What is the single best reference for learning abalone top inlay procedures?
 

I am looking for the best book or tutorial to learn exactly how to complete the purfling and binding combination used on style 45 Martin guitars. I want to learn the process from start to finish, as it was done prewar and as it is done now.

Research Zipflex. It will save you dozens and dozens of hours

inlay
 

I can think of no better way to learn inlay than to spend some time with Dave Nickols at Custom Pearl Inlay and learn hands-on from a genius of inlay. You can't earn inlay from a book any more than you can learn dentistry from a book. Look on his web site for details on instruction, and fees. And when you're hands-on with an expert guiding you, you don't spend a lot of time discovering the wrong ways to do something.

Thank you for the replies.

I've been over to Kevin's - he's near me. It's a great shop and I admire the work and the guitars and the development of the ZipFlex product. I've also had the good fortune of being around Kathy Wingert a bit. However, I prefer the traditional approach for my first shot at it.

I've done plenty of old-school hand-cut router-based MOP, herringbone, and ab inlay (see pic below), but not the traditional edge strip. The strip appears to be relatively simple compared to most of the inlays I've done. Although some dentistry does involve the full range of inlay skills, edge-strip inlay requires maybe 1% of the range of dentistry skills. A trial-and error session on an old guitar might work for me, but I think it'd be nice to have the basics from an expert. Books have worked well for me in the past.

I'm a long way from Dave. The man's a genius of applied inlay technique. He's done some custom work for me and has invited me over more than once. If I visit his place, it will be to learn something other than the pearl border.

Fortunately, I did have the benefit of hanging about Chainsaw Chuck's place when I was a kid. Mr. E was doing very detailed asymmetrical inlay work long before the advent of the CNC revolution.

http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps324acdc2.jpg
http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/y...psb2a56049.jpg

Can't say I've ever seen a bridge like that dolphin, way cool!

James Patterson's book covers some useable methods. I have no idea whether there is something better, but you will figure it out. You don't need to go to school to do pearl purfling.

I've gone back to solid pieces of shell after using Zipflex. It is a great product for making the job go faster and easier. But the look (or the look of Abalam, which is what Zipflex starts with) is not the same.

Dude that dolphin bridge is awesome!!

Check out this little guitar I picked up on the local Craigs List a couple weeks ago. I've never really been a big bling fan but this is a neat little guitar and S.S. Stewert from the mid 20's.

I can't help you with the pearl inlay but thought you might appreciate a look.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l...o/binding2.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0...64-no/edge.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-D...no/binding.jpg

The Stewart is a cool guitar. But it is in a couple of ways an example of how NOT to do pearl purfling.

One should attempt to match the grain, chatoyance, and color of the adjacent piece to make the segments less conspicuous. And one should do this while using random lengths and breaking longer pieces in to conform to the channel, which also makes the pearl look more continuous.

The Stewart is done with short, uniformly sized pieces, set with no attempt to match one piece to the next, so the individual segments are obvious. That would speed production and reduce the skill needed in a factory setting. But don't do that at home.

Howard I know what you are saying but actually it gives it quite a cool effect when standing away from it, something for the audience I suspect. The randomness gives the guitar a sparkling look to it from a distance like the facets of a jewel would.

Personally I would never have the patience to do such work, maybe that's why I convinced my self I don't really like it haha. But I can appreciate it for sure because it seems to me that doing such detailed pearl work would take just as much time to build the box or more!

Yet another reason why wide pearl bordering can look clunky and inelegant. . .

Thank you, Howard,

I have just received ab like that on the Stewert and had decided the only way to make the pieces disappear would be to break it up some. Glad to have someone with experience back that up. I wasn't sure if it was necessary.

Redir, I plan on dropping it in the channel first and then using CA seems it should not take to long. At least that's what

I'm hoping.