How to Inlay Paua Shell Purfling 🐚

If you enjoyed this video please SUBSCRIBE and LIKE to help my channel grow!- Thanks so much.
In this video, I show how I install paua shell purfling. This technique will be the same for both a top, back, sides on a guitar, uke, etc.
When talking about "gaps" in the shell, I mean perfectly jointed shell ends which will STILL suck in finish- hence the ca glue sealing.
Teflon strips: stewmac.sjv.io...
Paua Shell strips: stewmac.sjv.io...
#beauhannamguitars #beauhannam #pauapurfling
~ Luthier of luxury heirloom quality Guitars and Ukuleles ~
WEBSITE: beauhannamguit...
FACEBOOK / beauhannamguitarsanduk...
INSTAGRAM: / beauhannamguitars

[@mary-ellensmiley6221]

Well my friend, you have your first female subscriber! Found you by accident today and am charmed by your delivery. I’m a luthier who is getting back into building new and repairs of the really old stuff after a long hiatus due to injury. Recovering now from tennis elbow surgery and your videos are keeping me sane and entertained. Not to mention your skill, it is impressive. Thanks for the videos they make a difference. 😊

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing- Lutherie is about 99% men so its always nice to hear from a girl! I'm glad you are getting back into guitar making- the trade needs way more females. And thanks for your kind words- I try to make interesting videos- at least for other luthiers. If you have any video ideas let me know :) All the best.

[@patrickpalmer3374]

I'm also going to drill a 1/16" hole in all the yamaha's white fake pearl then remove the drill bit and stick the chuck end in and wait fore the crack then crack all corners till they let go and they will , learned that on here as well. Great things really exciting.

[@jonahguitarguy]

Very good tutorial on the setting the shell. Thank you for all the detail Beau.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

My pleasure Dane :)

[@patrickpalmer3374]

I really enjoyed watching this I'm in the process of doing a couple guitars and have worked with abalone and studied French polishing, so I'll watch you several more times as I always miss something and can't afford mistakes, thank you very much.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hi Patrick- My pleasure and i'm glad you liked it :)

[@plazo023]

Beautiful work

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you 🙏

[@patrickpalmer3374]

Learned a lesson from sanding dot fret markers to high, I have 4 I have to drill crack remove. These are the lessons or unsettling scenarios I care not to repete.

[@policroniogonzaga4766]

Nice tutorial sir

[@cyucan]

great video, thanks for taking the time

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Rob- I appreciate that :)

[@IIImobiusIII]

I've seen so many bad applications of Abalone in the past. You on the other hand have done it with exceptional taste and precision. You Sir have a good eye. Not afraid of Asymmetry. The perfect organic balance of Chaos and Order. Another Master Class. Cheers.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Paul. Ive done this a few different ways over almost 20 years and this is the best way that i've found.

[@scaira60]

Beau I’m so freaking happy to see you back, I haven’t even watched this vid yet, But I already know it’s going too be AMAZING💪💪💪💪You are my Lutherie Hero🎸🎹🎼🪚📐🔨🇺🇸🇺🇸👨🏻‍🦯👨🏻‍🦯

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Scott- it took me 5 months to get this out but im going to try to do 1 a month from now on :)

[@scaira60]

I just finished watching, Amazing, Beau where do you buy the shell strips? LMI, Stew Mac ? I saw some on Amazon but they were attached to a plastic strip like that zip flex stuff. Thanks again

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

@@scaira60 Thanks. Shell strips can be bought at LMI, Stew Mac, Rescue Pearl, Amazon, Ebay etc.

[@jonathandale9089]

I would love a video on how you do the binding/purfling fixes to close those gaps.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

HI Jonathan- I'll do one on that, but its basically just spritzing water onto the area and pushing it up against the hand bender until it seats properly.

[@blandflatland8915]

Well, I don’t want to be punched there… subscribed. Oh, well done too.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahahahha- I forgot I said that in that video!- thanks so much

[@KBorham]

@@BeauHannamGuitars, you said it TWICE. Glad Im subed.....

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

@@KBorham hahahh- once to much- I actually originally said it 4 times but deleted two!

