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So I'm building an OM for a friend and he wants lots of candy (shell inlay) on it. I completed it and I think the final result is fairly decent but I found filling the small routed gaps on the vine to be difficult to fill without clogging up the fret slots with rock hard CA. Is there a better process to do this?
BTW my friend chose this maple leaf vine inlay from DePaule but it looks like cannibus. He is NOT from Colorado.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Hi Doug,
I am probably not the best person to answer your question since I have only done one small inlay and I have a lot of room for improving my technique. However I think you should be using epoxy and not CA glue. Epoxy will give you time to scrape the fret slots out using an old hack saw blade ground down like a small chisel. CA is going to set up really fast (and hard) as you found out. If you use something like a 30 minute epoxy it will give you plenty of time to clean the slots before it sets up.

You can also get Teflon strips that you can insert into the slots so it doesn't get there in the first place. I think Stew Mac sells it for doing shell perfling.

And yes.... That does look like Weed...

Cheers,
Bob

I always clean my slots out with these tapered router bits from StewMac.
They're perfect for cleaning out the slots after inlay work.
Epoxy is good but CA is faster, and you'll have to clean out the slots anyway I'd think.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Speci ... r_Bit.html

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Certainly the alternate leaf arrangement is more consistent with cannabis. Maple leaves occur in opposite pairs.

The Stewmac Teflon fret dam sheets do the trick, especially if you wedge them in place for a tighter fit.


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Some Japanese Maple leaves look similar to the leaves on the fretboard.

I've not done such a large inlay to overlap the fret slots but I've seen the issue addressed by putting a filler in the slots to keep the glue out. I've also seen many people stop the inlays just short of the slots. I've heard this is the preferred method as it will keep the shell from cracking when the board is fretted. Also it means the fret tang is grabbing wood rather than shell, which is preferable.

I dot the inlay in with CA, but use epoxy to fill gaps. I also use the tiny tapered bits to clean out slots.

The leaves, yes, but not their arrangement along the shoot. The leaves of all species of maple ALWAYS occur in pairs, arranged opposite to one another, even when they are compound leaves as found on Manitoba maple (Acer negundo).

You can use Teflon strips to make dams in the slots (McMaster Carr I think will have suitable thicknesses) maybe StewM or you can do it the poor man's way and cover veneer with plane old plastic packaging tape (that's what I use) The packaging tape is a great release material -- I have yet to find an adhesive that will stick to it. The dam is a good idea even with epoxy filler.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I did that same inlay on one of my earlier guitars, and yes, I always have to tell people that they are marijuana leaves. As for the inlaying, I always use the Teflon from StewMac. I cut strips and pare them level with the fretboard. If the fretboard is to be bound, I put the strips in before binding to keep the binding glue out of the slot. After scribing the inlay, I cut it into pieces just short of the fret slots as someone else suggested. With the thin vine of your inlay, you can not do any of this and recut the slot. However, the more shell that spans the slot, the more important it is to do what I describe. If you don't, the shell will chip or worse when you install the frets, or if you ever remove them. However, you can minimize chipping (maybe eliminate?) by filing off the barbs and gluing the fret in.

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Kevin Mason
Mason Guitars and Ukuleles on Facebook
http://masonguitars.net

Very nice Doug!

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Thanks for the good input everyone. Next time I'll incorporate some of these ideas. Here's how I solved this current one...I took off the bindings (thankful to have used fish glue), recut the slots with some fine saws, increasing in width until I hit target width. Reattached bindings and fretted. Next time should be simpler and faster.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... bluescreek
here is a link to a number of inlay vids. There are many ways to fill. Once beauty of the ebony is that you picked the easiest of the woods to work with. I agree with damning the fret slots, but I use a razor blade and wax paper or before I start I take dark show wax and fill the fret slots. I don't show that in the vids but will be shooting advanced inlay vids soon.
As for filling voids, a black sharpie pen and activator , then follow with CA will help hide the most stubborn voids, Epoxy also will work but since you are glued in the CA trick may be your best bet. Find what works the best for you.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

If you want to take a big step forward in doing inlays, go to https://woodgears.ca/pantograph/inlay2.html, take a look around and then buy the plans for the pantograph (and then build one) and the "Big Print" software. The "Big Print" software is useful for many things and worthwhile even on its own, but in this application it's great for taking a picture of your actual material to be inlaid and make a print out three times size. Then you just trace the picture with the pantograph follower and the dremel cuts the pocket. This set up will give you a 3:1 advantage when routing the pockets, e.g. an error normally causing a 1 mm gap will only create a .333 mm gap. I use a 1/32" bit on the dremel and have been getting very tight fits for my inlays. Here's a follow-up to the first link where I show an example of inlaying my logo: https://woodgears.ca/pantograph/inlay_followup.html. I think the only way you could do better is CNC.

Cheers,
Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Thanks John. Your videos have been most helpful to me. Question, what effect does the accelerator have on the sharpie? Or are you pre-loading the workpiece prior to the CA?

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

I would have to agree that John Hall's inlay videos are pretty darn good. I wish they were available years ago when I used Larry Roberson's book as my guide (BTW very good). The air drive high speed spindles are extremely smooth cutting, a Dremel is no match, never used the Forsman(?) so I can't comment. I would suggest that the hose or cord is much more manageable if it is suspended by some sort of balancer or shock cord.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I would cut the slots after I inlay on something like that.

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Pat

I've heard this is the preferred method. Is it your belief that the inlay should stop just short of the fret slots so that the shell doesn't chip when cutting and installing the frets??

I think that would be best. Although it's more work. But, so is cleaning out fret slots. Then, cleaning them out again!

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Pat