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I am getting ready to finish my first abalone rosette and am looking for some advice from the group.

First, I have cut the channel for the rosette and am very happy with the fit all around. I cut the channel just slightly less deep than the thickness of the abalone pieces and then began to wonder whether it should have been slightly deeper so I could take the top down to the level of the abalone rather than the other way 'round. Would love any thoughts on this one.

Second, what do you find is the best way to miter and fit the ends of the abalone pieces. Do you just sand the edges? Is there a specific angle on the ends of the pieces you try to achieve to best hide the seams?

And lastly (at least for this post), what do you find is the best adhesive to use when you actually install the abalone pieces?

Thanks in advance for your help.

KevinKevinA38848.4381828704

Kevin - I usually route the channel either dead on or a hair low - the glue will sometimes raise up the shell - I use CA, best IMO. As well,, you might want to do a wash coat of shellac or french polish around the area to prevent CA staining. For fitting them together, try to match pieces for figure/color best you can at the joints, then I just touch sand them against a sanding disc I mounted on the end of my thickness sander until its tight. I sand one oend as close to perpendicluar as I can, then install that piece, then sand the next one to match that angle.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Thanks Tony. I think I will go back and lower the channel just slightly rather than sand down the shell.

Kevin

Kevin, That is great advice and it looks and sounds harder than it actually is. Maybe J from my last class could say something. He did a beautiful abalone rosette ths semester.

Kevin are you using ablam or shell. If shell I rout equal depth and sand the shell to the top level. If ablam I rout deep and sand the top to the ablam, because of the possibility of sanding the ablam partway through one lamination and getting a funky looking pattern in the ablam. Ablam is muti layers of very thin sliced shell laminated over each other. It is both possibele to sand it so that one lamination is so thin that the next level down is vissible throu the upper lamination as well as having part of one laminion and another both vissible due to the plane of the laminations as compared to the plane of sanding.

I am not knocking ablam this is just somthing to be aware of.MichaelP38848.5056712963

Robbie, thanks. I knew J was working on one, but just hadn't had a chance to ping him about it.

Michael, using shell, not ablam. I'll check and see how close I am to flush at this point. I may be close enough to not have to deepen the channel.

Thanks again. Kevin

.005-.010 just sand the shell back and all will be fine

    CA isn't the best choice of glue for pearl rosettes. CA can stain some spruces yellow over time.Martin uses white glue . This will do the job very well.
     I like to have the slot .005 wider than the pearl , this allows some leeway for fit and the glue will close the void well. As for joining a touch with a good file should be all you need. Pearl being a natural product will from time to time have voids in it. This is dropped filled after the sealing process to make level .
john hall
blues creek gutiar

John,

Thanks for weighing in. I think I will go the white glue route on the pearl.

Kevin

Kevin-
One quick note:
(One) of the reason folks like to use CA is that you can dry fit everything and then flood it with CA. When you use white glue you don't have that option. Something that could happen during your install is the purflings (if there wood or fiber) can swell from the glue and the fit will much get tighter. This may or may not be a problem, depending on how much room you have to work with.
I always use CA, and always seal the channel with shellac first, as well as give the area around the rosette a coat just for protection.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Thanks Lance, I may play with some scrap to see which I like better.

Kevin

Lance, what kind of shellac do you use?

                thanks, Red