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Found this link to a cool video showing how the inlays are shaped and engraved in DePaule's Vietnamese shop.

What they are doing looks fast, efficient, and extremely accurate, and looks slightly different from what books and videos demonstrate typically.

They even make their own saw blades!

What do y'all think?

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Wow!
What skill!
Also, a very good use for cig butts.
I wonder what they use for the black?
I've been wanting to do this,
but with not so complex designs.

I think it might cause some western shell artists to re-think our tried and true techniques...or at least open our minds to trying new techniques. I'm not positive, but I believe I saw these things happening, both contrary to our own tradition: 1. Pearl saws cutting on the push stroke rather than the pull stroke. 2. Pearl blanks cut on the point of a rest that I'll call an "anvil" for lack of a better term. No question that I saw that. You did, too. Definitely not our keyhole sawing board. Looks like it works just fine. 3. Engraving done with a skew knife /chisel, rather than a burin. Now that is just purely cool. But let's realize that this skillful man has probably done that pattern at least 500 or 1,000 times previously. Note that he has four more identical blanks on his work board to engrave before his break! Note the younger guys in the shop watching his technique closely. This man is the engraving master of the shop. He is teaching by doing. No question.

Obviously, no OSHA regs in this factory. Not a respirator mask in sight anywhere.

It's a fine, informative video clip. It offers proof that there are always alternative ways to get the job done...and get it done very well, I might add.

But don't forget those respirator masks, folks.

Patrick

Good observations.
It looks like the saw and the pearl piece are both stabilized on the anvil looking thing, and the pearl piece is moved on the saw as it's cut as opposed to the other way around.
I can't tell if it's cutting on the push stroke or the pull stroke, it looks to me like it cuts on both.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

i love that musical instrument in the sound track; i looked it up, want one. so far no clear pics or diagrams. i can't figure out how it works, after watching some videos of it being played. no fretting takes place, yet the pitches change radically and crisply? can't all be done with a whammy, not that accurately

The musician plays harmonics, and the rest of the pitches are hit using the "whammy bar". Yeah, they can be that precise.

Pretty cool stuff. It is just amazing to me that they do all this work by hand (no CNC or laser engraving). What great artists.

As an asside, I've bought some stuff from Andy. They are great people to deal with and provide a very quality product for a very low price, IMO.

Thanks for posting the link.

Just watched the vid..... incredible stuff.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Very cool! I need to try that style of cutting, with the anvil thing. Nice to see some other artists who don't consider chairs a necessity I prefer sitting on the floor like that too.

The knife edge engraving is also great to see. Looks much easier to control than a "push forward" style graver.

The lack of any dust control makes me cringe. I keep everything wet while cutting, so it doesn't get into the air.

And the dan bau music... coincidentally, there was just a post discussing that instrument a couple weeks ago http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=35776

I like the way they work the pearl into the blade much like using a bandsaw but 2 handed...cool video

I wonder how much these fine workers are paid and do they have health insurance?

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Another day, another dollar.