‘solid’ scales are easier for this reason. That said, newer ‘hollow’ ones can be done. The 100th anniversary ones I posted in the other thread are hollow/newer.