Author Topic: Mother of.... Pearl (Read 2932 times)

Kingsburyarms · « **on:** April 13, 2019, 07:18:12 PM »

Working on my Kibler Colonial that is being "over contemporary" built, I did a Mother of Pearl and Ebony star in the cheek piece. The Mother of Pearl came from the silver set I used to create all the hardware for the rifle (everything will be Sterling Silver) and I wanted to share a few things I learned on in-letting Mother of Pearl. It's brittle and cracks even when you look at it. It reminds me of a mixture of glass and Mica. It's hard to sand and shape, and if you do cut it or sand/shape it, wear a real good mask, as the sand dust is just like shards of glass. I made the inlay deep, about 3/32 to 1/8, as to keep the iridescence of the Pearl, as well as if I made it thinner, it would start to crack and be more difficult to work with. The Ebony went in fine. The pictures here are NOT final sanded into the stock, but shows how I assembled the pieces. I glued them in, and will final sand the inlay to match the curvature of the stock as one inlay, not each individual piece.

As always, all feedback most welcome,

Jon

image uploader

D. Taylor Sapergia · « **Reply #1 on:** April 13, 2019, 08:13:22 PM »

Jon: I think your inlay gives the rifle a lot of personal character. I like it. Thanks for your description of the job...gives we who have never worked the stuff, a leg up. Going to be a lovely rifle.

Daryl · « **Reply #2 on:** April 13, 2019, 08:37:02 PM »

Absolutely marvelous!

smart dog · « **Reply #3 on:** April 13, 2019, 09:50:55 PM »

Hi John,
Very nice indeed. You selected some really nice pieces. As you know, I worked with that stuff before and it is a challenge. The inlay has to go in with mild finger pressure, no more. You cannot tap it in place.

dave

Marcruger · « **Reply #4 on:** April 14, 2019, 02:11:37 AM »

I read first and then looked at the photos. I thought I wouldn't like the mother-of-pearl (MOP). I was wrong. It looks great. My caution would be to be very careful around the MOP when staining. Maybe try some scrap MOP with whatever you will be staining with. It is some fussy fragile stuff. It may take stain or dye.

I really like that inlay. Sharp.

God Bless, Marc

Goo · « **Reply #5 on:** April 14, 2019, 05:13:55 AM »

Not all oyster and mussel shell is the same. Some of it is stonger than others. You have to try different ones to get a good source. The dinner plate size shells out of Australia are good, some of the American freshwater clam from Illinois aren't to bad if you get them out of one of not quite too polluted rivers in rural parts of the state.

Pukka Bundook · « **Reply #6 on:** April 14, 2019, 05:31:36 AM »

For mine, I used clam shells from the local river. Plenty of broken ones where otters had been working. That stuff is tough, and didn't take the nitric.

I think the M O P will be a lovely contrast to the ebony.

acorn20 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 14, 2019, 07:16:25 AM »

Nicely done Jon!

redheart · « **Reply #8 on:** April 14, 2019, 07:45:34 AM »

Total class!

David Price · « **Reply #9 on:** April 14, 2019, 03:47:34 PM »

Jon,

When you told me you were going to use mother of pearl I really didn't think I would like it. I knew it was hard to work with but if anyone could do it you could. The fact that you did it so tastefully and artistically, is why i like it so much. Your craftsmanship is beyond excellent. I am looking forward to seeing it finished when you come to the shop next time.

David Price

Kingsburyarms · « **Reply #10 on:** April 14, 2019, 05:32:10 PM »

Thank you all for the wonderful comments and feedback. I didn't know what it would look like either, but as I mentioned, the silver came from a serving set my parents had, and we stored for years, and the knives had Mother of Pearl handles, so I thought it would be fitting (seeing I melted down 12 place settings of silver) to use the handle material in a simple inlay. The MOP must be over 70 years old, and as brittle as it gets. I have no idea where it came from, but the knife handles are about 1/2 inch thick. A few other notables if you ever try this. MOP has a grain, and it has a "Iridescent" direction. As I cut the handle pieces into layers, I saw that only one direction has an translucent or milky color, the other side did not, the opposite grain is more like Ivory. so if you do use this, make sure when you cut it, your piece is in the right "grain" direction. Here are some images after I sanded the inlay from 300 grit to a polished 1800 grit wet paper. it made the MOP pop. I'm glad I did this, but will think twice doing it again, maybe on an English Fowler or another gun that it would be much more "appropriate" for MOP. Again, I appreciate all the wonderful comments and feedback. Off to make the Sterling Patch Box End.

