Tommy
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Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Jun 16, 2014 13:33:43 GMT -5
Couple of weekends ago we visited the Mendocino coast where abalone diving season was on full display. Aside from the obvious flash and color, I’ve been hearing that abalone shell takes a beautiful and deep shine, so when we stumbled upon a garage sale in the picturesque little town of Mendocino - selling a bin of abalone shell chips for $5, I decided to see what could become of it. We kind of like how it turned out wrapped in sterling silver. This one won't end up on Etsy...it's been claimed heehee. Wire wrapped abalone    |
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Post by snowmom on Jun 16, 2014 13:47:36 GMT -5
abalone- the ocean's answer to the earth's opals. very pretty!
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 16, 2014 14:00:32 GMT -5
Beautiful!!!! I love abalone shell! They are incredibly gorgeous. Great find. I hear they are protected or something. Most of the "abalone shell" you see is not really abalone.
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Post by mohs on Jun 16, 2014 14:15:00 GMT -5
that's excellent wrap on the shell !
I will admit
between a rock and shell
I'll probably pick the shell first
that from a desert guy
who's hardly ever been to the ocean
and the few times I have
both east & west
it was just o.k.
mostly
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riverrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2010
Posts: 1,395
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Post by riverrock on Jun 16, 2014 16:54:30 GMT -5
Thats one nice wrap you made , very tight and neat.
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Post by Pat on Jun 16, 2014 17:18:52 GMT -5
Beautiful shell! Wonderful souvenir of your trip. I hear abalone is toxic, so a mask needs to be worn while working it --- or some such thing.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2014 17:28:00 GMT -5
I have heard the same thing Pat. Some is extremely toxic so be very careful.
It is a beauty though.
Jim
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Tommy
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Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Jun 16, 2014 17:29:49 GMT -5
Beautiful shell! Wonderful souvenir of your trip. I hear abalone is toxic, so a mask needs to be worn while working it --- or some such thing. Thanks Pat yeah I found that out after grinding for a while already haha. I did eventually mask up and thankfully didn't get sick. |
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Post by pghram on Jun 17, 2014 20:55:32 GMT -5
Amazing colors! How was it to grind?
Rich
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Jun 17, 2014 21:46:14 GMT -5
Amazing colors! How was it to grind? Rich thanks Rich - this piece was blessed with curvature I think... the backside that you cant see is concaved which gives it a lot of strength and depth of color. It's very soft stuff obviously - I did the shaping and creating the girdle on a 180 diamond grinder then went straight to 14k for polishing. I was very surprised how easy and deep of a shine it took. Other pieces I worked on since this piece have given me trouble because of the "layers" - sorry I don't know the technical term for it - just when I think I've got them just right the edge of the layer gets too thin and it breaks off a 1/4" flake. |
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ilickrocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2014
Posts: 133 
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Post by ilickrocks on Jun 23, 2014 23:24:07 GMT -5
Wow, beautiful job on the shell and your wrap compliments it so well!! Can't wait to see what else you create with your find  |
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
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Post by bsky4463 on Jun 24, 2014 15:09:42 GMT -5
Tommy - did you employ typical rock shaping and polishing techniques? Any lessons learned working that material, besides the mask? Cheers
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TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
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Post by TByrd on Jun 24, 2014 20:47:43 GMT -5
Beautiful piece.
I have masked up myself, created a few cabs myself.
Tammy
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723 
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Post by Fossilman on Jun 24, 2014 21:31:05 GMT -5
Totally awesome wrap....
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Jun 24, 2014 22:25:50 GMT -5
Tommy - did you employ typical rock shaping and polishing techniques? Any lessons learned working that material, besides the mask? Cheers Yes I went at it exactly like I would a soft stone. As I said above the backside is concaved but the cut of the piece allowed for a nice girdle and the backside wires press right into it and make a very secure setting - maybe more secure than if the backside was flat. Obviously it's a lot softer than stone so a very deep shine was accomplished by going straight from the 180 shaping wheel to the 14K wheel where it got about 100 spins. The biggest lesson I learned came later on several pieces that I ruined by "over sanding" them to the point where the color layers got too thin and flaked off in heartbreaking fashion. |
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