Hatcher's Studio 2021 #2

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by CarolD

Mark, thank you so much for sharing your inspiration! Your story just makes me appreciate your design even more, if that could even be possible!

And what a stunning instrument...whew!

Thanks Carol. The neck is coming together now. Here is a first view of what the whole guitar will look like:



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[Mark Hatcher]

Today the fretboard is getting bound in Macassar Ebony with blue paua abalone. The abalone purfling will maintain the continuity between the abalone purfling on the bound headstock on down to the guitar top and rosette:



The backstrap of the headstock is Macassar with a laminate of Maple underneath. Here they are being glued in place:



You can see my signature cross grained center laminate in this photo also. In this case the center strip is Macassar Ebony which ties in with all the other trim.

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[Mark Hatcher]

Today's project is turning stones into sticks.

We're doing a 12 fret inlay into the Macassar Ebony fingerboard for this guitar.
The inlay will be based on a squared circle which is a 17th century alchemical symbol for the philosophers' stone. Here is the basic symbol:



In early days the great quest was to find a substance that could bring immortality and change any base metals into gold (along with a host of other great stuff). The work on this quest was called, Magnum Opus (great work).

Here is how I am laying out the symbol on the fretboard:



The outside ring will be abalone. The triangle will be Lapus Lazuli stone. The square will be back to abalone with a Lapus Lazuli circle to finish it.
I have thin strips of abalone for the circle but today I am figuring out how to make the Lapus Lazuli stone into thin sticks for the triangle:



I've had some success making Lapus purfling for the rosette but to make clean unbound sticks into inlay for a triangle is a whole different matter. So in my own humble luthier way I'd be happy if my Magnum Opus with the philosopher's stone could just turn a rock into a stick.

Ha, it worked!



So I now have the inlay materials for the circle and triangle:



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[Treenewt]

Mark, that is so amazingly cool! I love it! Great work!

[kkrell]

There is some trickery afoot.

[Lonzo]

Originally Posted by kkrell

There is some trickery afoot.

... I call it a creative solution... it looks like it should .. as long as it is straight...
Is it bendable as well ? .. now that would be a great trick !

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Mark, that is so amazingly cool! I love it! Great work!

Thanks Treenewt!

Originally Posted by kkrell

There is some trickery afoot.

Whatever it takes..

Originally Posted by Lonzo

... I call it a creative solution... it looks like it should .. as long as it is straight...
Is it bendable as well ? .. now that would be a great trick !

Thanks Lonzo, It is a little bendable. Not enough to bend around a top profile but enough to handle the radius on a fretboard. I have other tricks up my sleeve to use it as top purfling.

Here is today's work getting the inlay in:



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[TomB'sox]

looks pretty amazing!

[doodahdoug]

Beautiful materials and execution Mark!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

looks pretty amazing!

Thanks Tom!

Originally Posted by doodahdoug

Beautiful materials and execution Mark!

Thanks Doug! I think we'll be seeing more stonework on future guitars.

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[Mark Hatcher]

Here is a pic of the headstock overlay going on:



and the Maple laminate I typically lay under the fretboard:



Here is the headstock cleaned up a little with some tuners set in:



It's coming together well. I'll soon get to do my favorite step when making a guitar, carving the neck.

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[Mark Hatcher]

I'm wishing everyone happy holidays! May your 2022 be better than 2021.
I am putting the final big touches on my new studio this week.

I'm just completing my first Green Mountain guitar. It's just about ready for finish. My last big step for the shop is hanging the suspended ceiling. I went ahead and built my first guitar here so I could test that my shop set up works and I can confirm the planned placement of the down lights which will go in said ceiling.

After the lights are in my photos will stop looking like I'm working in a cave!

Happy Holidays!
Mark

[Guitars44me]

A new shop for Christmas! Wow

The guitar looks beautiful, as usual…

Merry, Happy, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, solstice, and Festivus, etc!

Paul

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

A new shop for Christmas! Wow

The guitar looks beautiful, as usual…

Merry, Happy, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, solstice, and Festivus, etc!

Paul

Thanks Paul, Happy holidays to you and yours too.
I’m very pleased how the new shop is coming together. I’ll have more on it as we roll into the new year.

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Over the weekend I went ahead and glued the fretboard to the neck so I could start my week with my favorite part of making a guitar, carving the neck



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