Abalone or Mother of Pearl on Exterior Surface

[Site Man]

OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by Robert Beverly on August 02, 2002

I was wondering if these materials could be used as skin material on a substrate for exterior use. I was wanting to carve a diamond in baswood and place a skin over it in abalone.

Mike Jackson

Hi Robert,
I keep trying to get Rick Glawson to post here, but I guess he is too bashful. I know he reads the posts, because he mentions some of the answers to me when I get to talk to him on the phone. Anyway, he would be the source for a difinitive answer on this one, since he has worked with the materials for many years. At one time, he collected the shells, cut them, and ground them to the thin sheets. Give him a call.

Good luck,
Mike Jackson

Rick Sacks

It works fine, just needs a oil or wax periodically to hold the glow and not oxidize.

Robert Beverly

Would it detract from the rich appearance if they were clearcoated

Rick Sacks

They need to be cleared or the shell gets dull. I would not use a lacquer, it's for interior use. Use a good varnish, eurethane or automotive clear. I do remember when we cut these arrow that we wanted for embelishments starting a pinstripe on a car. We masked off the area with sandblast mask and traced the arrowheads and cut and peeled the rubber. With one of those syphon type blasters that can concentrate on a small spot, we blasted through the paint and inlaid the shell, glueing it with cyanoacrylate. Pulled the paint line around it and the stripes and cleared the shell. I haven't seen it in many years now, but I know it held up for many.

Vance Galliher

robert, at one of the conclaves a few years back, doug bernhardt sprayed a sheet of shell (say that twenty time)with a rattle can lacqure........before glueing to glass..and the shell took on a whole new depth !......so i would say yes !.......but i've only done it on interior glass work.......vance

Robert Beverly

Vance

Is that some an actual brand lacquer?

Vance Galliher

home brew is beer robert !hahaha.........this come in a can by rust-oleum....painter's touch lacquer ...i
also use parks shellac....! what a wonderful medium.......