{"id":4301,"date":"2016-03-27T12:54:27","date_gmt":"2016-03-27T19:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4301"},"modified":"2016-03-27T13:02:23","modified_gmt":"2016-03-27T20:02:23","slug":"skull-and-bones-damascus-steel-lanyard-bead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4301","title":{"rendered":"Skull and Bones Damascus Steel Lanyard Bead"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_1\"<\/a>
\nStarting the second lanyard bead out of \u00a0damascus steel by Geoff Keyes (http:\/\/5elementsforge.com<\/a>). \u00a0Above <\/p>\n

ohne-rezeptkaufen.com<\/a><\/div>\n

,\u00a0I’ve engraved the outlines really deeply, so I can carve the skull in 3D, but below the surface in Japanese shishiaibori style. \u00a0I began with a wide graver (Lindsay Universal, 116 degree), followed by a narrower graver (Lindsay Detailer, 96 degree). \u00a0Each subsequent pass makes the cut deeper and deeper. \u00a0I finished\u00a0deepening it even more with third pass with an onglette.<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_3\"<\/a>
\nAbove, I’ve darkened the bead for better visualization.<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_6\"<\/a>
\nHere, I’ve begun the part of the shishiaibori process that makes it all come alive. \u00a0I’m using small flat gravers and carbide burs to carve the skull inside the deeply engraved outlines. \u00a0All of the skull will be inside those lines, and the highest point will be the original surface of \u00a0the bead. \u00a0Sorry for the lousy image…photography isn’t my strong suit.<\/p>\n

\"Shishiaibori_Engraving_Process\"
\n<\/a>Above is a simplified graphic explaining the Shishiaibori technique.<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_8\"<\/a>
\nHere I’ve finished carving the interior of the skull. \u00a0I’ve done most of the surface refinement using small punches (made from discarded burs).<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_11\"<\/a>
\nAnd a darkened version – I can’t help but want to know what it will look like when finished. \u00a0The bead is now ready to inlay the bones in 24 karat gold. \u00a0This kind of inlay is quite straightforward , and I’ve discussed it many times before.<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_14\"<\/a>
\nSince this is damascus steel (or pattern welded steel, as it is sometimes called), I have to etch the surface in order to discover the lovely surprise waiting inside. \u00a0Prior to etching, damascus steel looks like any other kind of steel. \u00a0However, since I’ve spent all this effort carving the skull and inlaying the gold bones, I’m going to have to mask off the parts I don’t want etched. \u00a0I’m using a Charbonnel lacquer masking agent (the dark stuff covering the skull and the bones).<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_15\"<\/a>
\nI prefer to use ferric chloride as the etching agent for steel. \u00a0Thats the icky looking yellow-brown liquid\u00a0in the jar. \u00a0It’s by far the safest and most effective of the various agents I could use – most are acids, more difficult and dangerous to handle, with nasty vapors during the etching process. \u00a0I’ve jammed a dowel into the hole in the bead so I can extract it during etching to see how things are going without running the risk of damaging the masking. \u00a0About two hours in my chilly studio worked well in this case – yes, temperature plays a large part in this process.<\/p>\n

The different types of steel Geoff Keyes used while making the damascus layers etch at different rates, and take on different hues during etching, revealing the surprises hidden inside.<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead_19\"<\/a>
\nHere’s a closeup of the bead after etching, so you can see the intricate details of the damascus steel.<\/p>\n

\"Geoff_Keyes_Skull_Bones_Lanyard_Bead\"<\/a>And here’s the bead from all sides, in all of its’ glory!
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

The Geoff Keyes\u00a0Damascus Skull and Bones lanyard bead is complete, and soon to depart for America and into Geoff’s hot paws.<\/p>\n

Thanks for Looking!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Sterling<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TomSterlingHandEngraving#<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/instagram.com\/tom_sterling_hand_engraving<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Starting the second lanyard bead out of \u00a0damascus steel by Geoff Keyes (http:\/\/5elementsforge.com). \u00a0Above ohne-rezeptkaufen.com ,\u00a0I’ve engraved the outlines really deeply, so I can carve the skull in 3D, but below the surface in Japanese shishiaibori style. \u00a0I began with … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[23,28,31,46],"tags":[9,3,7,17,16],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6qLAy-17n","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4327,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4327","url_meta":{"origin":4301,"position":0},"title":"World War II-style Damascus Steel Grenade Lanyard Bead","date":"April 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Starting another damascus steel and copper lanyard bead. Here I'm lathe turning the grenade body out of Geoff\u00a0Keyes Damascus steel. \u00a0I've spent some time step drilling the 1\/4 inch diameter hole through the center. \u00a0Damascus steel, since it's made of many, many stacks of different kinds of steel isn't the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"WWII_US_Grenade_Bead_2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/WWII_US_Grenade_Bead_2-941x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2654,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=2654","url_meta":{"origin":4301,"position":1},"title":"Dragonfly Blossom (B30) William Henry Studios Knife Scales – Part 1","date":"February 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Lately, I've been engraving and carving a set of knife scales for William Henry Studios, a real challenge for me. \u00a0This is a set of scales for their B30 (Gentac) model, and fairly large as their folding knives go. \u00a0The scales are 416 stainless steel, and arrived with a mirror\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/B30-Tom-Sterling_Detail.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4102,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4102","url_meta":{"origin":4301,"position":2},"title":"Centipede Tactical Lanyard Bead (and Others…)","date":"October 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Spent the last two days making titanium blanks for a pair of earrings and a couple tactical beads. It\u2019s a lot easier if someone else makes the knife or jewelry blanks, but no joy here\u2026 Starting a new project - a tactical bead in titanium. I blatantly stole the bead\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Centipede_Tactical_Lanyard_Bead_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2781,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=2781","url_meta":{"origin":4301,"position":3},"title":"Knapped “Lascaux” Small Push Dagger Part 3 – Shishiaibori Technique","date":"February 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's time to begin the shishiaibori carving process. \u00a0Above is the design transferred to the titanium scales. \u00a0I use a laser printer on kitchen\/cooking parchment and damar varnish transfer method. Step 1: \u00a0I begin engraving with a Lindsay Universal graver (116 degree V-graver), and make as deep a cut as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"Knapped_Lascaux_Push_Dagger_11","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Knapped_Lascaux_Push_Dagger_11.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2494,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=2494","url_meta":{"origin":4301,"position":4},"title":"Clockwork Trilobite – Part 6","date":"December 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Starting the carving today. Here I\u2019ve set the trilobite (right side up this time) in Thermolock\u2122 and drawn in the exoskeleton.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also used a tiny carbide bur to do a \u201cscribble\u201d texture on the gears and the surface they sit on. Those huge rivets for the eyes have been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Clockwork_Trilobite_Pendant_77.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3220,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=3220","url_meta":{"origin":4301,"position":5},"title":"William Henry “Engraved Longhorn Beetle Knife” Part 1","date":"July 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, after finishing up the little copper overlay titanium owl pendant, I'm back into the swing of things to begin my next William Henry (www.williamhenry.com) commission, a small B10 model folding knife. I started by engraving the basic layout of the beetle legs, the bark and knothole on the nicely\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/William_Henry_B10_Longhorn_Beetle_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4301"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4301"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4326,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4301\/revisions\/4326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}