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Due to the Lacey act restrictions on shell coming into the US I've recently been experimenting with different materials for fret board markers. I've been using recon stone for a while and like it in general, although there are customers who don't like the look. I know wood markers can be an option, but over time the markers begin to look dirty. I'm also looking into different metals that might work.

Are there other materials out there that I'm not thinking of? If you've used something different or are aware of something different please let me know. I'll soon have CNC capabilities which will be useful for cutting different shapes.

Thanks

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

I have used both brass and silver powders that I wick CA into. I have also used dyes with epoxy. I use a dremel to drill the shape I want.
Below are dog prints with silver powder

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

I don't know what you'd need to do to sand it flush and polish it, but I bet glass would be pretty cool. You could maybe back it with white or chrome to show off swirly colors.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

that is too cool.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Hmm, how about bone? I don't think I've ever seen it used as an inlay material, but I can't think of any reason not to, aside from the difficulty of getting wide flat blanks from such curved things. But for normal dots it's not a problem, and it would probably look better than plastic at least, and be plenty tough. Ought to engrave nicely too.

I've also been pondering translucent materials like jade, backed with mirror foil, white paint, or light colored wood. Might be a pretty cool effect, or might look funky when you can see the sides of the pocket and depth of the inlay.

You might also look into tagua nut....a beautiful ivory substitute. Very nice stuff.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

I personally like to look of shell and there is plenty of oyster, mussel, and abalone shell here in the states for us small builders.

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http://goatrockukulele.com

Those are some neat ideas! I like the metal powder idea and I'll have to give the tagua nut a try. I had forgotten about tagua nuts but I'm sure I bought some a few years back. I just never used it. Glass, gems and bone are also interesting.

Michael, I also personally like the look of shell, however due to the US governments decision to start enforcing the Lacey act I am no longer using shell on guitars that I am shipping to the US (I live in Canada).

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Josh;
If you are thinking about metal, there are non-tarnishing silver & gold substitutes available at most jewelery & lapidary supply shops.
I really like using aluminum. Welding rod can be purchased form any aluminum fabricating shop & it comes in many sizes. Aluminum sheet stock can be sliced into narrow strips (using a shear) making square or rectangular wire which inlays beautifully. My number 2 guitar has an aluminum inlay in the peghead. After nearly thirty years, it still looks fine & there is no indication of de-bonding.
Aluminum sands at the same rate as hard woods like ebony, so is no trouble to level. The dust looks horrible when you're sanding, but clears out of pores with a good wipe with naptha or mineral spirits. Epoxy seems to work very well, if you sand the aluminum with 220 to get some good scratches in it.
I haven't tried it in softwoods yet. It might be an issue if the dust was ground into top wood.

P.S.
I posted this pic a couple of weeks ago, so sorry for the repeat...
The fingerboard in the pic is inlayed with aircraft aluminum (2024 T-3 "Alclad") I cut into thin strips, using a metal shear. The hard aircraft aluminum works better than the softer commercial material.

Thanks for the tips on the metal. I will certainly check that out.

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

I like them naked.

And for the record, while silver will tarnish, gold will not. Ever. Unless, maybe, its full of impurities.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Daniel, nice!!!
I might use alum for lap steel git frets.
I got some malachite cabashons, flattened them out and used those as fretmarkers once.
Turqoise was a thought.
Skys the limit.
Bloodwood?