Shell Veneers?

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greg1205

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Does anyone know of a good source of MOP, Paua, or Coconut veneers? I like the look of the Tropical Island pens from Woodcraft, but want to do one in a Cigar which isn't available. I figured I'd cast my own.

Also, any good sources for carbon fiber and/or glass fiber?

Thanks,
Greg
 
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greg1205 said:
Does anyone know of a good source of MOP, Paua, or Coconut veneers? I like the look of the Tropical Island pens from Woodcraft, but want to do one in a Cigar which isn't available. I figured I'd cast my own.

Also, any good sources for carbon fiber and/or glass fiber?

Thanks,
Greg
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Do you mean pre-made blanks, or just the material so you can cast your own? There's at least one IAP member that sells carbon fiber blanks. I think one is CaptG, but I'm sure others will speak up...
 
Can't help you with the coconut shell but the MOP and Paua shell sheets are available from MOP supplies in Australia . It is quite difficult to work with , it is very thin and fragile and quite difficult to cut cleanly and just the process of casting can cause the shell to crack . It has taken me a long time to figure out a good way to work with them that looks good with minimal wasted stock . If you don't want the hassle of casting them your self , Gary (CaptG) sells the Carbon fiber blanks (in several colors) in the classifieds and I have been selling the shell blanks in the individual classifieds . I've been doing mainly Sierras but can do cigar and most other types of kit tube sets . Here's a couple of pens I made with with the Paua and Awabi Abalone . I'll have a new batch going up late tonight or early tomorrow .



 
There are lots of sources for MOP and Paua, and the small pieces are pretty reasonable, especially if you just want to experiment a bit. Try ebay. You will need a jeweler's saw. I bought one a couple weeks ago from Stewmac.com (also sells the MOP and Paua sheets). I have been working with inlaying it into a hexagon pen, but can't get the joints between the pearl sections perfect.

Butch, Can your blanks be cut for segmenting? Would you mind sharing how you get those strips cut so evenly? This pic is regular inlay, not segmented.
 

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They can be cut , very carefully , with a very fine tooth razor saw . You have to be careful so you don't get seperation between the shell and the PR . I use a specially designed diamond saw to cut the strips then lots of hand sanding .
 
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