celluloid inlay material

[fatdaddypreacher]

two part question here....can celluloid material be successfully cut with laser printer, and if so any tricks? part two....if so, where could i get a small piece of it to make inlays with. thanks.
i would like it to be close to original design

 

[Oranjeaap]

Cut it with a Laser printer?

I believe the stuff to be flamable so anything with laser in it sounds like a bad idea. But I'm far from an expert on the matter.

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

wow. this is sounding like fun...thanks for the reply/warning.

 

[pshupe]

Yes it can be cut with a laser cutter / engraver. I've had some cut and they did not ignite but they smoked a bit and threatened. You may want to test on a small piece.

Your second question is more tricky. It is extremely expensive stuff to buy in sheets. That is why it is quite expensive as an inlay set as well. You can find some on ebay but sometimes the pattern and colour is not quite right. Also as everything else online you have to be concerned that it is not the correct material.

Cheers Peter.

 

[pbekkerh]

Ask museums with old celluloid films, they are extremely flammable.

In my youth, we used to peel celluloid of bike handlebars and use it for smokebombs, by igniting it and then blow out the flame.

 

[voices]

The wattage of the Laser can be adjusted on some machines to reduce the fire hazard.

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

Yes it can be cut with a laser cutter / engraver. I've had some cut and they did not ignite but they smoked a bit and threatened. You may want to test on a small piece.

Your second question is more tricky. It is extremely expensive stuff to buy in sheets. That is why it is quite expensive as an inlay set as well. You can find some on ebay but sometimes the pattern and colour is not quite right. Also as everything else online you have to be concerned that it is not the correct material.

Cheers Peter.

i plan on buying a set of inlays of the proper material and sacrifice it on testing. if it works, i was hoping to buy a piece from someone that would have the correct stuff, or even falloffs. i don't need a lot and i don't need big pieces. i'm not using it for fretboards, but instead my logo as appears in my avatar. thanks for the response

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

The wattage of the Laser can be adjusted on some machines to reduce the fire hazard.

this is a niece of mine, so i have the luxury of testing and experiment around. I think she said hers has a 100 watt bulb, but can either change it, or adjust it, but we'll have to see. thanks

 

[pbekkerh]

Check if the fumes are poisonous. I know by experience that they irritate your eyes and throat badly.

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

Check if the fumes are poisonous. I know by experience that they irritate your eyes and throat badly.

good thought. we'll run a fan. thx.

 

[pshupe]

good thought. we'll run a fan. thx.

If she has a 100 watt laser, she should know what she is doing. All come with either filter or exhaust fans unless they are home built. 100 watt is a very powerful machine. Cheap laser engravers can be 3 -15 watt. More standard size and useful would be in the 40 - 50 watt range. I'm currently looking at a 65 watt laser and you can be up almost to 5 figures. Lasers have come a long way in the last 10 years.

Cheers Peter.

 

[Roxy13]

Who would be a good supplier to get pre-cut ones from?

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

If she has a 100 watt laser, she should know what she is doing. All come with either filter or exhaust fans unless they are home built. 100 watt is a very powerful machine. Cheap laser engravers can be 3 -15 watt. More standard size and useful would be in the 40 - 50 watt range. I'm currently looking at a 65 watt laser and you can be up almost to 5 figures. Lasers have come a long way in the last 10 years.

Cheers Peter.

oh wow...i had no idea how powerful that was. i also see where, contrary to what i have seen elsewhere, that one can cut mother of pearl with a good degree of success. do you have any experience with that?

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

Who would be a good supplier to get pre-cut ones from?

pre cut what, roxy?

 

[Roxy13]

pre cut what, roxy?

Trap inlays for a LP type build.

 

[ARandall]

Just about any major supplier will do them.....some in MOP as well as plastic.
If you're not trying to fit an existing rout, or mimicing a burst to the nth degree there is no need to go exotic.

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

Trap inlays for a LP type build.

i don't know where you are located, but suppliers can't ship mother of pearl out of the continental u.s.

 

[Roxy13]

i don't know where you are located, but suppliers can't ship mother of pearl out of the continental u.s.

I'm in the US.

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

i generally get my stuff from stew mac since i don't build much and it's convenient. i've never bought their celluloids, but have used their mother of pearl stuff. ive only used one set of cell, and the customer provided them and can't remember where he got them. are you interested in pearl or celluloid

 

[Freddy G]

look for junker old accordions. The Italian ones with the white pearloid plastic are perfect.