Processing abalone shell: cheap but dangerous!
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- Опубліковано 18 гру 2016
- To save money I've processed raw abalone shell to make some 1mm thick blanks for inlay. I settled on a method that works for me, but it involved some dangerous techniques.
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The Fact that your Videos are so Human, and that you are not afraid to be imperfect, makes these videos so rich! And I learn so much.
Thanks for sharing not just the process, but the complications you had to deal with to get to the final product.
I know this is older but I love channels that do guitar stuff.
Yes indeed 😊
I absolutely loved how you just figured out a way to get it done. I also have work shop envy. Glad you had the resperator on to. I've subscribed and can't wait to see what other clever inventions you create. Thank you 👍🏼🇳🇿😁👋
I was internet hunting for raw ammonite or abalone to embellish a project and stumbled upon your video. I could not take my eyes away. Your persistence astounds me. Such devotion to your project. Well done.
Thank you for the video. I have cut many tons of MOP, Abalone and Freshwater pearl shell. I recommend you buy a cheap small rock saw with a 1/32 inch kerf glade. It should have constant water drip. Use the saw from the back side. It saves a soaking and gives great control.
Coarse diamond disk are available for lapping the shell flat then run through a drum surface grinder. I use white glue to stick the flat pieces down and then soak in warm water, the finished piece just slips right off. I like using hard Formica as the surface to glue to.
This is fascinating. I've never done this before; however, I've recently gained an interest in cutting Gemstone rough for jewelry so I've watched tons of tutorials and people always use a steady stream of water for cooling and lubrication. I'm not sure but I think it helps the cutting disc last longer and definitely helps the dust problem. Maybe you could connect a garden hose and let water trickle on the shell as you cut? Anyway, great video. You've inspired me! 😊 I may actually try cutting my own shell to use in my jewelry. Thanks for sharing! Cheers! 🙂
Those inlays are going to look really good I can't wait to see what you have in store.
Hi Susan, I watched your video with interest, the shell has come up really well. I have used abalone in New Zealand where it is known as Paua, the Maori us it for eyes in their carvings and treasured sea food. I have just done a couple of round inlays on a dulcimer 4 string that I've just built, the Paua is over 40 years old, very simple rounds, looking forward to the next stage of your inlays.
Looking forward to your shaping these to size.. Very creative and resolute approach so far.... as usual Congrats
Saving money is always a good thing! Very nice work!
Fantastic creatures of Sea. Awesome illustration of these shells. Thats a 😍alot of beautiful shells 🐚!!!
I have millions of collections too 😊. That was a wonderful video. I love it.
everyone here has compliments (well-deserved) about you, and some pro tips. I can only give you the first, and I will do it wholeheartedly: you are an amazing human being, and a master craftswoman. Subscribed!
I enjoy your vids. I have a workmate that I purchased way back in 1984. I still use it whenever doing odd jobs around the house. Yours is pristine compared to my old junker!
You might find the Dremel reinforced cutoff wheels a handy investment. They cost more, but though they certainly wear out, they don't shatter like the regular brittle abrasive ones do. I've used both, but now pretty much only buy the reinforced ones. I'm in the US, so not sure if Dremel is readily available where you are at, but surely there is something comparable.
Keep up the good work! And Merry Christmas!
sei una artigiana davvero in gamba, mi piace il tuo modo personale di affrontare ogni lavorazione
Hi Susan.
I have been following your SG1 build and have subscribed.
If you would like some more abalone at any stage please let me know. I live in New Zealand where we have our own species called Paua. Paua is often more highly coloured and often thicker than abalone.
Have not seen any UA-cam video posted for some time, I do hope you are doing well and coping with lock down and other covid restrictions.
Also a huge fan of Ben at Crimson Guitars.... I'm an ex West Countryman of 30 years with now 20+ in NZ and there is still something wonderful in British humour and presentation that I miss, so watching you both is a treat.
Do post again soon and take care.
Kind regards.
Martin
A bit of CA glue on a stick helps to thickness them. Great stuff. You’re a wizard
Thank you for very informative video! It’s what I need!!👌
That smell you experienced was most likely due to improper filter media size on your dust extractor system.
You would most likely require a HEPPA Style filter as the normal filter elements designed for sawdust/sanding extractor system.
