Learning to do MOP inlay
 

Hey folks,

I had planned to wait until I got the first try finished but...well... I can't wait to share. I am expecting a certain amount of failure on this try, but that is part of what we do, learn by failing and trying again.

I have a VERY rough Singer Model 12 that I got in trade from Cathy. Some clever individual removed the rust and painted it black. That is it. No sanding, no evening of the surface, nothing. So, we decided that it would be perfect for my learning to do MOP (Mother Of Pearl) inlay on a machine.

My research indicated that they used "up to 14 coats or more" of paint as necessary to cover the MOP, followed by "as many as 20 hours" of block sanding to bring the finish back down.

I chose the back plate because it was the simplest piece to work with. (I was wrong, it has no flat surfaces which makes it much harder.

Here is the very rough back plate with the MOP glued in place. You can see that the metal was pitted from rust previously. I painted it and then block sanded it back to smooth before putting the MOP on. It does not look smooth but the black spots you see are paint filling the pitting resulting is a level bed. I should have wrapped sandpaper around the part with the rough side out, and then rubbed the MOP back and forth until the underside was curved in the shape of the metal. As it is, I just glued these on. I selected four different thicknesses of MOP, the thickest as near the base, the thinnest is on the end of the long arm.

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Here is what it looks like at the halfway point. 7 coats.
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Here is this morning after 11 Coats. Almost done!
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It is really hard to get a decent shot of a piece of curved material with 11 coats of shiny lacquer!

I should be able to get one more at lunch, one when I get home, and one before bed.

Then Wednesday, I begin sanding....

Thanks for sharing the process. I had no idea how it was done. Be sure to share the finished project.

Oh! I'm so looking forward to see how this progresses! Great job so far, Steve!

I use the same technique...you will have excellent results though the final coat can be tricky to finish the project. In some more detailed pieces, like the featherweights, it's easy to apply too much lacquer and obscure structural detail. The good new is that with clear lacquer you protect the decals and they "POP". Good luck!!!

14 coats... and finally a decent shot.

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I am so excited to see and read about this process. Looks great so far...you are a true craftsman.

I now have a better understanding of why they did so few machines with inlay. It is much more involved than I had imagined. Thanks for sharing!

Looks good so far..... I can't image you failing at anything.... you aren't a type A personality, are you? HaHa... keep up the good work.

Wow... Can't wait to see how it turns out!!

You are amazing!