theodoropoulos - 11-18-2009 at 11:22 AM
hallo!i wanted to ask if the mother of pearl we use in the entire fretboard come from one piece of MOP or many joined together.The oud in this page
http://www.dimitrisouds.com/
is an example of what i am talking about.
thank you.
jdowning - 11-18-2009 at 01:02 PM
It could be one or the other - only the maker can confirm what he uses.
M.O.P (or Nacre) is cut from curved sea shells and ground flat for inlay work so is commercially available only in quite small (and expensive) pieces
measuring around 25mm X 30mm or less. So for an 'arabesque' style finger board inlay, many pieces would be used joined together - carefully selected
to match in pattern.
An alterative composite material, "Abalam" - used by the luthier trade for inlay work - is made by gluing strips of shell together (with epoxy cement)
to make (thin) larger sheets measuring 6cm X 9cm.
theodoropoulos - 11-18-2009 at 01:55 PM
if we assume that we join 2 pieces ,is it possible to achieve an invisible connection line,so that it looks like one piece?Can we use a mix of epoxy
and thin powder from pearl?Can you distinguish,if in the photo are many pieces???i cannot...
jdowning - 11-19-2009 at 04:48 AM
I can't from the photo - nobody can except the maker.
Given the incredible, light reflecting, natural pattern of MOP and the narrowness of the inlay work, any joints would be difficult to see given
precise workmanship.
Mixing MOP dust with epoxy (to make an 'inlay paste'?) would probably not be successful as the natural irradiating patterning of the MOP would be
lost. It likely would just look like just a dull white inlay.
Besides, it is not recommended to mess around with MOP dust as it can cause severe respiratory problems.
theodoropoulos - 11-19-2009 at 11:59 AM
ok thank you!!!