Posted on March 4, 2022May 29, 2025 by Dale Phillips Wet Inlay Wet Inlay by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #66, 2001 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 In my infancy as a luthier I didn’t have a lot of skills, but I still wanted my instruments to be different from any others. And I wanted them to be fancy. That might have been a combination headed for disaster, but I discovered a few tricks that let me achieve my goals while I simultaneously learned to build instruments worth owning and playing. One of those tricks was wet inlay. I loved the look of guitars draped in abalone trim, but I was sure the work was beyond me. Shell was also way too expensive for a project that might be botched and tossed in the dumpster. Tonewood was nearly out of my reach; there was no way I could invest in cut shell, too. The road to settling on turquoise trim was roundabout. I went to college in Colorado, where silver-and-turquoise Indian jewelry was everywhere. Most American turquoise is mined in Arizona, and the surrounding states have a strong turquoise culture. From a jewelry-making class, I learned that the blue stone is pretty hard, requiring lapidary equipment to cut and polish it. And not only is the good stuff fairly expensive, it’s pretty boring. Quality turquoise is a one-dimensional shade of blue with no grain or color intrusions. Eventually I realized that the jewelry I admired the most was the cheap stuff, chips of turquoise mixed in a clear matrix of some sort, ground flat, and polished. I was pretty sure I could do that to instruments. I could see into a future when turquoise-trimmed instruments would be my famous trademark. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on August 11, 2021May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Pearl Inlay Method Pearl Inlay Method by John Thierman Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #29, 1976 Many instruments made today, as well as in the past, have included the added artistry of inlaid patterns. Inlay is the process by which one substance is inserted into a background, then sanded off flush, creating a pattern within the background substance. Inlay work, or marquetry, can be beautiful and impressive; or it can be gaudy and impractical in terms of the stability of the instrument, and in the problems encountered in future repair. If the inlays are designed tastefully, and are put in correctly, you can achieve an added dimension in instrument building, and not noticeably impair the practical aspects of the instrument. The two major materials used in inlay patterns are wood veneer, and shell (abalone or mother of pearl). Thickness of this inlaid material is of prime importance to all practical aspects of the instrument — the thicker, the better — (up to 1/16"). For wood inlays on the headstock, I use 1/28" veneer, or thicker for, if it needs to be refinished in later years (hopefully many), I don’t want someone, myself included, sanding through the inlaid pattern. On fretboards, sufficient depth is imperative, as the board must be sanded down when refretted. If your inlays are too thin — they will disappear before your very eyes. Therefore, I only use 1/16" wood stock for inlays on the fingerboard, and I have to keep that pattern simple, as 1/16" wood stock is not as easy to cut as pearl. Wood veneers of many colors and grain patterns are readily available from most supply houses, Pearl of abalone is harder to come by, and more expensive. As with wood, I use as thick as possible, without having a hernia cutting it. .080" seems to be my limit, and it’s just thick enough for arched fretboards. Shell comes in different grades — #1 will have more color and brighter hues; whereas #3 may be pale, or have some pin holes (caused by worms), or have bad grain. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on August 11, 2021May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Tinting Lacquer Marks Inlays Tinting Lacquer Marks Inlays by Michael Dresdner Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #280, 1984 and Lutherie Wood and Steel String Guitars, 1998 When I have very intricate inlays and I don’t want to scribe the fingerboard, I take all the inlays and spray their backs with a rubber-type spray adhesive like photo mount. Then I place them on the fingerboard where I want them and spray it lightly with lacquer toner in a contrasting color. For instance, if the fingerboard is rosewood, I’ll spray it with bright yellow. I then pull up the inlays leaving the bright yellow lacquer and a brown spot in the shape of each inlay. It’s a great fast trick. The whole fingerboard can be done at once without any scribing. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on May 21, 2020May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Two Tips on Pearl Inlay Two Tips on Pearl Inlay by Steve Goodale Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #104, 1979 and Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 When cutting a pattern, Scotch brand double-stick two-sided tape is great for holding the pattern on the pearl. Just cut through the pattern and the tape; it doesn’t seem to interfere in the least. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on May 21, 2020May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Gold Leaf Gold Leaf by Nicholas Von Robison Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #102, 1979 and Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 Upon acquiring an old Oscar Schmidt autoharp in very bad condition, I had to learn gold leaf technique to do an original restoration. Prior to this I had always regarded gold leaf as gaudy and pretentious, fitting for antique furniture and the like. Now I use it with shell and ivory for ornamentation on my instruments. “Patent” gold leaf comes in various shades ranging from deep gold to lemon to mottled colors. The quality varies, but the price is reasonable. A book of 20 3" × 5" 23K sheets costs about $15. Check your local hobby and craft shops, or Behlen/Mohawk for supplies. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
