Dead sexy!

After the shitty football games, I went back out and did the fret board inlay. It's as easy as it looks. Provided you have the right tools. I used a brad point bit and the drill press to get precise, flat bottomed holes.

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Dots go at 3,5,7,9 (2x12),15,17,19,21. 10 dots. Just draw an X from corner to corner, making sure they intersect at the center line.
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For the 2 at the 12th, the Xes go from center line to corner

I laid out all the dots to choose which and where.
They are turquoise flavored. Some are pretty cool looking
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0f958721e6.jpg
I see a face

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I have water thin and thick viscosity super glue. I used thin for the wicking element
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They come with a few wisp tips for detailed application.
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I chipped the first one, so I had to widen the holes with a bigger bit by hand.
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Just drop the dot in and touch a drop of glue in on the edge, and it wicks into the hole.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...10f0026ec8.jpg
When I sprayed the accelerator, a couple had too much glue, I guess. They erupted with what looks like salt, but was the texture of spray foam insulation.
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Cleaned that, and the glue ring on each dot with a Scraper and the radiused sanding block with 150 paper glued to it.
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Fuckers put the made in China right on the business surface.
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Scrapers are a thing. Seems like cheating for some reason. They work really well if you have good ones.


Anyway, it's all done.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fa4ea3abc0.jpg


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...048a4efec6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...80f1309a90.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...73883aba50.jpg

Right? I think Leo knew what he was doing when he designed the Stratocaster. It's a woman's side, waist and hip. I'm tempted to carve an ass crack on the back. Maybe glue some buttocks on there too.
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I completely forgot about doing the side dots. Guess I'll do that tonight.

This is coming together nicely. It's beautiful.

The little tiny ones on the topside of the neck?

Right. They're even easier. They come in little plastic sticks like a wire with no wire inside. Black or white. I'll go white with the dark fingerboard.

I was thinking of using them on the surface and doing them like pips on dice, but then... 12 and up would be pretty busy.

Measure half, drop line. X9.
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Half way horizontal. Also X9.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...057e453b77.jpg

Depth stop and....

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f5f3c44641.jpg

Fan to blow away the dust.

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Awl shucks.
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Drill dem holes
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The inlay sticks
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Fill dem holes
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I found that once I had the stick crammed in as far as it would go, if I just gently bent it one way, and laid the razor knife on the other side, very slight pressure sliced it off pretty close to the surface.

Bit of work with the mini Scraper.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0fdfb78c3f.jpg

I tells ya. Inlay and scrapers go together like peas and carrots.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2432fe30f5.jpg

Art shot

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This vise is the tits.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...85387329b4.jpg

I've got those threaded inserts in the bench top. They screw right in slicker n shit. You don't even have to tighten them down. The base of the vise is threaded the same, so once the bolt grabs thread, they're joined tight. I put three holes in, but only need two.

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Articulates like a boss.
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Scrapers aren't cheating. They're plane blades you hold in your hands. If you've filed them flat and sharp and burnished a cutting burr onto the edge, you can just coax the filmiest curl from the surface. They're lovely, when they're used for the right purpose.

The guitar looks really beautiful, what a great project.