Clavin

It depends upon what it is.

I like the look of black and gold, and engraving around the edges of ALL the pieces after it's inlaid, in additon to the added engraving of the details boldens the piece, and adds contrast. It's intentional as far as wanting the piece to stand out, and be as vibrant as possible goes, but not as far as color design. Thats just an artistc design thing.

Thanks for the support guys!

Craig

49 pieces of black pearl, gold pearl, red abalone heart, gasparite stone, brown lip pearl, corian.

Engraved.

It stands about 5" tall.

This could easily be on a guitar, but it was done as a friends birthday gift.

Thanks for looking!

I AM happy with this one, finally

Craig

How's about an "in progress" pic later tonight?

I have it all put together- just needs routing-glueing-engraving.

Gee.. This is a bigger project than I thought. They all seem more complex these days!

The term inlay artist is a funny thing.

Yes it's woodworking, and yes it's shell, but it does all start with a drawing, and ideas.

It is art in the purest sense.

Low quality does ruin any piece of art. We all know the result. He will get less jobs in his future, and get a bad reputation.

Were only as good as our latest piece.

I live by that.

I know others here do as well.

Just some thoughts on a Friday night..

I hope to have a 50 or so piece seahorse done by Monday. Pics soon

Craig

LGM, Don't discount the backer of a different color idea with the plastics, etc.. I know Larry Robinson has done that technique with acrylics as well.

I am about to do it with a jade green plastic, I just need to make sure it will adhere to the glue first.

I want to get the color bleed through of gold through green. The only way I know to do that is by coloring the backs of the material.

I also know artists that use a mix of black NGR stain, and other materials to give a black shade stain, however it is only good under a finish, it wil rub off obviously with playing on a fretboard. I have not tried it yet, but will soon. It is actually a true looking "shade" It may fade with time though, and appear to be non-existant.

Craig.

You have been doing a lot of great stuff lately!

What LGM said..

True shading is really an engraving thing. It takes a long time, and tons of little "pricking" in an area to make it look right. That said it can be accomplished with shell in a number of ways also... I have done shading before with lettering using black pearl as an effect.

The lettering is gold pearl, the shading black pearl, and the little western style bullets are silver wire. I then engraved the small triangles underneath with a graver tool. A dremmel is the last thing to engrave with unless you are really hollowing out a large area and filling it with epoxy. I would rather cut pieces for effect at that size though.

The shading on this piece was three fold, black pearl for the darkest areas, gold pearl for a more skin tone look, and MOP for the brightness. His hair and facial hair is also varying pieces of pearl, to add to the effect.

For a shade effect on this one,

Gandolfs hat is actually three seperate pieces of black pearl. The top one is lighter, and the bottom pieces darker.

The cool part though is when you move him around the bottom pieces "light up" making it look like there is "magic" coming out from under his hat

Craig

Very nicely done LGM.

Don't worry about getting others done while some inlays sit.

That's the nature of inlay. Some projects just take longer than others.

My recent lady of the lake scene took months. Plenty of smaller inlays got finished in the interim, and the client is still very very happy.

Keep up the good work! Your race car is beautiful.

They only get easier (Larry Robinson told me that about 2 years ago.. he was right, it's the size of the project that gets more complex!)

Craig

Thanks Guys.

The pipestone is a recon stone - it's basically real pipestone crushed and added/mixed with a glue resin. It cuts fairly clean, and it glues up and sands equally well. No absorbance because it's already a glue mix.

All the recon stones work that way.

Craig.

Agreed.

I wasn't dare going to post price info online! Don't worry.

The funny thing about these inlays is while they are so much fun for me to make, few people can afford the really out there ones.. I guess I just make them to see what I can do next..

Hi Guys and thanks..

Can't sell this one, it's going on a Dave Howard guitar for Dave himself.

In fact the "lady" Is Dave's wife. That's why she looks specific, and is not just any woman figure. I worked off of actual modeled photos from her to do the face and body engraving.

Of course I can do these for anyone, but they are not cheap.. This one took well over 50 hours in total, including design, art, concept art, piecing, cutting, routing, leveling, repairing the old positon marker holes with ebony, and engraving around all the pieces to bolden it, and then engraving the body details, then adding the gold and silver dust effects.

I don't post here to get commissions, everyone here does thier own work for the most part.

I just like the atmosphere and the friendly attitudes. I hope to help as well.

This is one of the most time consuming inlays I have ever done.

