# scallop shell inlays?



## blacktooth (Jul 3, 2010)

You never see scallop shells used for inlay, but I have some with some really nice patterns in them I'd like to try to use as inlays. Is there any reason why scallop shells shouldn't be used? I pick scallops around here when I go scuba diving, and think it would be pretty cool to use stuff I've found rather than bought 

btw, this is my first post. I'm currently working on my first guitar, a LP copy, all mahogany. and I'm sure I'll be needing some advice!


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

i had a box full of them for just that reason ,haha i threw them out a week ago ,they looked ok inside but because of how they are curved. when i shaped them & sanded them flat. i really found them too thin for big inlays it could work for smaller stuff .........and welcome friend to the forum ask all the questions you need the stupidest question is the one you don't ask


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Just about anything can be used for inlay work. The trouble is, some materials are 'work' and some are 'REAL WORK'. There are some giant scallops that may yield enough flat material to be worthwhile, but small shells will be small shells. Maybe fret markers or dots? The other trouble with shell (and here it has been a few years since I read on this and scallops may fall into this category though I highly doubt it as I've had some for decades in boxes) is that they need to be stabilized as they are very soft or chalky or will become softer with aging. You would stabilize them the same way turquoise is stabilized.

A material that is fairly abundant is boar tusk. The trouble with this is that it splits into toothpicks in time. This is another material that can be stabilized too. It has a near natural antique ivory look to it from the get-go though


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

that's interesting keeper ........... something i have been meaning to get my hands to try , are some whale bones out around bonavista somewhere before they banned the killing of whales back in the I'm not even sure when stopped maybe the early 70's ? you would see the whale ribs at the entrance of peoples driveways & gates like 2 large arch. about 7 to 8 feet tall stuff like that but lately some of it resurfaced in the form of crafts , it looks like ivory


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## blacktooth (Jul 3, 2010)

I've found several whale bones while diving that I've thought about bringing up with me. I wonder if they'd still be good enough to use for inlay work, and other things. Someof the shells I have are flatter than the others, and seem like you could get a decent piece of flat stock out of them, but it would probably end up quite thin by the time the backs were flattened. 
Stabilizing is just done by soaking in epoxy, isn't it? wonder if you could add color to it...


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Read these two threadings on the topic

Enoch Utah.net &bull; View topic - How To Stabilize And Color Enhance Soft Turquoise

Interernational Lapidary Association

I did not come across the info for tusk or nuts, mostly environmentalist pages when talking "stabilizing" lol but from the lapidary materials descriptions those should translate over equally well.


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