Tail Piece Inlay

[Malibu]

I started working on the tail piece inlay today. Going well so far, but still a fair way to go!
I had the tail made a while ago, but just the basic shape and not much more.

I've made big use of autocad while I've been making the archtop, from playing with dimensions, to checking designs and checking clearance of the string path from the tuning posts up to the nut.
It's been great for designs work on the inlay too. It's much easier to move the inlay around the tail and adjust sizes in autocad than drawing it all by hand!
Once I was happy with the design, I copied it a few times at 1:1 scale and printed it out. I checked sizes on the tail and compared it to the size/design of the head inlay.
Basicaly, I cut each part of the inlay design out of the patterns and glued them onto the pearl with PVA glue.
I used a powered scroll saw to cut it for the most part although I had plans to cut it all with a hand saw. I'm glad I went powered... That pearl is HARD!!!
As I cut each piece, I'd glue it down to a master pattern with PVA to 1) make sure all the bits were cut and 2) not lose any!! :rolleyes:
After about 6 hours of cutting, sanding and filing I had all the parts I needed. All glued down and lined up looking pretty good :D
Not quite "to the line" but it's close enough for me!

I learned a few things on the pearl...
a) it's harder to cut than I thought...
b) it's not as fragile as I thought...
c) it smells like the ocean (well, duh! I never even gave it a thought! :- )
d) keep all the scraps, no matter how small they are. They'll come in use.

Here's a few pictures so far... The next step is to transfer the design to the tail piece and route it out. I've got a few new ideas that I think will make it easier after the last effort I did on the head stock.
I'll keep you posted :D

[Malibu]

Here's some of the tools I used.

A power scroll saw that is worth it's weight in gold for this! It's an old clunky thing that is designed for longer blades, but with a bit of twiddling, it works great! I was going to toss it a few years ago because it had only gathered dust for 20 years... Glad I didn't now!

The dremel has a rotary file in it that I used to trim some of the bodgy cuts that I did. I tried rat-tail files, honing stones and emery, but none of them did much to the pearl. The 3/32" rotary file ate it up!:D

I prefer to keep both hands on the job, so I use a remote foot control for things like this. It's just a relay and switch in a box (There's also a speed control light dimmer on it) that when I step on the bellows, activates the air-switch and brings on the (already turned on) tool. It was great for the scroll saw, because I found that my hands might need moving as I cut or something similar. Foot off and it stops, when I'm ready, foot on and it's away. :2tsup:
It's also great for the dremel when I routed the head stock for the same reasons. If anyone would like to build one and need some more details, let me know and I'll post the particulars.

Last photo is a close up of the inlay glued down to the paper pattern. Sorry about the focus, but that was about the focus my eyes had when I was cutting it!! :p
Think I need glasses! :(

[Jackspira]

Looks great Malibu, I'm fascinated to see you used a scroll saw to cut the pearl!! I still can't quite imagine how you did it! But it looks a fine job..
Jack

[old_picker]

Yes the inlay looks pretty smooth.
What type of scroll saw is it?? How big is it??
I have steered away from anything to do with inlay but after reading a small book on it I got from swmbo i may have a go at it on the [1st] neck I am planning to build....

[Malibu]

Further work on the inlay tonight when I got home from work...

I wasn't too good with following the lines scratched into a smear of paint on the last inlay I did, so I pondered over a new scheme.
Besides, I spent ages following carefully all the lines, only to find that most of the lines I followed were routed out and I was left with a big hole :(
I traced the outline of the inlay onto a piece of paper, cut around the pencil mark with a scalpel and used PVA to glue it to the tail piece. The contrast of black and white made it much easier to follow!
I made a dremel router base a while ago for this purpose and I finally got to use it. Works great and cost nothing, but a few hours in the workshop :)
I temprarily hooked up some low pressure compressed air to continually blow away the dust. A future project will be to run an air line down the router base.
Finaly all routed out. Those rotary files are a breeze! A quick squirt with some water and I hit it with a toothbrush to get rid of the paper pattern.
I checked the fit of the inlay in the hole and only found it to be tight on a couple of points, so they were easily trimmed to suit. I threw the inlay in some water to remove the paper from the back, and when I fitted the pieces into the cavity, some of the curves didn't match up, so I did some final trim to the pearl shell too.

To be continued.....

[Malibu]

Continued... :D

Once everything fitted nicely, I used some 5 minute epoxy on the back of the pearl and glued them into position. Because I only have clear epoxy, I used it sparingly to make sure it didn't ooze out through the gaps, but still enough to hold the pieces in place. As soon as I could, I sprinkled some ebony dust on the inlay and patted it down careful not to move the design blowing off the excess.
I left it for 1/2 hour, then rubbed some ebony dust into the gaps and flooded it with CA, ending up with a major mess! :wink:
I left it for a while before I started sanding. I also found that a scraper held almost down to the ebony surface did a great job on removing the high spots from the shell. :)
When it was pretty smooth, I laid a sheet of 400 W&D on a piece of Malamine and rubbed the shell flat with the ebony to finish up for the night :2tsup:
Total time tonight for routing/glueing was around about 2 and a 1/2 hours....

