How to Inlay Shell on a Fretboard

Simple inlaid dots are seen on this guitar fretboard.

A fretted instrument has many components crucial to its playability and acoustic integrity, such as a soundboard, backboard, tone bars and bracing. Many elements, however, are purely aesthetic. Shell inlay is one of the best examples of an aesthetic part of an instrument. Fretboard shell inlay can be as minimal as small marker dots on certain frets, or it can be as ornate as a large floral design up and down the fretboard. Regardless of your inlay plans, the inlaying technique is the same.

Things You'll Need

• Dremel rotary tool
• Router bit
• Elmer's or other white glue
• Ebony dust
• Fine-grit sandpaper

Instructions

1. Trace your design onto the fretboard. Whatever type of shell or design you'll be inlaying, place it on the fretboard to visualize where it will be and how it should go. When you're satisfied with placement, trace the outline with a pencil.

2. Rout the inlay cavity. Using your Dremel and a small router bit, rout a shallow cavity within the lines of your tracing. With practice, you can create a cavity that is a near-perfect match for your inlay design. Routing a cavity that is too shallow is preferable to routing too deep, since shell can easily be sanded down to the level of the fretboard.

3. Create an adhesive to match the fretboard's color. Even if you are skilled at inlaying, your inlay cavities probably won't be perfect. There will be small gaps between the inlay design and the walls of the cavity. To fill these gaps and make them look like the rest of the fretboard, mix some ebony dust with regular white glue until the adhesive is black like the fretboard.

4. Place the adhesive in the inlay cavities carefully.

5. Seat the inlay designs in to the cavities, pressing them down securely into the glue. Allow time to dry completely.

6. Sand everything level. You may have inlay slightly above the level of the fretboard, or glue on the fretboard that was squeezed from the inlay cavities. Sanding the whole fretboard up and down very evenly will take care of these uneven places, leaving you with a clean and smooth fretboard.

Tips & Warnings

• The instructions for mixing ebony dust with glue assumes an ebony fretboard, which is the most common. A mahogany fretboard, though, would look best with an adhesive made from a mixture of mahogany dust and glue.

References

• "The Ultimate Bluegrass Mandolin Construction Manual"; Roger H. Siminoff; 2004; Page 103