The body is a modified mockingbird shape, and it's getting a dragon on the font. It's should be pretty cool.

I am in the middle of another 6 or so projects. I'll post photos when I can.

Thanks again for all your support!

Craig

www.handcraftinlay.com

The hair is pipestone. It's also heavily engraved.

Craig

Here it is finally.

The engraving alone took almost 15 hours. I'm not totally happy with it, but it's my first shot at a fully engraved face.

Theoretically you get better each time

Guess I need to do a few more!

Materials are solid gold, black pearl, MOP, gold pearl, silver dust, silver, pipestone, red abalone.

Thanks for looking.

Craig

Make sure your pearl is at least .06" if going across the board with it, or lay out your pattern so it doesn't span the entire board.

Pearl should lay flat or a radiused board a good 1/2" or so from it's center, as long as you don't try to run it clear across, and have the bottom drop out from under you.

I sand with a totally flat 5" long sanding block. Not a radiused one. The thing is if you have to sand a smaller area away, you don't want to have to sand the entire board in that area over again if it dosn't need it. Watch your glue as it starts to fade away, and make sure if there are any glue free spots you don't sand there. Swith to higher grits well in advance of the glue sanding off, and always make longer strokes along the board, and not small local ones, those will generate dips in the board if your not carefull.

Most inportant, take your time, and don't rush.

watch your glue going away, and don't overkill on the 80 and 120 grit papers. You can sand a while with 220 and up and be relatively safe. When the glue is gone in an area, STOP, and move elsewhere, untill you final sand to maybe 400 across the whole board.

Craig

Actually your both right.

Although it's a part time job right now.

I hopeing to get enough exposure to go full time very soon! I am pretty busy with inlays almost all the time, but it takes ALOT to go full time!

I believe in perseverance, and putting forth the best you can in quality.

One day it will happen!

Craig

Thanks Guys.

Those are actually older pieces off my website,

www.handcraftinlay.com

(also as seen of the friends page! )

I am finishing up the lady of the lake inlay, and I have a few other new ones I have not shown you guys yet. She is in the works in progress, and her face is fully engraved now.

Nothing else major, just a truss cover, some cool fret markers.

I am starting my first "insane" inlay tonight actually.

I am just in the middle of pieceing it out.

It's a 200 or so piece leafy sea dragon. This one is a bit of a challenge.

I wish I had a guitar to put it on!

Right now it doesn't have a home.

I was going to inlay it into a box lid.

I promise some new works photos soon.

LGM you interested in making me a guitar for this inlay??? We should talk maybe..

PS- turquoise is really mostly blue, not much greens in the normal variety, others are available that have differing shades of colors.

Thanks!

Craig

Masecraft supply has a ton of blue shade recon stones. The number is online I believe. Just do a search for it.

Turquoise, in about 7 varieties, as well as blue plastics.

I am always using blue materials, dealing with water type colors.

They are out there, just not as shell.

You can try paua but you won't get a pure blue.

Go with a synthetic, or a stone material. They are a bit of a pain to work, however they are worth it.

The "light streaks" in the backdrop are blue atlantine (plastic), and the dorsal part of the tuna is lapis recon stone.

Here the water is paua abalam, white MOP, turquoise, and another blue recon stone masecraft carries. Sorry I forgot the name The dorsal fin is 35 seperate paua pieces, however you can see it's not really "blue"

Here is another use of turquoise- Earth. The green is gasparite recon stone, and the stars are silver wire.

Best of luck.

Craig

Hi guys.

Mother of pearl comes from the large Japanese ( indo pacific ) pearl oyster. Any of the pearls come from molluscs that were once living functional parts of the marine ecosystem.

Abalone is a univalve (one shell) that mainly comes from the Pacific, Calif. coast, and New Zealand (paua).

Abalone are a food animal as well.

The gold pearl, and black pearl are also pearl oysters, not "clams"

all are marine.

Pink mussel, and white river pearl come from freshwatwer streams, and have a different density shell due to the lack of minerals in fresh water.

I think there is over 225 abalone species worldwide, and most likely around the same on oysters, understand only a few are suitable for inlay purposes.

The shells are pieced out pattern wise, then cut, and leveled to get good quality blanks.

It's a complicated process I don't recommend getting into. It's also very, very unhealthy to breath in pearl dust as it is, imagine the quantity produced during slabbing..

Craig

I agree with saber.

