wrote in message
oups.com...
Does anybody know where I can buy Mother of Pearl suitable for
inlaying wooden boxes?
Also, how to cut Mother of Pearl, is it brittle etc? I'm hoping to cut
patterns that are quite detailed, I've seen it done (eg.
www.koreanboxes.com).
And finally, is it expensive material?
Thanks,
Bini


I don't know about Mother of Pearl, but I have done lots of work with
abalone shell.



First of all you need to wear a good mask so as to not breath the dust from
that stuff, it's likda nasty.



You can saw it with a fine jewelers saw, (have never used a scroll saw, but
I don't see why it wouldn't work). It is abrasive and will dull a saw blade
rather quickly.



You can sand it with a disc or belt sander. One thing you need to do is keep
it cook when sanding, the stuff gets real hot, and will crack if it gets too
hot. I just had a container of water close at hand, and would just douse it
to keep it cool.



The stuff polishes up really nice using jewelers rouge on a buffing wheel.