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I've never done plastic binding. I have some thing SM black plastic binding. A thin one is going in a slot marking the inside edge of the inlay. The wider one will just be like binding, set in a .5 mm rabbit filed on the sides. What would you use to glue them? The same glue for each?

For the inlay there will be lots, hundreds? of round discs, 1/32" thick or so, cut in half, except for the three whole ones at the neck button. I'll glue them on with CA glue after seizing the surface with hide glue. Will that work? I read that it would, and it seems like they would be faster to paste them on that way, and not have to tape them each down.

After all that is done, I'll seal the instrument with Z-poxy, and then cover the 1-1.2 mm deep area between the black bands with very transparent blue Z-poxy. I thought of the idea one day at work back in April or May, and it should look cool. Yes, I did do a practice, but not with the final idea of a flat edge which should be a lot better than just cut with a small finger plane. I did find out that if it isn't mixed good it makes a fairly hard Gell with a reselling property. Cool; but not what I want! Mixed well it is hard like rock. It is a River of Life with living stones in it.

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Why be normal?

First, I have settled on thin CA for all my binding. One of my early guitars with plastic binding glued with Ducco (basically acetone) has had binding come loose, I repaired that with CA too. I like to tape the binding perfectly in the channel and then tack it in place with drops of CA, pull the tape and come back ad run a bead all the way around both edges.

I also use CA for any purfling, rosettes, and some pearl inlay, altho I also uses epoxy with some dust of the parent wood for pearl.

As far as your use of Zpoxy - I am a great believe in zpoxy for both grain filling and enhancement, but it does have a very slight amber cast (which if fine for me). I've never tried tinting it and think it would be a real hassle to try to control the color, it has a good chance of coming out greenish and being blotchy. If you apply Zpoxy at full mixed consistency it will require a lot of sanding, I dilute it with DA for grain popping but again, I don't know how that would take color.

However this all sounds interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing the results

Freeman, so you thin the Z-poxy for grain filling and sealing? I found in my test that even thick the resin will flow with gravity when I moved it before it was dry, and had it on an angle. I guess if you put it on thin, it is more like using shellac? No thick layer so nothing to run?

I don't mind the amber color at all. Warms things up. I wonderer if Isopropanol would work? I use 92% for shellac, it seems to work, but it is different from DA. Doesn't have the horrible smell of DA. I haven't tried Everclear. It is a hassle to go some where special to buy it, and then pay a premium price because you could drink it.

I mixed the resin with blue pigment, it doesn't take much. I'm looking for translucent, close to transparent, with a blue tinge to it. I think I'll put some pigment in the glue seize too, so it won't need much, some blue will show through from the bottom. Maybe that will bring a feeling of depth? It's only .04-.05" deep.

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Why be normal?

Just as in Harry Potter, the materials used determine the adhesive to use. That and the experience and preparation of the person doing the work. The answer varies and there's no one 'best' answer.

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Peter Havriluk