Tips on Purfing

[rauchman]

Greetings,

Received my new mahogany Velocity body last Friday and want to attempt something a bit more ambitious than just a finish.  Would like to add purfing near the outer edge of the body using abalone.

Any tips?

 

[Rick]

I've seen people install them, but they had all the right tools.  It was at a guitar factory.  So I guess, if you have the tools, go for it.  What they are exactly, I have no idea.

 

[PhilHill]

This page-https://www.lmii.com/blog/2017/10/07/55/ gives some decent tips. Abalone can be hard to work with depending on the raw material shape. You can buy sheets of it now a days which makes it a little easier. A jewelers saw is needed as well as a saw bench, which looks roughly like this:

and small files that are sturdy enough to handle the abalone. (Note, that isn't a jewelers saw, it's just a coping saw. A jewelers saw blade looks more like a piece of wire.)

. The guitars you see with shell purfling, like Martins and such are done with individual blocks of the abalone fitted into a shelf routed next to the binding channel. Each block has to be fitted in place, especially the curved sections. It can be tedious and just about requires the eye and steady hand of a surgeon. But the results, if well done are beautiful. I haven't bought supplies like that in a while, so I'm not sure what's available. You might be able to buy the shell already cut into rectangles.
It's an ambitious undertaking, but if you feel equal to it you would end up with a really nice guitar............. :icon_thumright:

 

[PhilHill]

Ok, did a little looking and it appears Stew Mac sells what they call abalone in strips like binding. Haven't ever used it so I can't say whether it works well or not. It would make things a lot easier.

.https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/inlay-and-pearl/purfling/zipflex-abalone-purfling.html#

 

[rauchman]

Ok, did a little looking and it appears Stew Mac sells what they call abalone in strips like binding. Haven't ever used it so I can't say whether it works well or not. It would make things a lot easier.

.https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/inlay-and-pearl/purfling/zipflex-abalone-purfling.html#

Thank you.  I went all in.  Have 60' in 2 sizes of that purpling ordered, as well as a router and "stuff".  Need to find some wood to practice on.