# using pearl?



## Dvoigt (Oct 28, 2015)

I have someone asking me to make a pen with inlaid pearl for a 30th anniversary.  Anyone have any good ideas to make a pen body out of a pearl looking material?  I sure using a block of pearl is not possibly.

Another option I was thinking about was segmenting some other of mother of pearl into the wood body to give it a pearl accent.  I don't really want to do the cast mother of pearl blanks that are commonly found.

A third option would be to engrave some initials and then fill them with a pearl material, but I don't know what could be used for that.  Any ideas??

Thanks,
Derek


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## jttheclockman (Oct 28, 2015)

Hello Derek

My suggestion would be to use Tru-Stone. They have white MOP

Here is an example. This was a pen set for my Nephew's wedding. White MOP and Black MOP


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## BRobbins629 (Oct 28, 2015)

Look at luthiersupply.com   They have many mop letters and designs that can be inlaid or glued to tubes and cast around. If big, you can stack 2 and round the bottom to better fit a tube. Done it many times.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 28, 2015)

You could also use the sea shell veneer that looks like MOP. There are vendors that sell the blanks. They look very highend.


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## Dvoigt (Oct 28, 2015)

BRobbins629 said:


> Look at luthiersupply.com   They have many mop letters and designs that can be inlaid or glued to tubes and cast around. If big, you can stack 2 and round the bottom to better fit a tube. Done it many times.



What size letters do you use?  Seems like the smallest they have is 1/2" tall which seems too tall to wrap around a pen.


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## GoodTurns (Oct 28, 2015)

Replace the finials with real pearls...measure the finial size and order to size (ebay, fire mountain....)


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## Dvoigt (Oct 28, 2015)

jttheclockman said:


> Hello Derek
> 
> My suggestion would be to use Tru-Stone. They have white MOP
> 
> Here is an example. This was a pen set for my Nephew's wedding. White MOP and Black MOP



Where did you get your white MOP from?  I can find alot of colored and mixed whites, but not straight white.


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## Dvoigt (Oct 28, 2015)

GoodTurns said:


> Replace the finials with real pearls...measure the finial size and order to size (ebay, fire mountain....)



I did suggest that as an option, but it received a "meh" sort of reply.


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## BRobbins629 (Oct 28, 2015)

Dvoigt said:


> BRobbins629 said:
> 
> 
> > Look at luthiersupply.com   They have many mop letters and designs that can be inlaid or glued to tubes and cast around. If big, you can stack 2 and round the bottom to better fit a tube. Done it many times.
> ...



There are many pens larger than 1/2" diameter. Like I said you may have to glue several together and round out the bottom. You could also call them and ask what they have in stock that is small. Very friendly company.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 29, 2015)

Dvoigt said:


> jttheclockman said:
> 
> 
> > Hello Derek
> ...




Derk

I buy most of my Tru-stone from r and b crafts - tru-stone blanks

Please be aware that the price has increased drastically because of manufacturing disputes. The white I shown I painted the inside of the blank white. The black was opaque enough no paint needed.


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## JohnU (Oct 29, 2015)

Not an easy route but not often seen... Buy some shell pieces at a hobby store and pick out the MOP and glue them to a painted tube and cast.  I used to make these but the tweezer and ca glue process got old real quick.


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## Skie_M (Oct 29, 2015)

If the pieces are too big, whack em with a hammer till they fit, eh?


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## JohnU (Oct 29, 2015)

Skie_M said:


> If the pieces are too big, whack em with a hammer till they fit, eh?



I use small wire cutters to clip them, when needed,  but a hammer often comes to mind in frustrating times. Lol


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## Dvoigt (Oct 30, 2015)

is there any sort of fill material that I can use to color fill an engraving that would look like pearl.

She doesn't like the whole pen to look pearl and the MOP letter on line are too big for the pen she wants to use.

Running out of options... and probably getting out of her price range!


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## jttheclockman (Oct 30, 2015)

Dvoigt said:


> is there any sort of fill material that I can use to color fill an engraving that would look like pearl.
> 
> She doesn't like the whole pen to look pearl and the MOP letter on line are too big for the pen she wants to use.
> 
> Running out of options... and probably getting out of her price range!




The problem there is you probably will not get the effect or look that pearl will give you in that small of a sample size. You could take some epoxy and add some pearl powder and use that. You can cast a real pearl in the cap of a pen. You can do some segmenting using the pearl material I had shown. You can take strips of that pearl sea shell veneer and segment it into a black blank. That is all I have for now.


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## Skie_M (Oct 30, 2015)

You can contact Mud Hole and see if they will laser cut your desired lettering at the size and style you wish out of their Abalone or Paua Shell veneer material (with adhesive backing) and have them send it to you.

Once you get it, treat it kinda like you would a decal ... prepare your pen blank a little undersize, and get a heat gun (or a blow-dryer).  The heat helps make the shell veneer flexible, so it will bend around your pen barrel instead of cracking or breaking.

Once you have it on the pen barrel, coat it with thin CA and work your way to medium and thick CA.  Start with 1000 grit wet and work your way to 12,000 micro mesh, polish with your choice of available finishers for plastic.


The decal work should run you less than 40 dollars for a custom laser cut design in abalone veneer.


*edit:  They currently don't have an option to do a custom laser cut decal in abalone shell veneer.  They most certainly do provide laser cut fish decals in abalone shell veneer.  I'm making inquiries into exactly how much this service will cost.


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