Thread: again

I have just spent nearly 5 days to make some MOP scales for an old J rogers and son blade ,ground the top back on the MOP and what do you know every piece has impurities in it . and there are six
I took extra care with this set as I was going to sell it ,but I don't know what to do now. That bloody shell that I`m cutting the pieces from must have had a gut full of mud or something . For it to happen once is disheartening , but twice,is an absolute piss off. With the care I took I expected them to be perfect,or as perfect as I can make them,the trouble being you don`t find out till the end ,or at least when all the hard stuff is done .
Any way thats my whine for the day.
I will put up some pics when my son is back from schoolies so I can get the camera .
Kind regards Peter

Sorry to hear that Peter. On a good note, after these setbacks, once you make a good set it will be twice as rewarding.

Sorry about your luck!

Shell is often eaten away by small worms. I'm not sure if they are actually worms or not, but I know that the small holes are referred to as "worm holes".

A more expensive, but easier way is to get good shell is to buy knife scales. I've picked up a (closely) matched pair of scales, 3" long and 1.25" wide for about $20. Pick up two pair and you've got yourself a set of scales. Shell knife scales are thicker, about 2mm or more, so you've got a bit of room to play with the shape.

Matt

Peter,

I feel your pain. Just don't take it so close to heart that you won't want to see another piece of MOP again. What really counts is the workmanship. Once you have that consistent, getting a perfect results is just a matter of sourcing the right materials.

I agree with Matt and would recommend trying another source for the shell.

Look at it this way, if perfection was easy everyone would attain it and you would have to find another challenge.

maybe this is a stupid Q: do you glue shell pieces on something else like wood or do you actually have to find a shell that's large and thick enough to be made scales out of in 1 piece? (I can't really imagine such a shell, must've been one hell of a slug in it )

Harold, you'd generally use a liner for this purpose and epoxy for example 2 pieces of purpleheart with a piece of MOP in between for each scale. Needless to say, this is high precision work.

These are shells from large saltwater shellfish. White mother of pearl can easily grow to 9" across and quite thick. They are like a very large oyster, I suppose. I have some Mexican red abalone shells that are very old stock and are almost 10-12" wide and 3/4" thick in some spots. The trouble is finding a shell that provides a 6" flat area to supply scale material, hence the piece work.

Knife scales in mother of pearl are typically around 1/8th thick or so.

ah so if you have a razor with scales in full real MOP, that's about priceless due to rarity? (can that even be done?)

Dovo has one piece mother of pearl razors. Maestro has one piece white mop and one piece abalone razors too.

Yes, the cost is much higher due to the rarity of the material.

Originally Posted by harold

maybe this is a stupid Q: do you glue shell pieces on something else like wood or do you actually have to find a shell that's large and thick enough to be made scales out of in 1 piece? (I can't really imagine such a shell, must've been one hell of a slug in it )

They are glued and pined onto a brass liner, however you can get pieces big enough to make a solid scale, in that case if you are careful you don't need a liner , but it is advisable
Kind regards Peter