How to Inlay Shell on a Fretboard
- 1). Trace your design onto the fretboard. Whatever type of shell or design you'll be inlaying, place it on the fretboard to visualize where it will be and how it should go. When you're satisfied with placement, trace the outline with a pencil.
- 2). Rout the inlay cavity. Using your Dremel and a small router bit, rout a shallow cavity within the lines of your tracing. With practice, you can create a cavity that is a near-perfect match for your inlay design. Routing a cavity that is too shallow is preferable to routing too deep, since shell can easily be sanded down to the level of the fretboard.
- 3). Create an adhesive to match the fretboard's color. Even if you are skilled at inlaying, your inlay cavities probably won't be perfect. There will be small gaps between the inlay design and the walls of the cavity. To fill these gaps and make them look like the rest of the fretboard, mix some ebony dust with regular white glue until the adhesive is black like the fretboard.
- 4). Place the adhesive in the inlay cavities carefully.
- 5). Seat the inlay designs in to the cavities, pressing them down securely into the glue. Allow time to dry completely.
- 6). Sand everything level. You may have inlay slightly above the level of the fretboard, or glue on the fretboard that was squeezed from the inlay cavities. Sanding the whole fretboard up and down very evenly will take care of these uneven places, leaving you with a clean and smooth fretboard.
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