Official Luthiers Forum!

Last week I asked for suggestions on removing an abalone shell rosette that was installed too shallowly. Once it was sanded down, the more I looked at it the less I liked it.

I used a heat gun and dental pick to remove the rosette. This worked well as once the shell was heated it retained the heat and allowed me plenty of time to dig the shell out. I limited the soundboards exposure to the heat by aiming most of the heat through the soundhole. My next task was to deepen the rosette channel. Unfortunately when doing this I had a chip out between the rosette channel and soundhole. I believe this can be repaired but I decided to wait until I have more experience before I go down that road. So I put together a new soundboard and glued it to the sides last night.

Although this didn't turn out as hoped for I want to thank those that helped guide me. It's just another example of the great community we have here. Mahalo!!