Too Tricky Inlay Idea?

[TheCross]

ola.

I had that inlay idea to use green abalone and put some kind of small real thin stripe of white MOP or something all along the edge between the frets instead of the marker point. will this be way too tricky or might I go another way like... painting the edge or anything like that, but if so what should I use that won't wear off?

here's a quick drawing of the idea(the well drawn white lines are supposed to be the MOP. I hope you get it... ):

Edited July 6, 2006 by TheCross

[cSuttle]

If I understand you correctly, what you want to do is put a thin bar by the frets at 3, 5, 7 ... Is that right?

If so, that doesn't really sound that bad. The bar would be easy enough to cut and route. My suggest would be to use real pearl (not abalam or plastic) and inlay the bar over the fret slot. Then reopen the fret slot with a fret saw or a .024 router bit (which is what I use). This will actually allow the inlay to go under the fret and look really clean. Sounds cool. I'd go for it if I were you.

[fryovanni]

ola.

I had that inlay idea to use green abalone and put some kind of small real thin stripe of white MOP or something all along the edge between the frets instead of the marker point. will this be way too tricky or might I go another way like... painting the edge or anything like that, but if so what should I use that won't wear off?

here's a quick drawing of the idea(the well drawn white lines are supposed to be the MOP. I hope you get it... ):

Doesn't sound that hard to me. Have you ever tried to inlay material or cut shell? It may be a good idea to try a bit of practice work to get used to it before you give it a go on your fretboard.

P.S. You may also want to buy pre-cut straight strips at the width you want to use. It will take that variable out of the equation, and the cost for such a small number of strips would be minimal.

Peace,Rich

[mikhailgtrski]

Shell purfling along the edge of a fingerboard isn't unheard of.

It's do-able, but you'll need "mad skills" to make it look good.

[TheCross]

Shell purfling along the edge of a fingerboard isn't unheard of.

It's do-able, but you'll need "mad skills" to make it look good.

'you build meee up, and you break meee down again'

but where to get so small stripes fom? I wanted to get a blank and cut it from that....

AND this will be my first time to do an inlay job... stick to dots, huh?!

[mikhailgtrski]

AND this will be my first time to do an inlay job... stick to dots, huh?!

Forget dots - my first inlay was a vine. Turned out fairly nice, but took forever.

Like Rich said, you can buy straight pre-cut purfling strips. DePaule, stewmac, etc.

Read up on inlay (clavin has a good tutorial access it through the home page). Plan your design carefully, use the correct tools, practice on scrap, and take your time.

Did I mention practice on scrap?

Mike

[fryovanni]

Yup, Just like Mr. Mike said. Depaule is a good choice.

If you use Ebony FB it will be a bit easier to hide little gaps w/black epoxy (pretty good results). The real trick to doing a good job will be getting the routes in the right spot. I would sandwich a thin surface like that between a couple boards to get a good flat surface. Then use blocks to keep your dremel in the right spot (or I should say keep the lines straight and centered.). Take your time and check your blocking several times to be sure it is spot on. Actually it is a pretty simple linear inlay. It is only made tricky because you HAVE to stay dead on centers.

The big plus is. As soon as you get your feet wet with this project you will want to do more inlay. It gets pretty addictive after you get a great looking job complete.

Rich

[mikhailgtrski]

The big plus is. As soon as you get your feet wet with this project you will want to do more inlay. It gets pretty addictive after you get a great looking job complete.

+1

He's not kidding. You'll never build one with plain dots again. Ever.