# Me and my crazy ideas



## Woodguy95 (Feb 9, 2016)

Ok so I would like to begin making abalone shell blanks which would be bent sheets rather than strips that are cut and glued. Anyone has experience with that. The veneers are pretty thin. How thin does it need to be?
Thanks,
Simon


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## Jim Smith (Feb 9, 2016)

I have a couple of the thin sheets of abalone shell that are traditionally used for making reel seats for high-end fishing rods.  They wrap around a reel seat fine, but the diameter of the reel seat is much larger than a pen tube.  You _might_ be able to get it to wrap okay if you warmed it up well with a heat gun while you're wrapping it.  I just haven't gotten around to trying it yet.  Let us know how it turns out.

Jim Smith


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## dogcatcher (Feb 9, 2016)

Check out this link.  Decals & Abalone Veneer Sheets - Inlay Craft Sheets | The Rod Room


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## JohnU (Feb 9, 2016)

That might be a hard one to pull off.  The veneer I've used to make shell pens cracks with very little effort.  I don't know if there's anything out there that's real abalone that will hold up to the small tubes used in pen making. The thickness is going to be determined by what pen your making.  The problem is, the pen with the most room for thick material has the smaller diameter tubes.  Good luck! and looking forward to seeing what you come up with.


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## Woodguy95 (Feb 9, 2016)

I found a veneer that is 0.08mm thick. It is used to wrap around a fishing pole to give more attractive looks. Since the section on which it is bent is smaller than a pen tube I guess it could work....


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## low_48 (Feb 9, 2016)

Be really careful if you start sanding abalone to get it thinner. The dust is considered toxic.


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## Woodguy95 (Feb 9, 2016)

low_48 said:


> Be really careful if you start sanding abalone to get it thinner. The dust is considered toxic.



Didn't know that thanks for the tip


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## jttheclockman (Feb 10, 2016)

It has been done many times. The self adhesive and thin materials are the best to use. Here is a video that may help.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq_1ZhKx6Uo


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## dogcatcher (Feb 10, 2016)

dogcatcher said:


> Check out this link.  Decals & Abalone Veneer Sheets - Inlay Craft Sheets | The Rod Room



From the link I previously posted.  



> With the proper application, you can acheive a beautiful custom rod. Techniques for measuring properly can be found online in different "how-to" videos. We suggest using the boil method for application versus the heat gun method to eliminate cracking and reduce application time. *Simply place your pre-measured shell in a small dish of water and add a tsp. of white vinegar to it. The vinegar breaks down the calcium in the shell and makes it pliable. Place in microwave for 4-6 minutes. Then, simply peel the back off and roll around your blank.* We have used shells in place of butt wraps, between split grips, and under guides. Check out our gallery to see the finished product.


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## JohnU (Feb 10, 2016)

Good to know,  thanks for posting dogcatcher!


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