[@josephfde]

Excellent video. I was very curious to know how these beautiful inlays were made? And now I found the answer. Thank you so much. Excellent tutorial.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :) and my pleasure 😇

[@jipes]

Such a nicely detailed and didactic video with great close up an plenty tips. Would love one day to follow your steps doing one guitar

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Jipes. I try to be informative :)

[@etchmfg]

Love that Chestnut finish. Bravo.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

:)

[@judsonriviere490]

Lovely video! Love your work Beau!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much Judson :)

[@patrickpalmer3374]

I really enjoy the instruction I've received on KZbin and haven't procrastinated on one project, I got outbid on eBay with a cracked beck D'Angelico the 1100$ acoustic no fret markers but solid wood, I wants that still have several hours to it off but 125 $ is pushing a a cracked neck, it will have to be removed and reset at least that's my thinking sinse I really need a closeup no matter, I design my jig to be adjustable.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Sounds like a fun repair! Good luck Patrick :)

[@frankmormon2503]

Such a great video! I plan to watch it again to hammer the pressings home. Thanks

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Frank :)- just roll that hammer

[@GuitaraddictsWorkshop]

Awesome video, great detailed explanations! Thanks for this!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

My pleasure :)

[@andrewhenderson6219]

Great work Beau. New Subscriber from Qld Australia.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Andrew- it’s been years since I’ve been to QLD but can’t wait to go back :)

[@andrewhenderson6219]

@@BeauHannamGuitars Let me know when you in the area. Up near Cairns in the Hills . Brilliant place

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

@@andrewhenderson6219 will do- have you met Allen Mcfarlen? Good fella (and excellent uke maker) somewhere around Cairns.

[@andrewhenderson6219]

@@BeauHannamGuitars No I haven’t meet him mate. I will try look him up

[@cattaraugustonawanda4426]

Another outstanding video ! Thanks !

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks :) :) :)

[@short6691]

Wow! What a great teaching video!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Keith :) spread the word if you can.

[@garymontgomeryguitars3153]

Hey Beau, Another Great video. very informative.. Have a good one.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Gary- My pleasure.

[@david25876]

Really enjoyed watching this. Thank you! Looks like preparation with nice clean channels is most important. Do you think the abalone would French polish ok?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks. Shell purfling with french polish would be totally fine. Everything in this video would be the same for french polish (especially filling with ca glue).

[@mikechallgrenguitars9189]

Thanks again Beau, for a very informative look at installing abalone and purpling... I’m almost getting to this step on my third guitar and I need all of the info I can put in my brain to get the result that I’m looking for... I’m also going to put a line of abalone (.047) below the edge binding all the way around top and bottom ...

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Mike. Good luck with the side purfling- I’ve never done that!!

[@mikechallgrenguitars9189]

@@BeauHannamGuitars - good morning Beau - I’ve bought some abalone strips that are 5-1/2” long and some ‘Zipflex’ from Advanced Shell Technology - their products are good quality - the Zipflex is kind of expensive but it sure works good for tight corners.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

@@mikechallgrenguitars9189 zipflex would be the best choice for the sides for sure.

[@short6691]

I must admit that I was a bit put off by the “punchy” comments during this excellent video. However the reference to having “checked the analytics” put my mind at ease that the comments were more well reasoned than it at first appeared.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Firstly, it was a joke and people should laugh at jokes. Secondly, Did you subscribe? Analytics say 100% of my viewers are male.

[@KBorham]

@Beau Hannam Guitars , what an awesome, detailed video! I first watched this months ago and decided then to give it a go. So, months later, the binding and purfling are glued up, scraped flush and ready to remove the teflon and get to pearlin'. I have an adhesive proposition: I did some adhesive tests with multiple adhesives over dried tight bond. The only glue that would stick to the tightbond was Fish glue. I am considering using fish glue to glue in the pearl strips instead of TB since I glued my wood bindings with PVA glue. Any thoughts of why that would not be a good adhesive? BTW, CA to tightbond was the worst adhesion, followed by TB over TB.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

You don’t need to glue the Teflon in. Just in the purflings on the other side of it

[@KBorham]

@@BeauHannamGuitars , I was referring to fish gluing the pearl strips. The Teflon went in with the binding/ purfling.

[@georgedunham5085]

Great video.....question, you mention correcting binding/purfling gaps with heat. I am unfamiliar with that technique. Do you have a video of that or directions?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

I’ve not done a video in that but you just push in the offending area with either a hand cloths iron or a heat bender? If there is a gap I squish glue in , push with heat and Re tape it and it’s all good

[@georgedunham5085]

@@BeauHannamGuitars I have thought about doing that but didn't think it would work. That is going to save me a lot of work. Thanks! I'm in hawaii for 3 months so no fun in the Crawford shop till xmass time.

[@mikechallgrenguitars9189]

Thanks for this Beau, with each of your videos, I pick up some hints for success. When you shellac the edges of the top, could you use sanding sealer instead?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- you can use sanding seal and sometimes I do from a rattle can. It actually stands away a bit easier then shellac which gums up paper

[@mikechallgrenguitars9189]

@@BeauHannamGuitars ...ok, I think I’ll try it your way - with shellac

[@patrickpalmer3374]

I'm gathering supplies from over seas now.

