How To Inlay a Guitar Headstock - With Master Inlay Artist Craig Lavin (Episode 2)

[@stewmac]

Thanks so much Craig for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us on this series.

[@d4v1ds]

Really appreciate the safety reminders on both the material dust and the vapors from the adhesives.

[@getheroutofthetruck]

What an amazing artist and teacher.

[@hammer9856]

So many great tips... I've done some inlay work before (nothing at the level he does), but there is so much to learn here. I love the trick of applying a piece of tape to the router bit to help blow away the dust.

[@camsy83]

Yes, that trick blew me away too!

[@Eitner100]

I retired last year after almost 50 years of working. I started painting, writing again and playing more guitar. So I bought two new guitars that I have to assemble. Since I was born with two left hands, I am not too practical, I now have all the time in the world to learn being practical and enough time to follow this tutorial. So thank you very much!

[@tylersmith9418]

Great series. Bravo on the camera work.

[@KBorham]

Outstanding video! I come back and watch this series again and again, and I always learn something new. I'm going to vibrate my dry wood dust into the inlay with the hard edge of an electric toothbrush (kind of like they do with concrete) to get more volume of dust into the inlay. The superglue tends to suck the dust down into the pocket. Im so grateful for this tutorial, it has made inlaying "easy" (or at least doable), so THANK YOU.

[@ryanwalker3015]

This series with Craig is the best out there by far on doing this. You should've charged for these. Ha. They are that good. Thanks for doing these.

[@aljustal7577]

Breathtaking craftsmanship 👍Way beyond my ability, but a joy to watch. Always great to see a true artist at work 👍

[@craiglavin1436]

Thanks 🙂

[@MartinM0815]

I could listen to this guy for hours

[@stoneglad]

Thank you Craig Lavin! Your inlay work is exceptional, you’re a true master of your craft! Great tutorial, thank you!!

[@shaunmcinnis1960]

The tape trick is brilliant

[@actionoriented]

Amazing tutorial and work. Great instruction, detail and artistry, so impressive.

[@cassgascoigne]

This is fantastic. I'm really keen to try it.

[@cratecruncher6687]

Nice tututorial. I'm learning a lot. The CA respirator may seem like overkill but some people are very sensitive to the fumes. I build RC airplanes made from balsa. I switched to Titebond wood glue for economy and safety. But every year someone glues an entire four foot wing in CA in an enclosed spare bedroom and ends up in the emergency room because their lungs are on fire and they are having trouble breathing. Then we hear about it on the build forums a few days later when they get discharged from the hospital!

[@pallecla]

I am sensitive to CA and it is no fun... 😢 Especially because it has so many uses in guitar repair and no real good alternatives. I have to wear a respirator even if I just have to open a bottle.

[@johnnycab8986]

The super thin CA can be brutal stuff with how heavy the fumes it gives off are. The higher viscosity stuff hardly gives off any fumes (even slightly more viscous), but the really watery stuff is dangerous stuff.

[@chrispaulick]

I believe originally they used hot hide glue for inlays. Well all the glue ups actually. I don’t think there was any other glues back then, maybe fish glue. Old Horses went to the glue factory. Another note is on finishes, safest is the old French polish. Easy repair and thin.

[@RestorationsFOD]

I use ca glue to close wounds

[@michaelb.42112]

This is some GREAT advice ! On the humorous side 28:29 is to save to do a victory line ...

[@AndrewDawsonBrown]

Great video love your work, I think your gonna hate me for this but I have been doing inlay work for years, including inlays on pre radiused fretboards, which is hard work, but I bought myself a cnc router last year, and its really opened my eyes, I know its machine made work rather than hand crafted but it has allowed me to do things like inlay on headstocks which are already on completed necks, maybe Ill make a video myself on this at some time and thanks for the videos

[@craiglavin1436]

Nothing wrong with CNC. Just not how I do it. 🙂

[@martgryfny]

Oh no. It looks so easy a need to try it now.

[@oldrrocr]

thanks Craig and Stewmac. I have a parts-caster that is begging for this.

[@stewmac]

Right on!

[@chrispaulick]

I would note that also when working with CA glue to have acetone within reach incase you happen to glue your fingers to something or themselves. And cap the acetone right away. Don’t want to knock it over. Probably best to get a small bottle of nail polish remover if you don’t have a small bottle to fill from the can and then refill when finished.

[@tonymallia1940]

Awesome Video

[@laurelrunlaurelrun]

Wow, I was expecting some mega-brain revelation for getting a precise pocket. Do a pencil tracing and fill in the gaps with dust/dye. Of course you can't cut in the tracing like with a simpler shape. I think the really interesting artistry and skill will be the other parts of the process. Either way, I always wanted to know how this part of intricate inlays was done. Thanks for the window into it.

