Advise On This Inlay

[Simberg]

hi

i need some advise on how to finish this pickgaurd

i need to know how to finish this inlay

should i finish with laquer or just leave it and sand the wood really smooth

thanks

simberg

Edited January 31, 2006 by Simberg

[Batfink]

Whatever you do be VERY careful how you sand that as it looks like Taiwanese inlay - you got it from Ebay right ? The shell they use is super SUPER thin and you can go through it in an instant. It's up to you if you clear over it or not, i tend to put a couple of thin coats over the truss rod covers i do for people just to seal it but not so it's fully done as it can look a bit plasticky !

Jem

[cSuttle]

Yeah, it looks like the ebay stuff doesn't it? In which case there is a good chance it isn't even inlay, but glued on like a sticker. The advice above on the sanding is VERY GOOD ADVICE! I would suggest not sanding it at all and clear coating it as soon has possible.

This inlay is done with thin-sheet shell which is about .005" thickness. The clearcoat will REALLY help protect it and stop it from flaking off. I had a client that purchased one of their fretboards and the inlay was flaking off before he could ever get the frets on. He ended up scraping the entire neck.

The clear coating should stop this from happening and keep it good looking for sometime. Since it's a pickguard that should cause any playable issue with the instrument. The makers thin-sheet highly recommend putting it under a finish. A large number of guitar makers use this on their headstock logos.

Edited February 3, 2006 by cSuttle