Absolutely love your innovative,inventive,lets give it a bash approach.Learned quite a bit and got inspired,thinking of silver bound bracelets,pendants,etc.Many thanks for sharing.Now subscribed.
I was a dental technician for ceramic crowns.
At the table, in front of me, was a vacuumer installed for the dust.
Nice. The drumsander seem to work very well . Do you realy have that control 0.1 millimeter.that is realy good. I think i might build one.
I try to save costs wherever I can but this could cost you more than money. I admire your bravery for showing this but it can't be cost effective on a small scale build, love your videos though so thanks for the content
really love your videos
Try soaking the shell upside down in a vinegar & salt mix instead,this mild acid will eat away the outside layer,which you can then clean up easily any left over with a hard toothbrush or really stubborn sections with a dremel :)
I'm also a "Thrifty" crafter who loves Abalone, but hates the rediculously high price of it,hehe
What ratios?
Good skills! Live the method experimentation.
I have one hell of a shop with some expensive equipment, but I love my WorkMate.
That aside, think about adding a shim opposite where you are working, then a piece of wood covering the cutter. It would act as a guard to protect your fingers, if you slip.
If you do slip, a nylon stocking or some screen door screen will catch your piece and save you digging it out. Indent the sock or screen so it is more likely to catch the pieces.
That's a lot of work. How many hours did it take? What is your hourly "wage"? Did you save money or lose money compared with purchasing prepared shell?
That aside, Happy Christmas!
Mount the hand piece, make a splash shield and use a drip feed (Bottle with small diameter hose + screw at the end, adjusted to drip) to drip right on the cutting disk
Very interesting. I recently bought a box of flat mother of pearl shells, I’m using a fine nozzle on my compressor and a 1mm cut off disk on a dremel. All good so far. I like your style.
I was freaking out a little there on the makeshift router cutter setup!
Lucky you didn't loose any finger, safety first, my Egyptian expert in shell machining told me that his father died Younger due to heavy dust inhalation for over 15years in this business, good work and thanks again.
You can get diamond blades for the dremel / rotary tool they cut through almost anything
Hello what type of cutter are u using to cut the abalone ? On your dremal thank u
Since 6 years or so have passed i have a question for you. Air powered dremels require a light machine oil to function. How long did your demel last after submerging in water?
you built your own planer? how? thanks!
A few people have recommended using running water and a handsaw, and that's great advice. Unless you have a fume cupboard handy, the problem with dry cutting is your clothing and hair picks up a fine layer of toxic dust. But your router table made me wince!! Love the channel 🤗
How did you make the drum sander that's what I'd love to know
Great work, well done! Just a thought... Meths or turps to remove adhesive from double sided tape, and linesher or disc sander for sanding with different grits. or buy and use lapidary gem polishing kit. Gemstone stick to hold inlay may avoid finger loss.
Nest time you try cutting some off can i suggest you invest in a ceramic tile cutter with a water cooled blade, they don't cost much from B&Q.
just Marvelous!! as i too am in the mind to cut and shape my own raw abalone shell. and just about evrything you have done and tried. i too have foresaw and planned on.
thus, i will use a water drip, to cut down on the dust. and i will use hot glue my piece to a wooden dowel for sanding and shaping. thus i thank you as you ARE a great help. thank you!! 🎸
Very nicely done!
Trying to think of ways to make this safer for you [and us] and I was wondering about the diamond coated plates I have for sharpening. They are inexpensive and about six inches in diameter.
Running these at slow speed with water DRIPPING on them would reduce danger and what is thrown by the wheel. Too, the water would clean the wheel and the diamond would wear really well.
Running the wheels at about one hundred RPM might do the trick.
In a pinch, a person might be able to use an old sewing machine motor and control to vary the speed.
you are simply an amazing lady. hip hip hooray. great job..
Hi Sue. Haven't seen one of your vids in awhile. Seems you're still having fun. For cutting out the rough pieces, perhaps it could be done with a water jet. Getting off the planed pieces, I might try a heat gun to weaken the tape.
Would a tile saw work, or smash it with a hammer then take it to a bench grinder an grind it round an small ?
I wondering if jeweler's saw blades could be adapted to use on a scroll saw? With the small table surface on the scroll saw, I would think it might make it easier to cut out the pieces of the abalone shell. Just an idea.