[@MichaelBenninger]

Thank you

[@bobvines00]

Another way of using a caliper to measure the thickness of a part, other than clamping the part between the "jaws" is to extend the small part of the caliper longer than the thickness of what you are trying to measure, then simply place the extended part on the surface the part is on, and lowering the body of the caliper until it touches the part. I tend to do this on some small metal parts with steps, blind holes, etc., that are otherwise inconvenient to measure.

[@stellingbanjodude]

Great video

[@stewmac]

Thanks!

[@paulmorrison9691]

Wow I just learned a lot thanks to you you do great work and you ate a great teacher thanks and now to the rest of the story

[@stewmac]

In a prior life Craig was a school teacher. ;)

[@kmichaelp4508]

Excellent again!

[@stewmac]

Thanks!

[@kmichaelp4508]

@@stewmac , no! Thank you.

[@albertosotelo9969]

Just las week I ordered some fretboard block inlays... I hope I can get it right

[@ayeapprove]

This is exaclty what I love about these small details. It takes incredible precision to have such a clean inlay but it makes all the difference to me on a guitar. It's workmanship at the highest level and I'll gladly pay for something like this. I'm just wondering: Is lasercutting inlays a thing? I'd imagine it to be much easier and quicker.

[@stewmac]

I am unaware of anyone using lasers to cut pearl, however CNC inlay is very common.

[@craiglavin1436]

Laser on pearl doesn't work I'm told due to the light scattering effect of the pearl.

[@ayeapprove]

@@craiglavin1436 Good point, I didn't think of that.

[@driftmouth2506]

Hey Craig! Amazing video. I am getting ready to do my first headstock and I've got a rookie question: Since the ebony increases the thickness of the headstock, what do you do to ensure the tuners are able to protrude through far enough to wind the strings on? Donyou have to first sand the headstock to thin it? Using a stew mac kit, like the one in your video, for reference

[@grizelda4526]

Brilliant

[@Marcelo_Mammana]

Hi! Thanks for such detailed and great series! How do you finish it? If you have a headstock of another wood and would like to use some stain or tru-oil with stain, how do you avoid staining the inlay? Thank you so much!

[@battlehrfred]

Hi Sir, Great professional work great Detail.ty.. QUESTION >>>> I need to glue a "Fleur de Lis" Green Abalone natural colour ,dimensions, 16x 10 mm, (1mm thickness/height) on a wooden thrust Rod Cover on my 210CE Taylor Guitar ,i am wondering what type of glue should i use to attach it?? Would it be alright to use a Regular Clear krazy glue? Would it do a permanent bond ? or should i remove the thrust rod wooden cover and take it to a luthier to get this countersunk in the cover for Appearance reasons,? ty

[@craiglavin1436]

If your just gluing it on any glue will work. Thick super glue in small amounts is fine.

[@battlehrfred]

@@craiglavin1436 ty sir

[@c3ajeff]

I appreciate your patient, 'safety first' approach. Do you do everything by hand or do you ever use CNC?

[@craiglavin1436]

Everything I do is fully by hand.

[@williamwmcqiv6157]

Thank you for this thorough video …what I’m not liking is how the ca glue runs up inside the grain, for example the area absorbed around 25: 00. Is this a problem on final finish? I would think this would create an issue during the final sanding and coating process.

[@craiglavin1436]

With ebony under a finish it doesn't matter. With other woods yes you may see that later. Under finishes though it's barely noticable. Depending on how light the wood is. You can prevent this with thicker glue, but then it doesn't fill as well under the inlay.

[@502deth]

maybe a tip?? i still use pencil and paper to do my drafting. screw that cad crap. the way i learned it back in the day after finishing i use a light coat of hair spray on the pencil drawings. it locks the pencil in and keeps it from smearing. at one point in the video you mentioned about working the line first so it doesnt smear. maybe this technique could cross over into this??

[@craiglavin1436]

You could do it that way. Not always needed but if that works for you it's cool.

[@JimB802]

thanks

[@isaiahgonzales6193]

What can't Jon Favreau do? Great series. Helped me a lot.

[@ln5423]

Can rubber cement be used instead of the Testers wood cement?

[@NunYa953]

*notices video is 30 minutes. 🙄 *Starts watching and listening. 🤨 *This is fucking fascinating. 😲 I'm an inlay artist now. 😎

[@modernwives9817]

How do you do this if you are going to be painting the headstock?

[@jcout25]

5:45 Working through a national holiday....tisk tisk

[@skeeter197140]

What wizardry is this at 27:31?

