Thanks to all who have offered so much encouragement and advice as I have repaired the many mistakes I have made on my latest guitar. For your entertainment, here are some before and after photos of the last repair --- the faded purfling line on the rosette. Here's the before picture:
You can see where the outer maple purfling line faded out on the right side of the rosette.
My friendly neighborhood hardwood store employee suggested I try some Behlen's powders. They come in nifty little bottles and contain a few tablespoons full of pigment. I bought some "maple" and some "white" (because the maple looked too dark). I put a tiny pile of each powder on a piece of wax paper and a few drops of laquer in the middle. I dabbed a little white powder into the laquer, and a little maple powder, then more of each until it looked right. I then dabbed a toothpick in the colored lacquer and, with my steadiest hand, drew the faded line back in. It was a challenge, because my hand really isn't that steady. But the final results aren't too shabby if I do say so myself. (My photography skills leave a bit to be desired, though.) Here's the final result. It's a lousy photo, but is a pretty good representation of how it looks now:
Sorry for the poor photos.
Thanks for all your help.
