Inlay adds beauty, distinction and individuality to your instrument.
At LMI you can find a wide variety of useful and beautiful materials, fine
tools and instructional materials. Especially recommended for beginners is
Larry Robinson’s excellent 3 video set, BM36K, which takes you through
the entire process. Larry has also written a fine book, The Art of Inlay,
BM20). From capturing an inspiring image all the way to crafting it to perfection
onto your peghead or fingerboard, Larry shows you how the master inlay artists
adorn instruments with stunningly original and beautiful inlays.
Though shell is the most common inlay material, keep in mind that woods
can be used as well. Our expanded range of headplate materials adds to the
shell materials listed here. Following are some descriptions and terms to
guide you through our selection of shell inlay materials.
Shell Types & Colors
Here are some descriptions of the various types and colors you will find in
this section. (Note that not all colors are available in all types and shapes
of shell/ “Abalam”):
White Mother of Pearl or MOP. Silvery white in color, this is the most
common inlay material. This material is relatively homogenous from piece to
piece and displays subtle rainbow colors when turned in the light. This is
the best material for engraving and stands out wonderfully in any dark wood.
Not available in “Abalam” but sold by the ounce and cut into dots,
curved strips, and other shapes as listed on next page.
Gold MOP. The same as above, except gold or bronze in color. Perfect
with gold hardware or where a suggestion of age or warmth is need.
Black MOP. Ranges from black, to smoky or silvery gray. This material often
displays stunning rainbow-like figuring!
Red Ab. or Abalone (pronounced Ab-a-lone-ee). Available only in “Abalam”,
it features predominately red and pink streaks, but often has some greens,
blues and purples. A very versatile and common shell for inlay.
Heart. This refers to section of shell culled from the central muscle
scar of the shell (where the snail was attached). In green abalone it often
appears as a wavy, burl-like pattern and in Red AB it appears as a birds-eye
like figure. Great for floral designs and detailed inlays.
Green Ab. This is a type of abalone shell that shows more green accents
along with the reds and blues. Available as “Abalam” and in curved
and straight strips.
Paua Shell. (Pronounced “pow-ah”) A type of abalone material
that is strong in blue and turquoise colors, but also has purples and reds.
Very beautiful, with good “figure”. Available in dots and shell
edging and in “Abalam”, but not as slab shell.
Donkey Shell. A white mother-of-pearl type shell available in “Abalam”
only. Essentially a Mother of pearl substitute (Mother of Pearl is not available
in “Abalam”). Great for larger inlays and for large Gibson™
style fingerboard trapezoid inlays.
Solid vs. Abalam
We carry two types of shell inlay material, Solid (or slab) shell and “Abalam”
(laminated shell):
Solid (slab) Shell This is pure shell material, cut straight from the curved
inside surface of the shell and then sanded flat. This has been the traditional
material for inlay until the advent of “Abalam”. It is sold by
the ounce (slab pieces), in dots, as curved strips and as straight strips,
tie block inlays and some special shapes.
When you purchase an ounce of flat slab expect to see approximately 7 to
8 pieces in an ounce of 1st grade or regular slab shell and 4 to 6 pieces
in an ounce of the large shell. The size and shape of each piece will vary.
“Abalam” This is a stunning inlay material, made by laminating
extremely thin sections of shell in such a way as to render the entire surface
of the sheet with beautiful, figured shell patterns — unlike natural
shell slab pieces which varies over the surface area and depth of the piece.
It is perfectly flat and is actually easier to saw into delicate patterns
because of the homogeneous nature of the laminations. This is the ideal material
when you need unusually large pieces or for projects where extreme figure
is a must. There are also more types of shell available than there is in slab/solid
shell. This material is available in sheets at 2 different thicknesses and
as curved and straight strips. Click
for more advantages of "Abalam".
