I would say I have a plethera of abalone pieces laying around waiting for a project. I bartered a deal at a flea market and got some cheap maple longboard (skate) decks, and am interested in doing some inlays in them, and wood core fins. From what I have read so far the abalone generally used for work like this is from a veneer. I’m sorry that this is a bit off topic, although the fins are surf oriented, and so many great craftsman here I thought I’d ask.
I’m thinking I’ll treat this like a stained glass window. Cut reliefs into wood and cut shell to match, glue in and resin over. I have discovered that the shell will sand so a close match should spell success.
calcium carbonate dust is a respiratory irritant and the particles can
penetrate into the lower respiratory tree and cause irritant bronchitis
and other respiratory irritation responses. The usual symptoms are
cough and sputum production, and secondary infections can occur. If
there are proteins left in the shell matrix, it is also possible that
they can trigger an allergic (asthmatic) attack. Allergic skin reactions can also occur.
Yea I agree with paul - kinda dangerous making your own abalone veneers… the people who do it professionally usually use a plethora of safety equipment, but you should have all that if you shape and laminate anyway! I say go for it if you want! A guy I work with used to do this all the time to make his logo on his boards, pretty cool stuff once it’s finished!
thanks for the responses, dangers I am aware of, but appreciate the heads up none the less. I am not planning on making veneers, but cutting abalone pieces from existing shell parts to fit into reliefs cut in wood. Anyway, if no one has expeience with working with the like, I’m still gonna give it the college try and will post surf related discoveries and finished products.
O man, that robert august is freaking GORGEOUS!!! I’m literally sitting here, drooling on my keyboard jus tlooking at the abalone on the stringerline and logo… and that noseblock!
wow thanks huck, good info, great pics. That board would be scary to ride up here as even out longboard spots are known to be sharky but man is it beautiful. I’ll keep mine on my skate boards for now.
Go for it. I bought a bit of veneer for my last project. It’s kinda brittle to work with, but its doable. I wanted to reproduce the logo of an environmental group I have worked with for a board I donated to them. I’m no expert and my craftsmanship is generally pretty suspect, but the abalone takes really helped take the focus off all the imperfections and made the board look a little better than it actually was. Putting lipstick on a pig isn’t for everyone, but I don’t mind a little, here and there.
wow thanks huck, good info, great pics. That board would be scary to ride up here as even out longboard spots are known to be sharky but man is it beautiful. I'll keep mine on my skate boards for now.
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I suspect that Yater is a wall-hanger and will probably never see a breaking wave in person, but now that you mention it, it does look like a giant fishing lure lol!
