A Simple Metallic Inlay

Posted by John Sims on December 30, 2008 at 4:05pm
A Simple Metallic Inlay This is about making inlays that look like silver or metal in a simple and cheap way, along with being quite fast. What you need: -solder (I use flux core solder, because it is very shiny. There are various diameters, so you can choose what is best for you. I use whatever is available in my electronics toolkit.) -soldering iron -sandpaper or file If you are making a new fretboard, I suggest you do the inlay before you sand the board, especially if you are sanding a radius into the fretboard. When you have your fretboard or your headstock, or whatever else you need to inlay, routed in the shape that you desire your inlay to look like, take the solder and cut it into little pieces. Then with your soldering iron melt it into the routed out portion of the wood using the tip of the iron. A 25 to 50 watt soldering iron is sufficient. You don't want to burn the wood, unless of course you want 'that look'. You can also choose not to cut the solder into little pieces and use it as it is. The heat of the soldering iron will not damage the wood if used properly. Experiment first! Use more solder than you think. You want to make the top surface of the melted solder rise slightly above the surface of the board without spinning over the edges of the routed portion. If it does spill over, no problem. Sand it off later. When you have finished all the inlaying work, you will notice that the inlay is not flush with the fretboard surface and there are some oils that are escaped from the wood, so you will need to sand it to make it flush with the board and to remove the oils. I suggest to use fine grits of sandpaper or a very fine file. Once the inlay is flush with the fretboard, you can polish it (mask the wood before you use the polish) to make it shiny. This technique is also good to make side dots. I suggest you try it first on a piece of scrap wood, and to begin with small dots as first works. This is really a simple technique, but the results are simply great! By Paolo Schiano edited by Dragon

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Replies

  • Jerry December 23, 2009 at 1:52am
    Thats a great idea, I will give it a try. Thanks!!
  • Paul Thorley December 2, 2009 at 4:31am
    What a great idea John!!
  • Fergus Morris July 1, 2009 at 11:27am
    Thanks for this!! I tried it on a mandolin I just finished. Beautiful.

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  • John Sims January 11, 2009 at 8:59am
    I practice on 5 gal paint stirring sticks. They are free at HD or L's and easy to carve.
  • John Sims January 10, 2009 at 6:40pm
    Definitely you made the wood too hot!

    Deke said:
    I tried this , but it burned the wood pretty badly, maybe my soldering iron was too hot? Be sure to experiment with scrap wood first!
  • Deke January 10, 2009 at 5:59pm
    I tried this , but it burned the wood pretty badly, maybe my soldering iron was too hot? Be sure to experiment with scrap wood first!
  • lenny purnell January 9, 2009 at 8:20pm
    Hey John
    I just went and tried this on a piece of scrap.At first I thought the solder wouldn't stick to the wood. After I filled the hole up.Wow! success.It looks Great. Hey it sands off easy too. Thanks! Lenny
  • John Sims January 8, 2009 at 10:07pm
    Let us see yer first tryout CB!

    C. B. Gitty said:
    Hot damn! I gotta try this. Thanks for posting it John.
  • Ben "Gitty" Baker January 7, 2009 at 10:13am
    Hot damn! I gotta try this. Thanks for posting it John.
This reply was deleted.