[@chez4504]

Where can I get mother of pearl Stewmac head stock inlay?

[@wolflahti412]

With ebony, it is not much of an issue, but CA glue will darken most woods, making it obvious where you've filled a void with sawdust. PVA will not.

[@tjforgey7854]

The problem I have is wherever there is glue,it stained the wood a lighter color.any remedies for that?

[@craiglavin1436]

What wood type and what glue type?

[@chrispaulick]

Some CA will yellow spruce tops for sound hole rosettes. Coating the edges of the pocket with shellac will help preventing the CA from wicking the end grain .

[@roosky203]

Not the mouth open thumbnails 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@evilutionltd]

Soy face thumbnail!

[@craiglavin1436]

Started as a joke wound up here 😂.

[@JebJulian]

Wax paper / baking paper is my spirit animal (won't stick to CA or epoxy) $3 for a 60m roll

[@jimdoner3443]

But does this man play guitar ? Not that it matters !!!

[@craiglavin1436]

Yes since I was 12.

[@TheElrondo]

Is Wax Paper what we buy as "Baking Paper" in Germany?

[@stewmac]

No, I suspect not. That is what we normally refer to as parchment paper. But it should work. Just test it and make sure super glue doesn't stick to it.

[@TheElrondo]

@@stewmac Thank you ❤️

[@Nurhaal]

Calipers are nice for checking general thickness but I'd recommend using Mics, or Micrometers. They're easier to fine tune and usually are far more reliable at anything above 2 or 3 sigma. You won't have that 'rocking back and forth' issue either when you're sting the Caliper on its end like you are here. The calipers can flex which what can lead to issues when using them on substrates to so small. The Micrometer is a far better option. This is in regards to checking your thickness only. For you're routing depth, an actual metrology depth gauge is also better. You get a much more flush contact and it's easier to use even if the depth position you are checking in on a substrate with a light radius or curved surface.

[@RangKlos]

I think 99% watched this and decided to leave it to the pros really.

[@danomite359]

You'd think lasers and computerized routers would've replaced this method, but what do I know.

[@bluewaterpig]

I’m very confused…can someone explain exactly what he’s doing at 18:45? It looks like he’s just tracing the inlay again…how would you get pencil marks only in certain areas if you’re tracing the whole thing again? I would think the opposite is true…you’d only want to route out the spots that DON’T have any pencil marks after the second tracing. I was following everything perfectly until this…

[@craiglavin1436]

Your outlining the inlay. Any inner pockets need to be left as wood or all least an equal color fill.

[@bobvines00]

What hardness of pencil lead is being used here, HB? Or softer or a bit harder? I'm guessing HB, but you can get "artist" graphite pencils in the following hardnesses (as far as I know): 9xxB, 8B, 7B, 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H, and 9H. I've got HB (and B or H), and at least 2H, 4H, and 6H for my mechanical pencils (even more, I think, for my old drafting lead holders). Of course, HB & 2H are the "most common" hardnesses available for mechanical pencils, but I'm curious what hardness(es) Craig recommends. Also, the close-ups make his 0.5mm lead look like 0.7 or 0.9, so I might have chosen the wrong size mechanical pencil (I've got at least 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9)!

[@craiglavin1436]

Standard push pencil you get at target for school supplies. I paid more for different types but it's basically all the same.

[@psk1461]

And there it is.. route with a machine..

[@BensCanyonAT4]

that drum track at 12:15 sounded a little sus

[@chucksguitarshop]

You make this look way too east Craig! lol

[@smithcustomguitarco]

where was this video 4 months ago 👋

[@donarmando916]

There is a easier way of marking the logo outline

[@ln5423]

Do tell

[@swettyspaghtti]

This is insane. Feel like a laser cutter could make this 10000000000 times easier

[@craiglavin1436]

CNC will. But at the more complicated level it's the same difference. You still need time to design, layout, glue up, install.. etc. Logos is just the very beginning of it all. 🙂.

[@Frustratedfool]

An eyeball full of cyanoacrylate vapour really hurts your eyes. Keep your head to the side, not over the top of poured glue.

[@craiglavin1436]

Agreed. I work in the shop with a fan as well.

[@willb1157]

"I'm not wearing a mask this one little time..."

[@nicholin02]

hey a clickbait

[@Daizenzetsu]

Good video, awful thumbnail, don't stoop to the level of funny face thumbnails

[@craiglavin1436]

It started as a joke and now it's here lol.

[@Daizenzetsu]

@@craiglavin1436 unfortunately doing clickbait thumbnails as a joke still means you're doing a clickbait thumbnail, lol. Still a fantastic video and fantastic work on your part regardless