So, I am looking to make a few original guitars, and I am really hoping for everything to be non-toxic and "eco-friendly" as much as possible, both for my own safety as well as my sensibilities, as I hope to shift this into a career, or at the very least, an involved hobby.
As far as I know, the best thing to use as far as non-toxic goes is acrylic resin (pmma.) I'm sure many of you are loyalists to the more traditional means, but I have worked as a painter and with them for years, and I know that no matter how many precautions you take, there is still risk involved. I also realize I probably wouldn't want to drink acrylic resin either, but at least I PROBABLY wouldn't die.
I've found a couple of places that I can get small sets of acrylic resin colors for automotive and airbrushing use, but I'm really interested in being able to mix it myself so I can create custom colors, and also have it available in larger quantities.
I WILL be starting off on a smaller scale, of course, but I am curious to know if any of you have ever used acrylics? Do you have any suggestions as far as the best type of tint? Do you know what would be best to thin it out? Or do you have any other suggestions that would also be non-toxic?
Whenever I get into this, I will be sure to post pictures, but any information/knowledge/advice is greatly appreciated.
Another thing I am curious about experimenting with is using brass for inlays? I think it would be a very attractive material to use, though I realize I would have to coat it in something (acrylic resin, perhaps?) and there is of course the issue of wood expansion vs. metal expansion (or lack thereof,) so I am concerned that over time it might just shift enough to fall out, though I have seen stone and copper used. Have any of you used anything like this in your guitars?