The part you used the home made mini router table is cool. I would guess if you cut the pieces in long strips then cut the individual pieces down to smaller sizes once you have them down to the thickness you want. They would be easier to hold down, giving you more control. If you have an old can cozy (for beer or soda can covers) and you cut them down in little squares, then split the thickness in two, glue it to the end of a dowel you would have home made hold down tool to sacrifice instead of fingers. (even a small build up of hot glue to a dowel would work for hold down or guild tools for feeding product into bladed or sanding tools) hope the ideas help.
Hi Susan, you can buy cheap but good diamond blades from AliExpress.com ..If you decide to try again in the water use a sponge under the shell to press down on with no worry of cutting your bowl & use a diamond blade to cut the shell, I'm a New Zealander living in Australia now & what you are cutting we call Paua, abalone is a white shell, I have several of both but the abalone isn't nearly as pretty as the Paua.
Well done!
Nice job!
This might have already been commented but when you were cutting under water, having a view box (picture a miniature glass bottom boat) would’ve remedied the problem. We used them a lot to view corals from the top of aquariums.
Did you save any of the dust ,I wonder how it would work as a filler mixed with super glue (c.a.) then sand and polish?
Dude, no! It’s not going to retain the visual properties you want from the shell!
Susan, what about some kind of solvent to get them off that board, like acetone? That might "melt" that tape.
Do really need to thickness the pieces? Can you not level one side, then sand them flush once inlaid?If you do can you not make a router jig to thickness the pieces? It's a Simple jig to do surfacing.
Yes you do inn order to get the grain orientation right for reflecting the light and colour matching...
Arr! That makes sense now. I'm not a guitar maker, just a woodworker.Normally with wooden inlays, as long as the back on the inlay is relatively flat, enough for a good glue surface the top can be quite proud and just sanded flush afterwards. Do you have to inlay these parts already at the same thickness as the surround then? how much of a tolerance is there for final sanding?
I think that soaking in white spirit would help to release the pieces without risking breaking them. It might take a while. I wondered too whether having the pieces in contact edge to edge would help to support them and make them less likely to break free while sanding. I hated the router but thought the pieces flying off were quite amusing!
You can use some oil or mineral oil when you have difficulties with tape or double sided tape. Pour some oil, wait 10-15 minutes and the glue usually just ... unglue itself.
you don't want to get this stuff in your lungs, happy to hear you used a proper mask, it's needed with this kind of work, I look forward to seeing the next part
Thanks for the video 😊😊
You could try making a holding rig with a 1mm insert in it so you can pass it through your sander with out sticking them down. Nice video.
If you go to a lapidary shop you will find they sell a wax substance called DOP that when heated will melt. You put a drop of this on the back side of you shell and stick a small piece of wooden dowel to the part and you now have a handle instead of sanding off your finger tips. The wax is easily removable when you are done. Simply put the piece in ice water or the freezer for a few minutes and it breaks free cleanly. You can also use this same method to sand your parts to a shape should you desire it.
Double sided tape adhesive is normally heat sensitive. If you heat it with a heat gun it will release and then clean off any residue with rubbing alcohol.
Good tips - thanks!
So much work! But beautiful.
And this is exactly why I use Ablam...a £90 full sheet yields plenty of straight and curved strips. Try using hide glue to stick to a sub-base. Comes off in warm water :)
supper glue (crazy glue ) only trust me hide glue is organic and subject to bacterial degradation and is not 100% clear supper glue was made just for shell gluing 50 years ago it the best make a mistake boil it out in water and try again i worked in the pearl industry 17 years
My suggestion is not for installation. We glue our laminates to mdf while machining with hide glue. Chuck the sacrificial board in a tray of warm water then collect your parts half hour later. Secure them in place with cyanoacrylate...
