I'm in the process of building a small cbg for my 2 year old granddaughter for Christmas. I'm trying to figure out some details to make it look more girly without giving it a look she'll quickly outgrow. I'm going to mix epoxy with purple glitter and fill in the holes to make the fret markers. Anyone have any other ideas?
Here is what I'm ending up with so far. I stirred in some purple glitter with the epoxy and filled the holes just below the surface so that when I sand, it shouldn't scratch up the epoxy.
Thanks eveyone. I'm trying the glitter in epoxy but so far I'm not sure it'll shine up enough to let the sparkle shine through. I'll be applying a Tru oil finish. Hopefully it'll work with the epoxy and allow me to polish it up.
The Phrygian Kid > Angry Rooster GuitarsNovember 29, 2015 at 2:37am
Glitter in epoxy works great, no problem. You can also just use fine brass/alum/copper filings. If you scratch up the epoxy with sanding later then just do what you do if you scratch anything else up (like the neck you're workig on..) work your way through finer and finer paper up to wet/dry to polish those scratches out. It'll work out fine I've done it plenty, it's a very easy inlay technique. If you shoot with a (preferably black) rattlecan before you fill it really helps em pop, the paint will sand off everywhere but inside the inlay of course.
I left the holes not completely filled. This makes the markers slightly concave. It actually adds a little sparkle to them so I like it. My first try, I slightly over filled and then sanded them level with the wood. I could gradually polish them up, but my big problem was that I sanded some glitter flakes. Since the glitter is sorta chrome looking with color added over them, I sanded the color off and ended up with some silver speckles. Leaving them below the surface seems to be my best bet.
I like The Phrygian Kid’s suggestion about having the little girl paint something/anything herself. That’d be a keeper, I think. And at two yrs old? Maybe with acrylics used as finger paint (tho’ it would work much better with a very light-colored fingerboard).
I just finished making one for my Granddaughter. I made the neck Pi nk. The inside of the box pink. I stain the fret dots pink. Got a pink slide, pink guitar strap, and added pink strings. How's that for girly?
I suggest don't overdo it, just a heart shaped soundhole or pink dot markers or something subtle like that is all it takes to be classy and age well. Somewhere in my pics (2010?) is one I did for my girl when she was 3, she painted it herself and still loves it so you might try that. I'm sure she'll love it whatever you do so don't go losing hair over this.
Best :)
Edit. Ps fishing line makes good gentle strings for young fingers, try 10lb increments eg 10lb, 20lb, 30lb.
Replies
Love heart sound holes.
Cheers Taff
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I like The Phrygian Kid’s suggestion about having the little girl paint something/anything herself. That’d be a keeper, I think.
And at two yrs old? Maybe with acrylics used as finger paint (tho’ it would work much better with a very light-colored fingerboard).
I just finished making one for my Granddaughter. I made the neck Pi nk. The inside of the box pink. I stain the fret dots pink. Got a pink slide, pink guitar strap, and added pink strings.
How's that for girly?
Best :)
Edit. Ps fishing line makes good gentle strings for young fingers, try 10lb increments eg 10lb, 20lb, 30lb.
Make it a pastel purple. Think your on the right track. Keep it simple.