silver stock used in vine inlays?

[guitarchump]

Where can you get the metal/silver square wire stock used for the stem in vine inlays?

Are there any places that sell plastics that are suitable for inlay material or any places to get cheep materials for practicing inlay?

thx

[soapbarstrat]

Possibly " nickel silver" bar stock.

[skibum5545]

There are a couple options for silver. Nickel silver is certainly cheaper than sterling silver, but it's not real silver (if that matters to you) and it's a pain to work because it's so hard. Sterling silver, while it's more expensive, is prettier (it is more recognizably silver, while nickel silver is more chrome looking), and a lot easier to work.

As for getting it, almost every jewelry supplier will have square wire in many different gauges. Here's one site, scroll down to find 14 or 16 gauge square wire in 5 foot packages. Maybe a local jewelry store has some extra, or can tack a couple feet onto their next order. Ebay has jewelry supplies, but all I could find was 22 or smaller gauge square silver wire.

Other options include filling the rout with melted solder or silver dental amalgam, but the sterling wire probably isn't all that hard to find before resorting to such methods.

[Clavin]

[Other options include filling the rout with melted solder or silver dental amalgam]

This is most likely the least attractive method. It may seem easier because you don't have to cut anyting out, but if your rout isn't absolutely perfect neither is your vine shape. At least in ebony a non-perfect rout can be dealt with cleanly. Your wire most likely isn't changing shape, so you will be much more succesfull in the begining.

Perfect routes take hours, even days for some patterns.

Just my 2 cents

C. Lavin

[guitarchump]

Thx a lot for telling me where to find the stock!

any tips on routing the channels for them ?

[Clavin]

Fold the silver stock into the pattern you want it to take. Glue this carefully down to the board using Duco cement.

Carefully scribe around this with an exacto knife, remove the silver with acetone.

Carefully remove any glue remaining with acetone, and fill the scribed lines with chalk.

Rout carefully to the line. Don't excede the line, but make sure the chalk pattern is cleanly removed by the routing.

There are a few other methods, this is the most direct. Whatever you do your completed/cut materials should determine the final route, NOT the other way around.

Don't rush, and don't be put off if it takes longer than you think. For a begginner depending upon your pattern it should take a few hours.

The best way to ruin an inlay is to just tell your self you can "fix it after I get to the next part". This is almost always never the case.

There are two kinds of inlays in luthiery.

Those done right, and those done wrong

It's easy to tell them apart.

C.Lavin

www.handcraftinlay.com

[guitarchump]

Wow that helped so much thx for all your help recently Clavin its helped me a lot. I have all my supplies ordered and just picking up more knowledge while waiting for them. If you have any more tips for me as a beginner please give me them. The more information you give me the better.

Thx for all your tips and wisdom I’m sure they will help me not do stupid things

Thx again

Jeff

[Clavin]

My best beginners tips?

1) Stay with dark ebony for the wood. NOTHING else.

2) Cut carefully and plane your cuts. Cut perpendicular to the pearl, cut slow ( as a beginner, you'll speed up with time)

3) Use a technical drafting pencil for all your drawings ( I use 4-8 H leads depending upon what drawing stage I'm at) . The thinner the lines, the tighter your cuts if your joining seperate pieces.

4) Biggest one here- your drawing IS your inlay. All steps after the art is generated are just attempts at making the drawing come to life out of various materials. If your drawing and art is sub par, NOTHING can fix it. Work on being an artist first, then an inlay artist secondly. Luckily they suuport each other so I find I can make gains at both during each piece. I have been working on cleanly drawn, creative art more recently as it is the foundation for great inlays.

Oh, and last but should be first... If your guitars suck and nobody likes the way they sound or play it won't matter how fancy the inlays are. Make a superior guitar first.

C. Lavin

[guitarchump]

Thx C. Lavin! That helps a lot. I take design studies at my school (its like drafting but more art involved) so that should be the perfect opportunity to make some inlay designs.

I’m thinking of making some boxes as presents for family members as my first projects. So I should get lots of practice without throwing money down the drain.

I have a few questions:

1) Is it easy to work with wood as an inlaying material like curly maple and lace wood est. (I’m talking about a replacement for pearl, and I know this is a stupid question) Is there any thing different in the process of cutting or gluing?

2) What do you mean by "plane your cuts" do you mean like file the edges for a perfect match, or what?

3) And last but not least how long have you been doing inlay work?

Thx for all your help recently

[Clavin]

Hello again.

Q

1) Is it easy to work with wood as an inlaying material like curly maple and lace wood est. (I’m talking about a replacement for pearl, and I know this is a stupid question) Is there any thing different in the process of cutting or gluing?

A

Same difference. Glue a backer of some sort to the wood though, it tends to fray out when cutting it. Even just coating the back with super glue will help.

Also remember- sanding over light woods gets them very dirty, especially in ebony.

Q

2) What do you mean by "plane your cuts" do you mean like file the edges for a perfect match, or what?

A

I mean watch for how to not waste shell by cutting through it to get to a piece, and look for fragile areas where you may want to approach the cut from a different angle. Many times I leave a thin connecting piece half cut, just so I can glue it to the adjoining piece, glue them together to strengthen the fragile piece, then cut the rest of it out.

Q

3) And last but not least how long have you been doing inlay work?

A

I'll never tell

Way, way Less than most famouse guys though.

My work can be seen at

www.handcraftinlay.com

[guitarchump]

common you have got to tell us!