[@patrickpalmer3374]

After stringing the yamaha up intonation waiting, it sounds close, I hope my old Turner will work fore me it jumps a lot

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Beau . well i guess my @ick is safe been subscribed for a while . but how did you know i had big ears . you know how that happens dont you yup she pulls on em as i am down town .question please did you use shellac just around the shell 2" out ?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahhaha- No one’s D!£k s safe!!! I only used shellac 2” around the edge - you could give the whole top a coat if you want.

[@patrickpalmer3374]

Light pinky look yeah I over sanded my dots on the telecaster pinky dots suck. Lesson learned, or is it I have repeated the same mistakes identically last night seriously unsettling and while cutting a new bone saddle was even conscious of the first mistake , still repeated the same mistake expecting different results , who knew. P

[@edbolles9252]

Do you know a good source for purchasing Pau shell that is pure and not a glued on type.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

@@edbolles9252 stewmac sell real Paua strips. Also Any DePaul depaul Inlay. The glued in type is called zipflex. I’ve never used it but it looks like cheating! Hahahha

[@brianmahoney7567]

Nice video. Was that blind Willie McTell in the background?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Brian. It wasn't Blind Willie McTell. There was a few different songs in there and I got them all from a Public Domain (copyright free) music site

[@brianmahoney7567]

@@BeauHannamGuitars fine choice of music.

[@TreasureCoastUkuleles]

Will this technique with the Teflon place holder strip work with Zipflex abalone as well ?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Yes. Assuming zipflex is the same width as the Teflon (I can’t remember if it is). You could glue the zipflex in at the same time too as it’s all together it handles basically just like a BWB purfling

[@donmailloux8856]

Hi, I AM VERY INTERESTED IN YOUR NEXT STEP AND IF YOU HAVE TO MASK OFF ALL OF THE PURFLING AND BINDING PRIOR TO DOING THE SUNBURST AND ALSO HOW YOU DO THE SUNBURST. i WOULD IKE TO DO THE SAME AND FINISH WITH GUN OIL. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT VIDEO. DON

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Yep- you mask off anything you don’t want colorized. I’ll be doing a sunburst video.

[@donmailloux8856]

@@BeauHannamGuitars I look forward to it. Thank you, Don

[@cattaraugustonawanda4426]

Do straight pieces of Paua work on the tight curves of ukuleles ?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

They do for me. The shell just naturally breaks when it needs to to fit a curve. Sometimes ill grab a curved piece to try it on the waist, but the curved pieces never break as nicely as the straight pieces. They are good when they are the perfect radius though.

[@patrickpalmer3374]

I'm thinking about stripping my yamaha and doing this plus a scorpion inlay then French . I bought it on eBay the headstock broke off. Watched a other guy on here KZbin teach me how to build a neck jig, piece of cake now I have to re 1st and it and Matt clear finish. I'm also adding a piece of ebony to the headstock surface with an abalone cross and a snake wrapped around it also yamaha in pearl and might sinse I have enough rose wood coming do the back side of the yamaha with that hardwood to add strength mainley and hide scars, I want to do exactly what your doing to the ya.aha and a washburn dreadnought that is getting a rosewood face because the red in the rose wood compliments the washburn sides and solid top way better and washburn in mother and an inlay, scorpion, cross, tarantula, something but the top will get your treatment. All these things are reaching me valuable information. That's why I do them. I love how your abalone turned out so instead of one pack of straight abalobe 3"× 2mm pieces I bought 3 on eBay and glue I hit the dollar store for Krazy glue just have to get the white and black pieces, also cut out a bone saddle and nut for both. I worked slow on the yamaha saddle mainley tired , the first saddle where the the low strings eadg cross yamaha slanted it back and releaved both front and back of this bar that runs from the G string to the E well carving that I didn't realize that I carved my radious to be flat, unsettle , I started another I've been awake now 21 hrs finished the second one faster, and did the same thing almost photo perfect. I then started another AND not useing yamaha's line I carved releaf spots like the high ebg have and it came out complete where I didn't remove much material (bone) so I can intonate the new 12g light strings then this sweetheart will be open G only releasing even more steess.

[@pepe3675]

hello friend I have a Yamaha fg830, do you think I can do this job??? I have no idea, it has a decorative line on the top ,my goal would be to replace it with abalone. It is a brand new guitar. I am completely ignorant on this subject and I can hardly find any information

[@cattaraugustonawanda4426]

Teflon strip dimensions?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-inlay-and-pearl-cutting/no-stick-filler-strip/

[@patrickpalmer3374]

I hope o don't screw that yamaha up when I strip it I bought some paint stripper at home depot.

[@lindsaythompson726]

Is that Robert Johnson?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

I can’t remember but I doubt it

[@YegresAL]

I'm not Richard, but I've double-checked subscription...

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

HAHAHAHHa- thanks :) (I was wondering when someone would comment on that!)

[@chrisferguson237]

lol ouch