yes when thought later i realized that you were talking about using it as a temporary bond sorry you are right
Schector has The Omen Extreme 7 and OE6
With aboloni for around 4 hundred brand
1. respirator/dust extraction a must.. .2. watch locally; you can often find raw shells, and/or finished (but convertible) products (eg. shell-constructed "tiki" masks) for less than buying raw shell from faraway.. 3. bigger shells allow for larger shell plates; beware of smaller shells (say, less than 6" X 5") and./or those with heavy corrugation/thin material which reduces viability somewhat... 4. re less viable material, use for "dots", easily obtained, via metal tubing of desired diameter, w/teeth notched into bottom edge, mounted in dremel/drill press... 5. you need a trained eye, to gauge how successfully you can generate larger plates; bear in mind, the smaller you decide to make your plates, the more work involved; however, more you need to remove, to flatten (on bigger plates), the more chance of removing desirable material and/or sanding into the outer shell layer,,,, 6. the abalone "heart", is the (usually) coulourful section in the middle of the inner shell, where the muscle attaches to the shell; it is considered the most valuable/desirable part of the shell; re the abalone heart, be careful; though the heart is often relatively "flat" (as compared to the rest of the shell), the heart layer is a layer on top of the underlying layer, and can be quite thin; if you try to "push it", by trying to generate too large of a plate, you can sand away some/most of the heart; again, gauge a) how thick the actual heart layer is, and b) how flat the un-sanded plates are, and then sand VERY carefully (finer grit), to see how things are going...you might need/want to re-cut into smaller pieces, if you start losing the colourful material... 7. to extract the most shell-plate material, a few different tools can help reduce waste and increase safety: a wet-diamond tile saw (4.5" "thin-kerf" blade) works super, and is not expensive, "used"; the dremel discs can also be helpful, but they tend to wear out prematurely; use them, in "tight" spots, where the tile saw isn't feasible....even fine-tooth hand-saws (eg. hack/coping/jeweler's-saw) can be used in certain applications, and generates a very thin kerf... 8. with most of the plates, they will not be thick enough to "double", via re-sawing; but where possible, this can be done with a scroll saw w/fine blade + fence, or the "mini-router" technique, as illustrated in this video.... 9. re sanding/thickness-ing, remember, most of the material will be later "final sanded" to a degree, so it is not overly critical to get the material to a 0.000000 +/- thickness accuracy....if you are careful (watch your fingers!), you can "free-hand" them on a belt sander; a) do your "good side" first, then b) the back-side; with carefully thickness-ed wood veneers, you can make a notched "depth-gauge"(s), for desired thickness, and just check as you go; when the sanded piece fits into the slot, you are good-to-go (with a finer grit on the sander, you can control removal of material fairly well...)....or, one can use the thickness sander if they have one (or access).... 10 remember in all this, "time-is-money", unless you are strictly "hobby" oriented, where time/$$ is not the deciding factor....those places that produce/sell shell-plate material, are set up, for maximum material/cost equation; thus it is not easy to beat their prices, when seeking to generate your own material....
No electric shock?
I can't remember what you're using for dust extraction, but unless the filter is designed to capture really fine particles it can be more of a dust distributor than extractor! That might be part of the reason that you could detect that"distinctive" smell...
Wayfarer-Sailing dear god, the smell!!!!!! Burning hair and an unwashed bait bucket from 6 months ago. The smell of a fart would have been a blessing. Never again! I get bucket loads of the stuff washed up practically on my door step but no. Just no 🤢
YES! I have three dust collectors in my woodshop and had to change out the stock bags, otherwise, they were nothing more than chip collecting DUST PUMPS.
It is do-able, however, and it would be well worth while to have an eye to acquiring a dust collector [rather than a vacuum] to dedicate to this purpose.
I use a straight rounded barrel diamond coated shank under water to cut through long sections of thinner abalone
Naptha (or lighter fluid) on the double stick tape will quickly release the adhesive....
Thank you!!!
I think I will just pay someone with steadier hands to do that for me. Far too close for my comfort. Props to you for bravery!
A trick I learned from several IV nurses for dealing with that tape not wanting to let go is to take an alcohol pad and wipe it along the point where the tape is sticking to the surface. It protects the delicate shell pieces or, as in my case: arm hair.
Can the abalone pieces be squared with a file instead of the router?
real easy
wonder if it helps to put a bucket with glass bottom intoo the water and watch through that , it should stop the change of angle
+watahyahknow easier just to wear protection
oh i agree and the sandingdrum option works even better then the "fingers near the cuttingdisk", i was talking from the dust perspective
I cut some simple abalone shell pieces for tile job using tile saw. Abalone is significantly harder and more difficult to cut than 3/8” granite. A normal abalone shell probably isn’t even a quarter inch thick on average and it’s strong enough to support the weight of a normal person standing on it. I would like to find a way of doing this because I probably have 10 shells left over from my ab diving days.
