Here is my first tutorial. I haven't (yet) a digital camera, so there
are no photos, but I think (...I HOPE) it will be clear for everyone.
This first tutorial is about making inlays that look like silver or metal
in a simple and cheap way (and it is also quite fast).
What you need:
-solder (I use Philips flux cored solder, because it is very shiny.
There are various diameters, so you can choose what is best for you.
I used 1 mm)
-soldering iron
-sanding paper
If you are making a new fretboard, I suggest to inlay before you
sand the radius into the board.
How to proceed:
when you have your fretboard (or your headstock, or whatever else you
need to inlay) routed in the shape you desire to inlay, take the solder
and cut it into little pieces. Then with your soldering iron melt it
into the routed
wood. You can also choose not to cut the solder into little pieces and
use it as it is. I'm pretty sure the heat of the soldering iron will
not damage the wood, because the iron is also used when you need to
pull frets from a
fretboard. When you have finished all the inlaying work, you will notice
that the inlay is not flush with the fretboard surface and there are
some oils that are escaped from the wood, so you will need to sand it
to make it flush with the board and to remove the oils. I suggest to
use fine grits of sandpaper. Once the inlay is flush with the fretboard,
you can polish it (mask the wood before you use the polish) to make
it shiny.
This technique is also good to make side dots.
I suggest to try it first on a piece of scrap wood, and to begin
with small dots as first works.
I hope is all clear...it is really a simple technique, but the results
are great!!
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