A Delicate Inlay Project

There are fewer things more beautiful to me than a well executed shell inlay.  This is a Martin, HD-28VR guitar that is receiving more than enough mother-of-pearl and abalone inlay to draw it out to sea (and the owner lives within 20 minutes of the Atlantic Ocean ... careful, Russ). 

I wanted to show you some of the finer points of inlay work with this piece.  It is the C. F. Martin inlay that is on the headstock being duplicated in gold mother-of-pearl.  There are a lot of places where you can't get with a blade before drilling.  I use a tiny drill bit for this.  They are from a micro set I own.  I think most of the holes I drilled were a #60 bit, but a couple were smaller, still.

     The blades are very small and are available through a lapidary supply house.  The blade on the top of the penny is a finer one than the one on the bottom.  I have to thread the finest blade through the holes carefully and one at a time as I cut the inside delicate work first.  You have to develop a feel for this work and know when you are sawing yourself into a corner.  You just know after a few dozen inlay jobs.  The basic rule of thumb is to leave the most raw material in place until you have to cut it away in order to have something to hold onto while cutting the piece.

This is a slow process that requires you to be patient and let the blade to the cutting.  Rushing will break the blade in a hurry, and take it from me, you haven't lived until you have broken one of these blades and accidentally jammed it into a finger.  Yea ... its a real treat.

Keep the blade parallel and when turning, the blade needs to keep moving but not be forced.

Careful planning can give you beautiful results.  The paper pattern is glued on with crazy glue.  This glue holds up well to the blade and bonds well with the shell.