Jon

Pukka Bundook · « **Reply #11 on:** April 14, 2019, 06:09:27 PM »

Jon,
You are very right about mother-of -pearl having a right side and a wrong side. If working with shells it's easier , as the right side is the 'inside".
I was thinking iridescent when posted above, but couldn't think how it was spelled!

That star is Very attractive!

jerrywh · « **Reply #12 on:** April 14, 2019, 07:34:23 PM »

That is the best I have ever seen. The job you did on cutting the cavity is spectacular in itself. I have often thought of inlaying gold into mother of pearl and the thought of it keeps me awake at night thinking. Fantastic job.

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #13 on:** April 15, 2019, 05:53:24 PM »

Speechless in New Liberty…..

Dphariss · « **Reply #14 on:** April 15, 2019, 05:55:11 PM »

Quote from: jerrywh on April 14, 2019, 07:34:23 PM

That is the best I have ever seen. The job you did on cutting the cavity is spectacular in itself. I have often thought of inlaying gold into mother of pearl and the thought of it keeps me awake at night thinking. Fantastic job.

What Jerry said.

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #15 on:** April 15, 2019, 06:00:27 PM »

ALR Mission Statement:

The mission of AmericanLongrifles.org is to promote, preserve and support the traditional art and craft of building, collecting and using the American Longrifle.

Kingsburyarms · « **Reply #16 on:** April 15, 2019, 06:04:57 PM »

Quote from: Mike Brooks on April 15, 2019, 06:00:27 PM

ALR Mission Statement:

The mission of AmericanLongrifles.org is to promote, preserve and support the traditional art and craft of building, collecting and using the American Longrifle.

- Don't know if I did this or I broke a rule..........

bob in the woods · « **Reply #17 on:** April 16, 2019, 03:26:16 PM »

Fabulous work. I really like it. I use a lot of MOP myself , however my stash is a lot less brittle than what you experienced.

t.caster · « **Reply #18 on:** April 16, 2019, 04:07:00 PM »

Quote from: Kingsburyarms on April 15, 2019, 06:04:57 PM

Quote from: Mike Brooks on April 15, 2019, 06:00:27 PM
ALR Mission Statement:

The mission of AmericanLongrifles.org is to promote, preserve and support the traditional art and craft of building, collecting and using the American Longrifle.

- Don't know if I did this or I broke a rule..........

No, you just set the bar higher! Beautiful work all around from what we can see. Looking forward to see the finished product!

T*O*F · « **Reply #19 on:** April 16, 2019, 05:40:53 PM »

Quote

That is the best I have ever seen. I have often thought of inlaying gold into mother of pearl and the thought of it keeps me awake at night thinking.

Jerry,
What about Barry Lee Hands work?

JTR · « **Reply #20 on:** April 16, 2019, 07:29:00 PM »

Jon, Nice job on your inlay!
Looking forward to seeing more progress!

Quote from: T*O*F on April 16, 2019, 05:40:53 PM

Quote
That is the best I have ever seen. I have often thought of inlaying gold into mother of pearl and the thought of it keeps me awake at night thinking.
Jerry,
What about Barry Lee Hands work?

Yep, he the man when it comes to inlaying gold into MOP.
Also one of the top engravers of today. Check out this link https://www.facebook.com/barryleehands/

jerrywh · « **Reply #21 on:** April 16, 2019, 08:49:26 PM »

Barry Lee Hands is a good engraver but not the best . I suspect he cuts the cavities in the mother of pearl with a laser but have no proof. The best engravings and the most cherished are the bank note and bolino styles. The masters at that style is Lee Griffith and steve Lyndsay. I do some but have a ways to go to ever reach those guys. Here is one I did on a 3/8" barrel flatt. The best in the world is Phil Coggan in England and Lee Griffith is very close to him in my opinion. I can,t post those guys because they do modern guns.

Daryl · « **Reply #22 on:** April 16, 2019, 09:12:11 PM »

Fabulous - all of them.

bptactical · « **Reply #23 on:** April 17, 2019, 01:35:13 AM »

Never been a huge fan of artsy work on a rifle as I always preferred the simple, utilitarian approach.

But that is gorgeous and i really like the contrast of the 2 materials.

Very nicely done.

smart dog · « **Reply #24 on:** April 17, 2019, 01:53:09 AM »

Hi,
Engraving and inlaying in MOP is certainly difficult. Here is some engraved examples:
The oval escutcheon is MOP

The cherub (actually a Putti) is MOP

The dragon's head is MOP

dave

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Author Topic: Mother of.... Pearl (Read 2932 times)