Removing plastic dot inlay problem

[Sharkfin]

Well, I'm embarrassed but I need help... so I watched this video below and decided that I would be able to do this modification to a project guitar I just finished. I got the tools I needed and went to work. Well, I hit the wall right at the beginning of the project. After drilling the holes in each inlay, only 2 out of 10 popped out. The rest are a compressed plastic mess. It may look like I'm ham fisted klutz but I was gentle but the inlays wouldn't budge and the plastic compressed. They don't all look as bad but none the less with a hole in it and they aren't budging. I tried to take a blow dryer to and inlay for about 5 minutes to try and heat up the glue and maybe get the inlay out but that didn't work either. Any ideas on how to get these damn inlays out and preserve the inlay route? :think:

[plon]

I've used a soldering iron to melt them out. Hit them with a small tip and they pretty much pull away from the edges.

[jacksonkellyfreak]

also try a thread tap the same size as the hole you drilled. thread it in and give it a tug

[JACKSONFREAK]

Try heating some vinegar up and drop some in the holes u made. Use an eye dropped or dip a qtip in the vinegar and squeeze a drop into the hole. Let sit a minute and it should dissolve the glue.

[sully]

...or just drill them out.

[MartinBarre]

Yeah, I'd just have used a bigger drill.

[Sharkfin]

Vinegar huh? I'll give that a try and go from there. Thanks for the input guys

[DonP]

Be careful the vinegar doesn't effect the rosewood.

I second Plon's suggestion, but I also love jacksonkellyfreak's suggestion.

I might add to carefully slit the inlays with an exacto knife with the blade pointing toward the center, starting from the edge.

[charvelguy]

If the vinegar doesn't, I'd approach that the same way one removes a fret, as mentioned with a soldering iron burning it to the edge enough or visa versa to pluck it out. I never had tried this myself, but cutting them might work or possibly I'd use a combination of all said above. Although, I'd be leary of using an exacto with hard plastic in such small quarters, extreme caution. Altho, melting them might be a messy matter, not to mention, probably give you a slight buzz.

[Sharkfin]

The method that seems to be working the best is the soldering iron. Ironically while working I got a message back from Will Kelley, the guy in the video and he told me to use a larger drill bit and try to pry the inlay out as mentioned. That did work for one inlay, but that's it. I'm sticking with the iron and hope to be done soon. I tried the vinegar twice but no luck. So slow and steady now...

[Sharkfin]

All done! Thank you all sooooo much for your advice, I'm very grateful Now I can finally move on!

[charvelguy]

Cool, looks good and good to know as I'll be doing this with some of mine. You never know how much glue was used in the setting of those, and how much of the glue and wood would be almost fused like on some work I've done in replacing guitar parts.

[horns666]

There's an old saying.."if it ain't broke..don't fix it". Which means..

Leave it alone..ya dick!

Now look what ya did..ya got a bunch of holes and shit...Congrats!

I say this with love..of course.,

Billz

[Sharkfin]

I got the inlays in. I'm beyond stoked with the progress, the pictures don't do it justice!

[Cygnus X1]

Nice!

I would have filled them with rosewood.
Shows what I know.