Seriously Simple Sulphur Inlay

Making an inlaid piece can often be daunting, but there's an obscure 18th Century technique that is a game changer - sulphur inlay. Whether you spell it sulfur or sulphur, it's the same thing, and it's easy to do.
Often called, "poor man's inlay," the technique dates to 1765. Then, as we do now, the design was chiseled into the surface of the wood and filled with molten sulphur.
You can find out more on my blog at acanthus.com/20...
Be sure to hit Subscribe and ring the bell to ensure you don't miss any of my videos.
Check out my website at acanthus.com/
My Blog acanthus.com/p...

[@mitchgingrich2619]

I think you might be my favorite woodworking channel ever. Hope you're still making videos cause I'm about to learn everything you put up here.

[@tonyennis1787]

I like your cabinet. And thanks for the inlay demonstration.

[@MikkellTheImmortal]

That's really cool. I had to laugh at myself because when you were talking about the temperature I was thinking that 240° is really high and I don't think my stove can get that hot, and then I realized that you were talking about Fahrenheit not Celsius.

[@feraltweed]

That’s the first I have heated of this. I’m building my first banjo and I’m going to try this on it. Thanks for posting this

[@willemkossen]

This has been on my todo list. I bought the sulpher a year ago. Great to see how its done so i dont have to figure it out myself. Thank you!

[@jamesogorman3287]

Very interesting. I had never seen that technique before. Thanks for the quick tutorial.

[@tombaker3794]

Very interesting, I have never read or viewed anything about this process prior, and I've been studying woodworking & furniture making as a hobby for 16 + years. One thing that occurred to me to be careful of is very grainy wood, which will take in the sulfur around the intended inlay, leaving a "blotchy" effect. I suppose with enough forethought this can be avoided. Thanks for showing.

[@acanthuscarver]

Tom, Typically, this type of inlay was done in walnut - a rather porous wood. That said, I'm sure it would be difficult to keep the sulfur out of the pores of woods like oak, which tend to be larger than walnut. Thanks for watching.

[@RobRobertson1000]

Thanks Chuck, that was a great history lesson too!

[@woodyal3726]

Thanks I learnt something new today !!!!

[@paulorchard7960]

Yeh, I’m game enough to to give it a go. But getting sulphur, where, and who will be interested in me buying it?

[@acanthuscarver]

You can buy sulfur from Amazon and you can pick it up in many garden centers.

[@nonexman]

Very interesting, really enjoyed watching this. As far as the bubbles go, would it be possible to heat the sulfur during the cooling period with a heat gun to help rid the bubbles? That is, by heating the surface and letting it be less viscous than the bottom (next to the wood), the bubble could pop and fill in with newly liquid sulfur? (I hope that makes sense.)

[@acanthuscarver]

I've tried it in the past with limited success. The heat from the molten sulphur is essentially evaporating off some of the moisture in the wood, creating the bubbles. When you warm the area with a heat gun, the wood gives off more moisture.

[@nonexman]

@@acanthuscarver Interesting. So if the source of the bubbles is moisture in the wood, would pre-heating the wood decrease the bubbles?

[@acanthuscarver]

I have not found it to significantly reduce the bubbles. You can't evaporate enough moisture out of the wood to stop if from shedding more when heat is applied.

[@nonexman]

@@acanthuscarver Alas. Well, thank you very much for your expertise. Very interesting subject.

[@ZieselRocks]

Very cool!! I wonder if you can change the color... perhaps adding copper or other elements?

[@acanthuscarver]

Check out the blog for the answers to several of the most common questions I've gotten throughout the years. acanthus.com/2019/05/31/seriously-simple-sulphur-inlay/

[@cindyharrison4191]

Wow

[@tanwodan3689]

sulfur gas not poison?

[@acanthuscarver]

It can be, but usually in high concentrations. You're only melting small quantities of sulfur at a time, but be sure to do it in a well ventilated area. And wearing a mask couldn't hurt either.