balony 1&2

[pmike5869]

Tore down a Fox and Hound and installed some New Zealand Paua Abalony, threw a little file work on it and,,, voila.

[orvet]

Looks good Mike.
I hate to work with abalone and MOP, cause you have to wear a respirator all the time and I have to put the dogs outside so they don’t breathe it either.
It is a real nuisance, but it sure looks pretty.

Dale

[pmike5869]

Sorry to seem so uninformed, which I am, but what are the consequences of breathing that dust???
thx
m

[pmike5869]

Just read this quote from Culpepper.com and now I can see what you're talking about;

Contrary to some belief, Mother of Pearl is NOT poisonous. Several rumored cases cite Mother of Pearl as the cause of severe physical problems and even death. However, not one case has been documented or proven to be true. In nearly all of the cases I have heard, the complaining parties had many other serious health problems. Usually, preexisting asthma, emphysema or allergic reactions are the cause of any health problems associated with working with Mother of Pearl. Mother or Pearl is composed of 85% calcium carbonate, 12% conchiolin, and 3% water, none of which are harmful or poisonous. The possibility of an allergic reaction does exist, but normally isn't of serious consequence or life threatening. The typical symptoms that I have heard of are nausea, vomiting, headaches, coughing, and fever. For those who are allergic or have a reaction, these symptoms can persist for up to two days. I currently know personally of only 4 or 5 knife makers, of the 500 that buy Mother of Pearl from my company, who occasionally suffer from symptoms of this type. That puts the percentage of sufferers at about 1%. This is by no means a scientific figure, but it is simply to give you, the reader, an idea of your likelihood of becoming ill from this type of work.

There is some risk involved! Ground fragments of Mother of Pearl are the equivalent of tiny glass fragments. As you can imagine, these fragments are not good for your eyes, nose, throat, and especially your lungs. Breathing pearl dust, like any other dust, can cause build up in the lungs, cause difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath. So be smart and buy a good filtration mask and wear safety glasses, preferably air tight goggles so as to prevent dust from getting into your eyes. Knife makers should wear goggles and a mask regardless of what they are grinding.
Thx for the heads up. I did not use any protection and wish I had.
mike
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[orvet]

Thx for the heads up. I did not use any protection and wish I had.
mike
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No problem Mike.

I know you should use it for everything you grind or sand; however I don't worry about it when sanding most woods. I actually enjoy the smell of cocobolo, even though some people are highly allergic to it.
I have gotten accustomed to the smell of sanding bone and don't mind it unless it is too strong in an enclosed shop. Horn smells like burning hair so I make sure I have ventilation for that.

The only things I am super careful with are any shell material, micarta and G-10. Micarta is really just resin impregnated cloth or paper. G-10 is basically resin-impregnated fiberglass. Not nice to have in your lungs!

Dale

[Darksev]

Looks good to me Love that filework man.

Since I've been doing alot of G10 work lately, I'm all about masks. all it takes is one good puff to the face and you realize it's a good idea