I noticed that note when I first looked into it, but it didn't get mentioned in my post. Stay away from anything that shrinks or has a low melting temp, or hardness of less than maybe 2.5 or so on the MOHS hardness scale. Woods are O.K, but remember, they will get dirty fast, especially maple. Any attempts at sealing them will most likely not work either, as it will wear away.

Craig

Craig

Hi Guys.

As long as the material polishes out (seems like it would) is thick enough (.09 is pretty thick- you may want to use it at .06 or so).

There doesn't seem to be a reason it wouldn't work.

As long as you can sand it, and polish it and the pattern comes back up I say experiment first, and give it a shot.

there is never any harm in buying a piece, taking a half inch or so and seeing what happens on some scrap wood.

I use heavily patterned acrylics and platics all the time, and almost all have been succesfull.

Good luck.

Craig L

You get what you pay for.

Pay for it and you'll see what you get.

Pay for something from me, or LGM, or any other modern trained inlay artist, and you will pay for it now, but your kids and their kids will also enjoy it. The value will most likely go up through time as well. Even more if it's from a "famouse" person, like Larry R.

Quality is in the time and passion that goes into to doing things correctly, methodically, and slowly.

I personally don't want to produced millions of pieces, I want the ones I produce to turn millions of heads..

Hi Sam

That guitar looks great.

I hate to burst your bubble, however lighted inlays have been done before, by Larry Robinson.

He's done just about everything..

Maybe not to the extent of your fully lit mountains..

Looking forward to seeing the completed pics.. Keep up the good work! It only gets easier.

On another note, my "new" site is up and running, the galleries are easier to load, and much easier to use. It's still www.handcraftinlay.com

Check out Guitarist Don Alder as well. He's an incredible acoustic fingerstyle player. He has a video link on my site. His two hand acoustic style is unreal.

I have agreed to inlay Don's next four custom guitars for him, all with my signature marine life inlays.

Look forward to seahorses, orcas, wolfs ( O.K.. no fish) and some other things.

Craig

Do both.

File the tangs, file back the fret slots and pearl from the edges, and maybe even glue in the frets if needed. I have seen each done before. Combining all three can only help. Also make sure the glue you use isn't the worlds strongest.

You may need to get those frets out one day to re-fret. That could also rip up the inlays

Craig.

Well, when I say he taught me I mean through his video series.

I also emailed him a lot and he was wonderful that way as well, although he has gotten very, very busy.

There is a set of three videos, all available at Stew Mac. They are worth every penny.

They take you step by step through every process, through beginner, intermediate, and advanced inlays. The set costs about $150.00 for all three.

I am self taught, but after 9 or so hours of these videos it was almost like a correspondance course!

Of course I have done a lot on my own, and met with others since then, done some shows, etc..

However, I can promise you that if Larry were to come on here and give any tips, etc.. it would be almost exactly the ways I show you how I do everything.

I learned it all from the ways he does everything. I really don't think much has changed.

He does teach every now and then at the School of Luthiery ( I think) in Ca, for a two day course. I asked him if I should go and he told me basically if I saw the videos it wasn't worth it. He just does a slide show showing the basic techniques.

I don't want to be misleading, but in my opinion I learned almost all I know from the man, and we did exchange a lot of conversation some time ago.

I haven't needed to speak to him at all recently. He's so busy, and gets a ton of email.

Craig

Well, Thanks again then Ace.

It is very flattering.

All of your guys comments are so supportive and nice here.

I really love this site!

Larry has been cutting inlays since 1974 I believe.

He's done it as long as anyone in the industry.

Myself, I have been cutting for way, way less than that! Technically I guess I'm still a beginner

Really it's true.

I hope to be on Larry's level one day!

But, even though I can cut all that pearl, and inlay the heck out of a guitar, as can others here (hey LGM how are your feelers doing? I still think you rock!) I don't find that much inlay attractive. Art needs to breath, the image is what matters.

That Martin, and even the peacock are pretty loaded up.

More than I would ever do regardless of comission price, etc.. BUT, that doesn't take away from the fact they are human achievements in the highest form. Larry is an inlay god. I pray at his altar every morning

Craig

My site is being completely re-built.

It will be up soon, and I'll let you all know when.

Thanks!

Well, I guess it was only a matter of time before you guys saw who MY hero is..

I really don't know where he finds the time to do those types of things, even though he does this full time.

Snork, I wouldn't even want to go for it..

Not my style at all. Leave that to him.

I sticking with natural scenes..

Craig.