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I have a question for those in the know. When you inlay the big block mop into a 12" radiused fb do you radius the back of the pearl, or just install flat and sand the radius into the top of the pearl? Seems like on a block that big and a radius that tight one would have to radius the back of the mop to keep from screwing up the good looking layers on the surface during sanding.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

The back of the pearl is flat. When you sand the radius on the top you can cut through the pearl at the edges, so it is required that you use thicker pearl. Usually the 0.060" blanks are sufficient.

same as Barry. inlay flat sand to radius

I third

Thanks guys, that's what I've done on all my previous mop inlay, I've just never done one as large as those blocks.
Install flat and sand her level. Okie dokie.

ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

With a perfect pocket, you can get around 2.15" of play out of a piece of pearl 0.05 thick on a 12" radius. I'll go to 2" wide, and I'd say it's totally attainable to do 1.85-1.9" by hand.

Scaling all those numbers, a 0.06 piece of pearl can ideally get around 2.3", and so you can probably do 2-2.1" by hand.

Not sure it helps, but it's food for thought. I often have to map these things out when designing inlays.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services