***** Guitar Project Jigs, Tools & Techniques Online Resources Archives OLF Video Page Library of plans MP3 Library Inlay Class
Offical Luthiers Forum





And our community proudly sponsored by:

RC Tonewoods | Stewart MacDonald | LuthiersForum
TasmanianTonewoods | OLF | OLF MERCH
Luthier Suppliers | Pacific Coast Woods | ELEVATE
OLF X | Tasmanian Acoustic Tonewood | Luthiers Forum Store!
Luthiers Forum | OLF Facebook | AVAIL SPACE
OLF | Alaska Specialty Woods | A.Hix Tonewood
Duke of Pearl | Birkonium CNC | Space




Official Luthiers Forum!

Owned and operated by Lance Kragenbrink
It is currently Wed Apr 30, 2025 7:40 pm


Board index » Forum Archive

All times are UTC - 5 hours





Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 2
  [ 28 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
  Print view Previous topic | Next topic 
Author Message
clavin
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 1:48 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 8:18 am
Posts: 825
Location: Florida, United States
First name: Craig
Last Name: Lavin
City: Sunrise
State: Fl
Zip/Postal Code: 33323
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Finally something new to post!
I can't let Paul have ALL the fun...
This is the entire scene that goes with the Auriga butterfly headstock I posted a while back. This one took a while- Lots of various stones, etc.. all inset in reverse to make sure they are thick enough to withstand cracking. Plus pearls, silver, woods, corian, and a lot of engraving.
It's basically a fantasy of butterfly fish meeting butterfly insects. The upper reef area turns into a hidden hanging garden. Thanks for looking!
Craig Lavin
www.handcraftinlay.com







_________________
www.handcraftinlay.com
Top
 Profile  
 
old man
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 1:55 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:13 am
Posts: 3270
Location: United States
WOWWWWWW!! Is that impressive. Beautiful work Craig.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......
Top
 Profile  
 
peterm
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 1:59 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 1:05 pm
Posts: 3350
Location: Bakersville, NC
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

what else can I say??

_________________
Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com
Top
 Profile  
 
Jeff Doty
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 2:26 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2004 3:24 am
Posts: 731
Location: United States
Craig,

Beautiful work. Both types of butterflys are very life-like, and stunning. I really like the brain coral too!

Jeff
Top
 Profile  
 
Robbie O'Brien
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 2:49 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 5:23 am
Posts: 2353
Location: United States
a true artist!


Top
 Profile  
 
Jim Watts
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 2:59 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu May 12, 2005 5:46 am
Posts: 2989
Location: United States
Wow, beautiful work Craig!

_________________
Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com
Top
 Profile  
 
Serge Poirier
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 3:04 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 6:32 am
Posts: 7774
Location: Canada
Master piece Craig ! Bravissimo my friend!

I would have a question please. How long did it take you to perform such outstanding work? Let's say how long for the headstock only and then how long for the neck? TIA

Serge
Top
 Profile  
 
Dave Anderson
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 4:12 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:11 am
Posts: 2761
Location: Tampa Bay
First name: Dave
Last Name: Anderson
City: Clearwater
State: Florida
Zip/Postal Code: 33755
Country: United States
Super work Craig.Just gorgeous!

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755
Top
 Profile  
 
SniderMike
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 5:11 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:08 pm
Posts: 1018
Location: Denver, Colorado
Craig, that is so beautiful. Very inspiring.

What do you mean by "inset in reverse"?

Mike

_________________
Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger
Top
 Profile  
 
Bobc
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 6:20 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2004 9:42 pm
Posts: 4217
Location: Buffalo, NY
First name: Robert
Last Name: Cefalu
City: Buffalo
State: NY
Zip/Postal Code: 14217
Country: US
Crag
Your work never ceases to amaze me. Absoulutly beautiful.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498
Top
 Profile  
 
LanceK
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 10:24 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2004 5:02 am
Posts: 8553
Location: United States
First name: Lance
Last Name: Kragenbrink
City: Vandercook Lake
State: Michigan
Zip/Postal Code: 49203
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro

_________________
Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com
Top
 Profile  
 
clavin
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:18 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 8:18 am
Posts: 825
Location: Florida, United States
First name: Craig
Last Name: Lavin
City: Sunrise
State: Fl
Zip/Postal Code: 33323
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
I wish I could remember how long this one took. I am sorry to say I was working on it in spare time and dedicated time between other things so I didn't really count hours. It took at least 40-60 for everything, art and research included.

What I mean by inlaying in reverse is I used the recon stone at about double to triple the thickness of the shells, glue it face down, then routed to the thickest depth, back filled with glue, and inset them that way.
Any time I use a big piece of recon stone I get worried now about it cracking after it's in. Not that it happens that often, but I did have it happen once with green gaspeit and it was really frustrating. I inset the yellow corian deep as well, because as it gets thinner against ebony it starts to loose it's color.

