Abalone and Quarter

Kenny Durrant · Jun 2, 2022

I've been playing with some pieces of scrap Abalone Sheet a friend gave me. It's easy to work with and looks nice. At least I think so. I ordered a few sheets and thought I'd make this for a friend. I wrapped the Abalone around the tube then hand cut the quarter. It took a while but I finally got it finished. Questions and Comments Welcome.

Jim15 · Jun 2, 2022

Great work.

JohnU · Jun 2, 2022

Looks good Kenny! The quarter really stands out over the abalone.

mark james · Jun 2, 2022

Very, very nice! I love the contrast between the abalone and the quarter. Both elements had challenges I'm sure, so to get to the final turning/pen is quite a feat! Well done. Thanks for sharing.

Kenny Durrant · Jun 2, 2022

Thanks Again. I made a pen with natural Abalone and a Texas Quarter and the quarter was really hard to see. It blended in with all the flash. This was a good fit I think so the coin could stand out.

jttheclockman · Jun 2, 2022

Love this pen Nicely done. What did you cut the quarter with?? Did you thin the quarter before cutting?? Had to be tough bending unless you heated it.

Kenny Durrant · Jun 2, 2022

I worked the whole quarter by hand with a Dremel tool. I thinned it first then drilled pilot holes to start grinding away the inside. Once done I used a block of wood, a hammer and a punch to bend it to shape. I wasn't sure about what to do with the islands. My first thought was to cut them out then I figured I wouldn't like the big open space so I tried to use a chain effect. I remember the first quarter took me 3 hours to finish. Now it takes around 45 min.

jttheclockman · Jun 3, 2022

Kenny Durrant said:
I worked the whole quarter by hand with a Dremel tool. I thinned it first then drilled pilot holes to start grinding away the inside. Once done I used a block of wood, a hammer and a punch to bend it to shape. I wasn't sure about what to do with the islands. My first thought was to cut them out then I figured I wouldn't like the big open space so I tried to use a chain effect. I remember the first quarter took me 3 hours to finish. Now it takes around 45 min.

Again Nicely done. It brings back memories of a member here that did this type work but scrollsawed them. seamus7227

Kenny Durrant · Jun 3, 2022

Thanks John. I remember Seamus. In fact he's the one I got the idea from. He was very good at cutting out the coins.

Pen Zen · Jun 3, 2022

This is a truly inspiring pen. If you don't mind me asking, how do you thin the quarter?

Kenny Durrant · Jun 3, 2022

I use a Dremel tool for every step of the quarter. A man named Seamus was mentioned earlier. He was the one that inspired me to give it a try. I don't know how he did it but the only coin I can use has to be a clad coin. That's how I know when to stop grinding/thinning. I grind through the heads silver and through the copper. When I see the silver of the tails side I know to stop. Then I drill pilot holes where needed to start grinding away the center background that I don't want. That's pretty much it. All by hand and free hand. I drilled different size holes in a 2x4 then cut the holes in half to form a trough. I lay the coin in the trough and use a hammer and a punch to bend the coin in a smooth curve to fit the tube. Here's a few others that I've done.

TDahl · Jun 3, 2022

Great craftsmanship on the pen. I love the combination of the abalone and the coin. Thank you also for sharing your knowledge on cutting out coins. That is a great tutorial.

jttheclockman · Jun 3, 2022

Just a little side story. The question has been asked how to thin the quarter and Kenny gave his method. If I may add a couple different ways I did it. Back when (Seamus 7227 ) was gracing these pages with his creations, he and I had a little side bet. I wagered him that I could cut a quarter in half using my scrollsaw because him and I are scrollsaw enthusiasts and use them alot. The bet was if I could He would have to cut a NJ coin and cast it on a blank I sent him with my braided copper. Well to make a long story longer

I did it and here is the results of this adventure. Photos of the coin cut and finished pen after he sent the blank back, I turned it and finished it. Fun little project.

Also I included a few photos of another method I use to thin a quarter using a jig mounted to the lathe and spun down with turning tools mainly carbide. It is basically junk metal within the quarter and is tough to cut but can be done.

Abalone and Quarter

Kenny Durrant

Member

Attachments

Jim15

Member

JohnU

Member

mark james

IAP Collection, Curator

Kenny Durrant

Member

jttheclockman

Member

Kenny Durrant

Member

jttheclockman

Member

Kenny Durrant

Member

Pen Zen

Member

Kenny Durrant

Member

Attachments

TDahl

Member

jttheclockman

Member