Show us that bench.
I love watching how to get things done but in this case I would have spent the money on pre-processed material, lol
I find a Dremel Hand drill and diamond sand paper hand polishing or breaking them up in a bag and putting them in a rock tumbler works well enough..
double up on discs to avoid breakages last longer that way
For your mini router table set up I would try gluing the blanks to the end of some wood scrap with water soluble glue. Then cut them and drop the sticks in water over night. Same with the drum sander. Or try some heat or solvent (test on a small piece of abalone first!) to remove the tape and adhesive.
boil it 5 minutes
FYI I'm late to this party, but if you can keep the blade wet (cool) you won't break them. I rigged up a small water pump (used in small water pond) to drip water onto the cutting area/blade. You could also use/rent a tile cutter. For thicknessing I would have kept the pieces longer? You can cut them to size after. I also use a drum sander outside. I used blue masking tape on a board but I also put tape on the back side of the abalone. I then used super glue on one side and an accelerator on the board side and stuck the two tape backs together. The tape came off the board with a razor blade slid under it. I then removed the abalone from the tape.
I think a tile saw might be a good alternative for cutting shell. I tried bandsaw and the sparks flew
I just got a wet/diamond tile saw for pretty cheap...works GREAT; a bit messy (water), but cuts like "knife-through-butter",,,,,the kerf is a bit wide, but I think narrow-kerf blades are available...btw the saw I got is the 4.5" blade; you don't need the larger dia blades for cutting the shell....
Use a wet glass grinder. Works perfect…no dust.
I’m not sure this will help you but…… I soaked a shell in lime scale remover liquid! It cleaned all the outer crust off leaving the iridescence part clean. However you need to keep any eye on it as the iridescence. Part will eventually disintegrate if left too long. Might help 🤔
You can buy abalone online so cheap... all processed!
Did you try using Polarized Sunglasses to cut down on the reflections?
Fishermen use these glasses with great success.
Thanks for the video, great work Susan.
try using denatured alcohol to disolve the double sided tape while blanks are still on the board.... this should do the trick to round out a terrific job
Should have watched this first before I started working on it.
this seems like something one could do for jewelery.
I retract the comment re: not using a dusk mask as you mentioned you were indeed wearing a respirator which was great to hear. But holy cow, I hope you still have all of your fingers to play your guitar if you're still using this method to make abalone blanks!
Maybe try a heat gun to release the tape/abalone!
You do seem to be having a tough time with this!
Holding the shell under water while cutting it - right idea but wrong approach. Drip water onto the shell while cutting it as it will cool the cutting edge; it'll turn into a slurry. Your rpm's need to be a lot slower too.
Wouldn’t it have been easier to leave them at different thicknesses and create different sized holes? Then you could fill the difference in with resin! She did a great job but I’m clumsy and the processing to make them a uniform size makes me nervous.
Very nice........
A Heat gun will let the DS tape release much easier. Also vet wrap works well as a finger protector.
Have you thought of cutting under water with a scuba diving costume? Ha, ha... Seriously, now... I see your home built drum sander. Did you build it yourself? Thanks...
Pro-tip - drip the water onto the piece being worked and you'll solve several issues.
they used the wrong cutting disc, there suppose to use a diamond coated cutting wheel, and they should never stick a flex shaft underwater
Orville said to use a water sprayer to cut down on the dust my lady. Happy Hunting.
hot glue and lolly stick. diamond grit saw blades might work better than the abrasive discs too.
Even Poundland double sided tape sticks like that when it's burnished by milling. Meths loosens it.
Get 3 diamond blades, gen trim saw and invest in a belt grinder attachment for a grinder wheel that you can pick up for cheap make sure you get on with the largest area were its backed by a flat steel side so when you grind you have a great flat side to grind against......and to take it further you can get a magnetic chuck and glue them down with dob wax or hot pitch or expoxy them on but you have to sand away the epoxy with is alot soft that you would think that is the cheapest and fastest and least dangerous way into getting them down to a small enough size without breaking them.