Joining or splicing abalone letters?

[Scott Hendricks]

I have searched and searched but cannot come up with any answers to this. If you have a letter that your abalone or MOP sheet does not quite cover how do you splice another piece of abalone or MOP to it? Or is this even possible to do? I hope I have explained this well enough.

Scott

[Mike Jackson]

Scott,
I haven't had one out in a while, but it seems the new versions of the abalone sheets are roughly 4" x 8". Seems like that'd be a huge area on a single letter, but maybe it's the effect you are after.

In the "old days" before these large sheets, people cut their small chunks of abalone to fit the space and built more or less a "mosaic" of smaller pieces right on the glass. A large piece was probably no larger than a quarter and normal sizes were more like a dime or maybe a nickel.

The new sheets I've seen are cut awfully clean and nice. Can't you just butt two sheets together?

I'm not sure I really gave you much of an answer. Most of the time, people only put abalone or Mother of Pearl in "accent" areas of a letter, vs trying to cover the entire center of a large letter.

Hopes some of this helps,
Mike Jackson

[Mark Summers]

Here is a source for MOP and abalone

http://www.hawaiilure.com/catalog/shells.html#veneers

Mark

[Larry White]

Welcome Scott-
What you're thinking on attempting is quite difficult. That is, adhering a large sheet
of sheII onto a letter center. The thin sheets of sheII aren't perfectly flat, and as
you try to ahere them, you'll be forever trying to chase out the air bubbles that get
captured between the sheII and the glass. Perhaps you might want to save that
frustration until you become a bit more advanced in the craft.

I'd go along with Mike on this one, and it's what I usually do, breaking the sheII into
smaller bits and placing them in a mosaic fashion. I like to use two different types
of complimenting sheII, alternating them. Then sprinkle mica flakes (the ones used
for acid etching) in the cracks. When it's all dry, I usually back the whole area with
surface gilded aluminum leaf.



This letter is 5-1/2" tall. With the 2 type mosaiced abalone.



Here, the split shade is done with the whole large sheet, The area of the "D" is 5" x 7".

One alternate way of doing it, would be to leave your letter centers as clear "windows",
then register and adhere the full sheet to a seperate backing board and have it press
up against the glass when framed so that the abalone shows through the clear letter
centers.

Hey, good luck.


.

[Scott Hendricks]

Thanks for the reply

I got some pieces from letterhead sign supply the MOP is 5x5 or so, i also have some other the name escapes me 5x8, Oh belive me im not trying that anytime soon just dreaming with a keyboard in my hands:) I get my blast cabinet on this thursday so that should be fun.

Scott