Making a wampum button.

In which I turn a quahog shell into a wampum button.
Quahog shells are very difficult to work. The most reliable method I have found is the use of historical tools.

[@adog3129]

those are really pretty

[@more5347]

twitter showed me some quahog bead jewelry, which led me to youtube, hunting bead making, and I found this! I LOVE your hand cranked grinder. This is so interesting, thank you!

[@MalcolmPL]

Cheers. Glad you enjoyed.

[@aluegyatsmax9756]

That was a wicked video reminds me of the abalone shells my people use for buttons.

[@MalcolmPL]

Yeah, very similar.

[@YouFoundBen]

I've had good luck preventing breaks by drilling in a shallow pan of water. I grind with whetstones but also keep a bowl of water on the bench and dip the shell regularly while doing so. Seems to also kelp keeping the dust to a minimum though I usually wear a dust mask. Your channel is really awesome!

[@MalcolmPL]

I tried that back when I was figuring this out, it didn't seem to make much difference for me, but I was probably doing it wrong. What do you put between the shell and the bottom of the pan?

[@YouFoundBen]

@@MalcolmPL Usually just a less attractive piece of shell. Using a hand cranked grinder is a great idea! I'll likely be adapting that.

[@MalcolmPL]

@@YouFoundBen It's a lot faster than a whetstone, and slightly less likely to grind up the fingernails.

[@YouFoundBen]

@@MalcolmPL Haha Been there done that

[@YouFoundBen]

@@MalcolmPL Also... maybe a shallow pan of water at the bottom of the grinding wheel would help with dust or breaks? I know of someone who works the shell with a tile saw and that has a similar setup.

[@martindonald7613]

Sago. Really enjoying your channel.

[@WhiteThumbs]

So cool! You have a hand crank for everything

[@terrynewsome6698]

Fascinating, how are the beads made?

[@MalcolmPL]

More or less the same as the button.
There are three types of bead. Disk, round and tube.
Disk beads are basically small buttons with only one hole.
Round beads are made similarly, but they are a lot more finicky as you can't hold onto them properly, and you have more than one dimension to deal with. Some people use rock tumblers to finish rounding them.
Tube beads are made by drilling into the edge of the shell rather than the flat. This requires special clamps, a different sort of bow drill and a ridiculous amount of skill and patience.

[@jameshoben6962]

I found your channel today and love the variety of videos.
An electric drill is not the right tool for the job. But, would an egg beater drill provide the same advantages as a bow drill in this case?

[@MalcolmPL]

I tried that and had trouble keeping it steady, but I bet someone with more experience using them could make it work.

[@jameshoben6962]

@@MalcolmPL Thank you!

[@manfredwei4015]

I´m making wampum beads using quahong shells since 30 years now...one problem is the heat because quahong grows in "steps" - that´s why I´m using a bowdrill - and also that these days it´s very hard to find a source for the thick shells

[@MalcolmPL]

Good to hear someone else uses the same solution.

[@karlnash7105]

Lots of grinding. Wow
Have you considered a foot driven trundle set up? I'm thinking like a lathe.
Thank you for sharing this 🙏 ❤

[@MalcolmPL]

Yes, that would be very useful but it’s a matter of finding the energy to actually build the thing.

[@Raycheetah]

What a beautiful, little button! Given what you showed us of the shell it came from, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to derive tubular beads from that cross-section. ='[.]'=