Replies

1. 
   nicobie | Oct 01, 2004 02:18am | #1

   I'm curious about this too.

   Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

   Ronald Reagan, August 15, 1986

1. 
   DennisS | Oct 02, 2004 06:00am | #2

   Nicobie -

   In another topic line someone mentioned using tile cutting tools (I think they mentioned a hole saw) to cut the shells. I used my tile wet saw (diamond blade) and it did a marvelous job. Only problem is figuring out how to cut the pieces to get the best yield from the shell(s) A band saw would make that easier but I'm loathe to try cutting them on my woodworking machine.

   For grinding and polishing I decided to use the flat side of my Tormek wheel. Takes forever but does work and eliminates the problem with the dust. I tried for just an instant on the stationary belt sander and decided that wasn't going to work!

   Wet/dry sandpaper works well also but is terribly labor intensive. All I had on hand was 220 grit so perhaps a more agressive grit for basic 'roughing down' would be faster.

   I think, if I were going to get serious about trying to harvest mother of pearl, though, I'd invest in some lapidary equipment like a horizontal polishing wheel.

   ...........

   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.

   Dennis

1. 
   lwj2 | Oct 02, 2004 05:15pm | #3

   IIRC, one of my friends that's a goldsmith uses a fret saw to cut the stuff.

   Good luck.

   Leon Jester

   Roanoke VA

2. 
   OneofmanyBobs | Oct 03, 2004 03:09am | #4

   A fine jigsaw blade works but wears quickly because of the silica.  You won't get a lot of blade life no matter what kind of blade.  Commercially, they use diamond.  Since its curved, you can only get flat pieces of a certain size.  They usually dice it into about 1 by 2 inch pieces first.  Glue it to a work board with Duco convex side up.  Run through a thickness sander until flat.  Unstick it and sand the other side.  Generally can get pieces .020 to .o50 thick.  If the shell isn't flat enough, have to start with smaller pieces.  The shell is hard but sands easily.

   Beware.  The dust is not good.  I would not sand it in the open with a belt sander.

1. 
   DennisS | Oct 03, 2004 06:51am | #5

   Bob -

   Thanks for the reply.

   I took the advice of another guy (in another topic line) and used my tile wet saw - diamond blade. Worked great. Learned very, very quickly about the sanding thing. Just a few seconds against the belt and that was enough to convince me.

   Good idea about gluing up several pieces to a board to finish all at once. I didn't realize the stuff was so thin when finished but I guess if one is to expect any size to the finished pieces, that's what you have to deal with.

   The problem I'd running into using this "wild" abalone shell is the preponderance of worm holes in the shells. Only the very very thin inside layer ends up being free of such blemishes it seems.

   ...........

   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.

   Dennis

1. 
   OneofmanyBobs | Oct 03, 2004 12:49pm | #6

   Shell is generally not much thicker than veneer.  Some kinds are pretty expensive, but the stuff I use is more like $20 an ounce.  Maybe $2 or 3 per square inch.  They must use a wet grinder or something to sand it.  Would never be economical for me to process my own, even small pieces.  Also, I've been told some kinds of shellfish shell is very toxic.  I'm not sure how true that is, but I take care not to leave the dust  laying around.

1. 
   mitch | Oct 03, 2004 06:23pm | #7

   abalone is toxic- not super deadly (unless maybe you're hyper-sensitive to it) but definitely bad enough to warrant being extra careful.  find a custom knifemakers forum.  those guys work with the stuff all the time.  try the Knifemakers Guild.

   m

1. 
   nicobie | Oct 03, 2004 09:39pm | #8

   Thanks for all the suggestions.

   I've got access to literally mountains of shells...  like a dozen piles 20+ feet tall. I think I'll try some of your tips and see what happens.Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. Ronald Reagan, August 15, 1986

2. 
   DennisS | Oct 03, 2004 11:31pm | #9

   Mitch -

   The big danger seems to be (from what other sources I've found) silicosis .... similar to black lung desease in the mining industry or what cement finishers sometimes get. In any event, I'm working all the shell material with wet equipment.

   Thanks for the reply

   ...........

   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.

   Dennis