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Sheldon raised the question about multiple pieced inlays last week, and it proved timely. This inlay is not nearly as complicated as his, or at least as layered. But it does have a number of pieces.

This was a request from a client. It was taken from a church window here in Nacogdoches, w/ a few modifications. The cross is made of the wood used for back/sides (Honduran rosewood). The crown itself is gold pearl, the row of "jewels" are 2mm paua dots, the pearls on top are 1.5mm dots w/ a 2mm dot in the center. The inner part of the crown is red ab.

As always, thanks for looking,

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I love the whole composition and materials mix. Take back what you said last week about feeling bad about your inlay work.. it's beautiful.



Craig L

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Oh crud, Craig I had hoped this one would slip by you...
But your kind remarks are most welcome. Thanks Craig!
You will sympathize how difficult it is to photograph an inlay.
Not only is this out of focus, but the glare is still there, ruining the depth of colors. Ah well...use your imagination

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

WOW Steve! WOW !!

I love it! I know this must have been a bear to get lined up as good as you did it and you just simply nailed this one!!


WOW !!

By the way, can you give a hint as to what the white inlays are along the edge of the fingerboard are and how you did this?

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Reguards,

Ken H

Steve, I love the multi-piece inlays... How inspiring, I can't wait for my next build and some help from Craig!

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Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Thanks, guys!

Chris, Craig's the man. (Of course, Paul's the man, too. Mucho talent 'round these parts.)

Ken, THANKS! Those white "inlays" are simply w/b purfling glued to the edge of the fretboard--and slotted through--before the rosewood binding went on. The white is against the ebony, while the black is against the rosewood, and thus disappears. It's easy, and outlines the board nicely. Looks particularly nice when used w/ maple bindings, as both the white and black show.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Steve that is really beautiful!

I have on question/observation. The Top 2mm pearl looks really close to the fret slot, it's not going to be covered by the fret is it?

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Steve,
I really like that.
Very nicely done.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Jim, Rod, many thanks.
Rod, the 2mm dot falls below the fret bead, but is a bit closer than I'd like. (Good eye... )
Somewhere between layout and routing the whole ensemble moved up 1/32" or so. Frets went in yesterday, and it looks pretty good though.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Cool, sorry for having that good eye. Wish my ears where that good.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Clever choice of materials Steve and very nicely executed!

Rod, when I string it up, we'll see if you can hear that 1/32" goof.

Anthony, your opinion is highly valued. Thanks.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

That looks great bro!

Hi Steve,

Very, Very Nice!

Can you comment on how you created the "pocket" for the cross? The fit looks very tight, I'm curious how you did the outer corners.

Well done!

Pete

Very nice! I like it!

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Brad Tucker

Steve, that is mint! I'm not usually a huge fan of fingerboard inlays but your design is elegant, tactful and superbly executed!

Did you actually drill out all the middle dots or did you give yourself the 2mm and then filled in the gaps with epoxy or some such???

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Ah, thanks, bro.

Pete, I appreciate the kind words. The channel for the cross was done with a tiny square bit. Bring it right up to the corner, and...
No, no, actually what I used was a small Dremel burr, the smallest one they sell. And actually, it does a nice job getting right up to a corner. A bit of fine chisel work was done with LMI's 2mm chisel, which is a honey of a tool. That said, the slot was not perfect, but oh the joys of inlaying in ebony! You can hide small discrepancies soooo easily.

Brad and Alain, thank you. Alain, what I did to get those little paua dots in there was this:
The upper and lower parts of the crown were first cut out, then fitted to each other. When the curvature mated nicely, I laid them both face down on some masking tape. The little paua dots were then inserted and jostled into place. When all was lined up, I held the composition together with two fingers wrapped up in tape while the other hand dispensed some super glue. This dried quickly. When set, it all came up (as a unit) off the masking tape fairly easily, with only a minimum of scraping needed to free up the last bits of crud. I now wish I has used some black CA, as that would have given even more contrast to the paua dots. But the glue I used completely filled the voids around the dots, so there I am, stuck with what you see.
It ain't Craig L- type work, but it's ok...

Thanks again,

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Nice inlay!

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Excellent inlay Steve! I really like the crown!!
WoW !

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

I really, really, really like this! Mind if I copy the design for a current build?

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Wow, that's really nicely done!

Love it. Like someone said, elegant.

Chuck, Dave, Wes, Sheldon and Stan I truly appreciate your thumbs-up. I hope the new owner feels the same way!
Wes, I don't mind at all if you copy. (Afterall, I borrowed this myself from a stained glass window.) You might want to play with the crown's composition a bit, to make it more your own. As a matter of fact, I change it some each time I do one, so they're all different. If you use gold lip pearl, look for the pieces that have the color all the way through the piece. So that when you radius the inlay, the color remains.

Thanks again,

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com