There appears to be nothing on this forum about creating one’s own inlays. Most guitars will have inlays cut by laser and router technology and therefore can be extremely complex and fancy. Adding bling does nothing to improve the sound and I much prefer basic inlays on any guitar.
I wanted some inlays to re-introduce the brand name to the headstock as the original label came off when removing the paint finish. So I decided to start from scratch and see if I could drill/cut/file/saw the letters out of a Paua shell. I realized that the letters would never be perfect in height, width, colour, etc, etc but figured that would only add charm to this classic guitar.
Many hours later the six letters emerged…. Here some photos showing the process and the end result. I have no idea yet how to rebate the headstock so the letters will fit in nicely. That’s something for later.
Starting with the letter A in a whole paua shell - inside
Starting with the letter A in a whole paua shell - outside
And the result....
When faced with quality, I recognise it every time.
good on ya for having a crack!.. way more patient than I could be.
Some Bozo wrote:dogs represent the qualities we like to see in a friend, and cats represent the qualites we'd like to be able to get away with in ourselves
As there is a 3 photo limit.... On to the letter H now...
The letter H is emerging...
The letter M was not to hard, but I broke the letter Y twice and needed three shots at it.
Once all letters were done I sanded the back off (NZ Simon - you are too quick, the post wasn't even one minute old....) and found that the colours and the light effects were much nicer.
Can you guess the name?
Cheers
Sean
When faced with quality, I recognise it every time.
Thanks for that web site reference, wish I had seen that before. Anyway, here is the final result.
All the letters on a piece of merbau timber
And here a photo of the letters on their final resting place - SA30 headstock. Letters just placed on top, rebating to be done later. That will be challenging too.
Cheers
Sean
Attachments
I think I will put them in a sort of a circle formation... following the headstock contour.
When faced with quality, I recognise it every time.
Rebated the headstock for the letters. Not that easy and it is a little bit rough. Glued the letters in place, sanded the whole lot level and put a coat of polyurethane over it. This is the result. Looks better in real life.
Paua letters glued in and sanded level with headstock.
Cheers
Sean
When faced with quality, I recognise it every time.
Some Bozo wrote:dogs represent the qualities we like to see in a friend, and cats represent the qualites we'd like to be able to get away with in ourselves