There's still a bit to go, such as putting the radius on, so I didn't really do a great job in the finish... That's for another day! :D

I hope this is interesting, because the inlay process has been for me!!! :D

[Malibu]

What type of scroll saw is it?? How big is it??
I have steered away from anything to do with inlay but after reading a small book on it I got from swmbo i may have a go at it on the [1st] neck I am planning to build....

Ray, from my limited venture I'd say go for it!
I think so far it's been one of the most rewarding parts of the project, probably because I can see a finish to my work after only a few hours. I was a bit hesitant in doing the inlay as well, but once I started I got right into it :D
To answer your questions... The sticker on the side says it's a Jacobs, 15" scroll saw and made in 1988. The blade length is supposed to be 120mm, but (and I think I forgot to mention this...) I use fret saw blades which are much shorter then 120mm. When they break, they do it in a spectacular way because of the pre-tension they are under! :oo:
The inlay pieces I did are not particularly intricate, but hopefully stylish. A few small bits, a few bigger bits and in this thread there's a total of 12 pieces in the design. I think a pretty good beginners piece :)

[kiwigeo]

Continued... :D

Because I only have clear epoxy, I used it sparingly to make sure it didn't ooze out through the gaps, but still enough to hold the pieces in place. As soon as I could, I sprinkled some ebony dust on the inlay and patted it down careful not to move the design blowing off the excess.

Malibu, you could try mixing the ebony dust with the epoxy before applying it to the inlay....it'll save you having to worry about dislodging the inlay while patting in dust after gluing.

All looking good....can't wait to see the finished instrument.

Cheers Martin

[Malibu]

Malibu, you could try mixing the ebony dust with the epoxy before applying it to the inlay....

All looking good....can't wait to see the finished instrument.

I pondered over mixing the dust and the epoxy, but steered clear of it...
1) The ratio of epoxy/dust would have been too much and I'd either end up with a very 'dry' mixture, or with more epoxy than dust that might show the join...
2) I've never been a great fan of sanding epoxy. I don't know why, it's just never grabbed me.
I might use that option on the fingerboard though to see how it ends up. I'm planning a small inlay on the 12th fret, so it might be a good place to try it :)

So far I'm pretty happy with the way things have turned out with all this (except for the cracks in the side from bending), but I have this recuring dreaded thought that it'll sound like a brick with strings!
Maybe a Pete Townsend or Jimi Hendrix impersonation will be the only option left after it's all over with! :oo:

[rhoads56]

Smells like the ocean?? If you can smell ANYTHING, you've inhaled enough dust to cause irreversable damage to your lungs. The dust stays in your lungs forever, grinding away until you have nothing left but sores and puss. Treat it like asbestos.

[contrebasse]

The dust stays in your lungs forever, grinding away until you have nothing left but sores and pus.

Cheerful chap, isn't he?? :( I guess that's why wet'n'dry was invented.

SO ... are you going to inlay the fretboard as well?

[kiwigeo]

1) The ratio of epoxy/dust would have been too much and I'd either end up with a very 'dry' mixture, or with more epoxy than dust that might show the join...
2) I've never been a great fan of sanding epoxy. I don't know why, it's just never grabbed me.


HI Malibu,

You can add quite a bit of ebony dust to the epoxy without it affecting the consistency of the glue. As for sanding epoxy, I usually scrape intially and only sand when I'm close to level. Sandpaper tends to favour soft material (ie the ebony) while removing less of the hard stuff (pearl/shell) while a scraper will attack the hard stuff in preference to the soft stuff. Of course scraping on a curved surface like your tail piece may be a bit tricky unless youre using a curved scraper...you could make one up.

Cheers Martin

[Malibu]

SO ... are you going to inlay the fretboard as well?

The plan is to do a simple inlay at the 12th fret... nothing elaborate, more like just a marker. How about you? What's the plans for inlay on the bass, Matthew?
Come on, how many molluscs will it take to inlay that masterpiece? :wink:

Martin, I'll try your suggestion of mixing the epoxy and the ebony for that one and see how it goes :)
I found the scraper the best for removing pearl shell until it's almost level with the surface, then W&D from there on. It scrapes much better than I thought it would :D
I haven't radiused the tail yet because I didn't want to get too deep into unknown territory by scraping pearl on a curved surface... Sounds too much for a 'first' effort. Funny you should mention it though, I was poking around at work today and spied some curved tool steel in the store. Straight away my instincts have kicked in and I thought "... hmmmm!!... A curved fingerboard scraper"
Such is my devious mind! :wink:

[kiwigeo]

Funny you should mention it though, I was poking around at work today and spied some curved tool steel in the store. Straight away my instincts have kicked in and I thought "... hmmmm!!... A curved fingerboard scraper"
Such is my devious mind! :wink:

You're thinking like a luthier mate! :D

[Malibu]

You're thinking like a luthier mate! :D

I'll work on it... I'm sure more luthiery thoughts will crop up again :D:wink: