In My Spare Time

[Weldon47]

Here's a little pearl engraving for one of my favorite mandolin makers! Just a little something I do in my spare time. I've been doing their mandolin tailpieces for a looong time but just recently started engraving the pearl on the headstock. The headstock overlay is a very thin ebony veneer but that big mahogany block makes it easy to hold & nice to work on.

Enjoy,
Weldon

 

[thughes]

Weldon,
That's beautiful. I'm going to show my ignorance here and ask you to briefly explain how you engrave that kind of material. I've always wondered how you engrave something as fragile as that.

Todd

 

[Weldon47]

Thanks Todd.....the answer is..........very carefully!!

Actually, (not knowing any better) I just use my regular tools but with a lot less force/pressure. The pearl is brittle but it's not too tough to cut....... you just can't force it or you're liable to pop a big chip out of it. Going slowly & carefully with a minimum amount of pressure gives me the best results.

Weldon

 

[thughes]

Thanks Weldon.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

That's beautiful Weldon and very delicate cutting.

See what happens when you stop putting out fires.....you get spare time!!

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Sam]

I've engraved pearl and it's very difficult! Collings are some of the finest instruments made today, and they definitely have the right guy doing their work for them. In fact that is a very prestigious account to have. Congratulations! Oh, and dang nice engraving, too! :clapping:

 

[Joe Mason]

That looks great Weldon. Thanks for sharing

Joe

 

[mrthe]

Weldom this is amazing !thankmtoumfor the info too,i'm not know very much abouth this material,and it is very interesting.

 

[Chujybear]

This is exciting to me. I do a lot of inlay. And I have done just a little surface carbon on abalone.... But never dreamed of shaping it w gravers. Ver exciting what you have accomplished.

 

[Tim Wells]

Weldon, if you don't mind I'd like to forward those two pics to a buddy of mine who also makes mandolins up in Tennessee. I recently got him set up tool wise to engrave pearl because he started getting interested in it. He'd get a kick outta that inlay you did such a nice job on.

 

[rod]

Weldon,

Was just playing mandolin this afternoon, with some of the usual suspects in our wee town, and thinking about that nice session in Reno with your son, Bill, and others!

The town of some 300 people gets invaded by thousands on the 4th, just have to grin and bear it, yet everyone is in a good mood, and the parade was a success. Its all a bit of a mystery to me as a Scot, but I like to see people coming together in good spirits.

A very bonnie headpiece you have embellished so handsomely! By the way, these days, is the inlay done by laser cutting, or?

best

Rod

 

[Weldon47]

Thanks to all!
Rod: Bill & I still talk about the Reno jam sessions....what a great time was had by all!!! We definitely need to do that again!

As for how they do it, not sure, could be laser or, most likely, cnc.

Thanks again,
Weldon

 

[Peter E]

VERY nice work as always Weldon. I was also wondering how the inlay was done. Makes sense it was probably done with automation. It is exquisite, however it was done.

 

[Tim Wells]

Tom Ellis makes the pearl inlay via CNC for many companies like Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Collings, Dudenbostel... it's cut under water to keep the dust down; extremely bad stuff to breathe. The ebony overlay is routed out by CNC also for a perfect fit.

It just makes sense to do it this way in a production environment but a lot of folks still cut it out with a jewelers saw and nerves of steel.

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Weldon, like in your name, Well done

arnaud

 

[Donny]

Let a man retire and then he goes and finds SPARE TIME!!!!!! I soooooo gotta retire!!!

Very nice work by the way!


Donny