I have some regular general pattern type stuff up next, if anything different or cool comes along I'll post it.
Thanks.
Craig L clavin38860.366087963

_________________
www.handcraftinlay.com
Top
 Profile  
 
1bordeaux
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:28 am 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:04 am
Posts: 313
Location: United States
First name: Paul
Last Name: Bordeaux
City: Massena
State: New York
Zip/Postal Code: 13662
Country: US
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Very nice,Craig.

[QUOTE=clavin] What I mean by inlaying in reverse is I used the recon stone at about double to triple the thickness of the shells, glue it face down, then routed to the thickest depth, back filled with glue, and inset them that way.
[/QUOTE]

Ahhh... The virtues of recon! I have been sanding down recon blanks between .060 - .085 with mostly good results. Different types tend to load up the sander, but it eliminates some of the trouble working it at full thickness.
For those who haven't purchased it:
Most suppliers will not cut recon slabs under .125 inches. Some types of stone I've received has been .250 .
I'm told by Bill at masecraft it's because it is so brittle.

Craig, I've got a humpback whale inlay in the shop. Wait until you see the color! (Yes, I did the research, but yeilded to customer demands again)

Also finishing up a conversion inlay on a Breedlove with the factory mermaid/ dolphin scene. My customer loves the guitar but felt the bare breasted mermaid was a bit out of place in his church.
I'll post some photos when it's complete.

_________________
Paul Bordeaux
http://www.bordeauxinlay.com
Top
 Profile  
 
SniderMike
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 1:37 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:08 pm
Posts: 1018
Location: Denver, Colorado
[QUOTE=clavin]
What I mean by inlaying in reverse is I used the recon stone at about double to triple the thickness of the shells, glue it face down, then routed to the thickest depth, back filled with glue, and inset them that way.
Craig L [/QUOTE]

Thanks Craig. I'll have to give that a try next time.

Also, i notice you didn't leave slots for the frets, so obviously this gets done later. Just wondering your procedure for fretting it? I recently did my first fretboard inlay, but I divided it where the frets would go first, then inlaid it. I was really nervous when fretting it though, so I widened the slots around the inlay so I wouldn't have to pound on it, and planned to press the frets in around there, but I widened too much. Anyway, it sucked! I'm confident I can get everything to be ok, but I'd love to know a better way!   

Mike

_________________
Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger
Top
 Profile  
 
Andy Zimmerman
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 1:43 am 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 9:51 am
Posts: 2148
Location: San Diego, CA
First name: Andy
Last Name: Zimmerman
City: San Diego
State: CA
Zip/Postal Code: 92103
Country: United States
Focus: Build
You 2 are unbelievable....Craig and Paul
Stunning

_________________
Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com
Top
 Profile  
 
ctholden
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 1:45 am 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2005 1:12 pm
Posts: 163
Location: United States
Hey Craig,

I had to login when I saw your work just to tell you that it never ceases to amaze me what you can do.
Creative and beautiful. You are a very talented guy.

The other Craig
Top
 Profile  
 
Steve Kinnaird
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 4:13 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:45 pm
Posts: 4337
Location: United States
That's great, Craig.
Up to your usual high standards.

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com
Top
 Profile  
 
John K
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 6:15 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:42 pm
Posts: 565
Location: United States
Great work Craig. I never cease to be impressed.
   

John
Top
 Profile  
 
JBreault
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 6:18 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:44 am
Posts: 987
Location: United States
First name: Joe
Last Name: Breault
City: Merrimack
State: NH
Status: Amateur
Craig, beautiful work as always. We are very lucky on this forum to have you and Paul posting here.

_________________
Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice
Top
 Profile  
 
CarltonM
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 7:52 am 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:31 am
Posts: 3134
Location: United States
As you say, original and one-of-a-kind! Very cool!
Top
 Profile  
 
Sprockett
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 9:44 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2004 3:25 am
Posts: 886
Location: United States
[QUOTE=SniderMike]
Also, i notice you didn't leave slots for the frets, so obviously this gets done later. Just wondering your procedure for fretting it?
Mike[/QUOTE]

I have the same question, I have been told to use a dremel but that makes me nervous. I'd really like to see how it's done...

-Paul-

_________________
-Paul-
Image
Patriot Guitars
Top
 Profile  
 
Dennis Leahy
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 9:55 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2005 1:00 pm
Posts: 1644
Location: United States
City: Duluth
State: MN
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Craig,

Absolutely gorgeous work! Thanks for posting it!

Dennis

_________________
Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia
Top
 Profile  
 
Lacey
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 10:15 am 
Offline
Walnut
Walnut

Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 9:14 pm
Posts: 32
Location: United States

Beautiful!!!
Top
 Profile  
 
Anthony Z
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 5:27 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 6:53 am
Posts: 2104
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
First name: Anthony
Last Name: Zlahtic
City: Toronto
Country: Canada
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Excellent Craig....I look forward to your posts (especially the ones with pictures)


Top
 Profile  
 
PaddyD
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 11:35 pm 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:59 am
Posts: 254
Location: United Kingdom
awesome stuff,

love the brain coral!!

paddy
Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 2
  [ 28 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Board index » Forum Archive

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
phpBB customization services by 2by2host.com