68 lost souls Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 Hey, Just wondering if it is common to inlay the fretboard before cutting it to size or anuthing, I was thinking of drawing the center line then marking the width at the 12th fret and nut, drawing the line by joining the dots then inlaying? Should I do it this way. Im building this guitar in stages as I dont have the funds to order everything together and I was going to start with the fretboard as the inlaying is what will be the main feature so I want to have it done. Any opinions? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 Slot the board, then taper it, then radius (although this bit's debatable) then inlay. Makes centering dots (if that's what you're doing) a whole lot easier; you simply draw diagonals from the edge of the fret slots, making an 'X' in the fret in question, and voila, instantly centred in both directions. Mark the centreline, mark the nut width, and the width at the end of the fingerboard. Connect the dots (scribe it with something), fill with some chalk or similar, and use a good old hand plane (or a router if you must) to trim the fingerboard to the right size. Quick and fun, what's not to love? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Mattia is on the spot, exept for one thing (and I think he knew this was comin). I never radious befor I cut the recess for the inlay. It is a bit harder to sand the board if its full of MOP, but you get better support for your router/dremel if you have a flat board. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 I always redius first. Keeping the dremel vertical is irrelevant i feel. Having to sand much less pearl, because youve inlaid it to suit the curvature, is more important to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 I'm with Perry, for the same reason, and I know Craig Lavin does 'em this way too, and I'm fairly certain people like Grit Laskin do as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Well it wont be pearl Im sanding its red epoxy, and it wont be dots its really big intricate inlay. That might change things. It would be great if I could get it already radiused then I could order a preslotted and radiused board but I think cause of the physical properties I would need to put it in flat? Am I right? So I should taper it before inlaying. Grand. Is the best way the join the dots with the 12th and nut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 for me, if you're epoxy filling, it's an extra reason to radius then route, because you don't need edges that are perfectly perpendicular to the gluing surface, but you DO want the shape to be right after radiussing, not changing shapes as your change the shape of the board. Pre-slotted, radiussed boards are easy enough to find. Best way to join the dots is the two extreme (first and last fret), and double-check the 12th is the right width. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Well if you radius the fretboard first then when you pour in the epoxy it will just seep out over the edge of the routed area before the centre fills up. When you pour a liquid the top always settles flat so that means the fret board must flat when filling it, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 I cut before I radius a lot of the time. It is probably better in some ways to radius if you have a lot of small pieces. If you have a wide block inlay you will wind up with a curved base for the inlay w/ ceter of the board being a high point (basically if will float in epoxy on the outer edges). This requires as much sanding either way, but I don't like taking a chance on the block pivoting too high on one edge and getting thin when sanded. Again my logic only applies to wide blocks, and I agree with more intricate designs with small pieces radiusing first would offer benifits. Just my 2 cents for what its worth. Peace, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Sorry I dont think a few people quite understand what I said about epoxy, there will be now actual pearl its all died epoxy like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Ibanez-jem-RG-replacem...1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 If you're doing epoxy only, do NOT radius before doing the inlay. The epoxy will not stay in the cavity and will ruin your board. If you were inlaying with a hard material, I agree it would be optimal to radius first, though I should point out I've never inlayed a fretboard, but I have wored with epoxy and fiber reinforced laminates for a long time. Also be very careful about epoxy dust. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Thanks Texas thats what I thought would happen. Well time to have a look at the funds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Also, you're going to want to degass your epoxy to remove bubbles. This requires applying a between 25-30 inches of mercury vaccum to remove air bubbles from the epoxy. Anytime you lay in epoxy thicker than a few millimeters, it can trap bubbles which will show in the finish. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Thanks, where might I get my hands on some mercury vaccum and how do I apply it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 'inches of mercury' is the silly merkin non SI way of expressing pressure, which should clearly be in pascals, but just to be a little more 'mainstream' without giving in to weird imperial measures, in mm of mercury ;-) Seriously though, you need a vacuum of some sort. Pull the air out of the container you're mixing the epoxy in, which will take the bubbles out as well, would be my guess. I can't see it not making a mess if you do it after putting the epoxy in the routers. Old fridge pump should do the trick, although I'm hardly an expert on this kind of topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 So your saying I have to mix it in a vacuum? Im not exactly sure what is going on here sorry if Im a little slow on the uptake. Any tutorials or anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Mix, then draw a vacuum to pull any air you've mixed into the stuff out. I've never seen a tutorial, but I've seen it done a number of times on the discovery channel for silicones, epoxies, etc. that need to go into moulds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 (edited) Ill do some research and then I might be back here. I might be able to deal with the bubbles, how bad would it be. I mean by the looks of things I cant get that vacuum, the machines cost thousands and I dont have tens to spend on one. Edited September 7, 2005 by 68 lost souls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Anybody know how bad the bubbles would be without the vacuum Ive never used epoxy before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
criss Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 (edited) I use a product called enviro tec its a two part resin . Drys clear and rockhard , no bubble probs that ive ever had . And ive poured this stuff over a inch deep for model projects . What you can do if you do get bubbles once you ve poured your epoxy is blow on the top useing a drinking straw .Sit your straw just above the epoxy and lightly blow , you ll see the epoxy move a little and bubbles should go bye bye once they are exposed to air . This will kill any bubbles and you have control over the spot your blowing . ( just a light breath will do the trick , dont blow so hard to send your epoxy flying out of your rout . But your best bet is do a few tests on some junk wood first . Its very easy to do but test a few times . This should all work with epoxy , but get 30min drying so you have time to work with it . It should nt be bad re bubbles if you mix it correctly . ie dont go crazy whipping it up to much . Worst case is lay it down in two or 3 thin layers , the straw blowing will easly take care of any bubble in the thin layers . Lay one layer down , clear any bubble with your straw let it dry then repeat . Should be a easy job , i cant see why you could nt do it in one pour . Pour half the rout deal with bubbles then pour the rest . Job done no bubbles should be the result , you don't need vacum machinces for small jobs like this . A 2cent straw and some time should be all you need . Do a few tests and get back and let us know how it worked out . HTH Edited September 10, 2005 by criss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted September 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 Cheers. Still havent got around to ordering yet as something came uo here familywise. I still plan on oredering it soon though. Should have a bonus coming my way as I finish work next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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