Help with coral

R

robert l

Joined
Jan 4, 2006
Messages
41
Hi,
How to work with this material? Coral, theoretically stabilized ... grinding up on the tape 220 ​​causes tearing holes. I used up already two cyanoacrylate adhesive packaging :-) and always arise a new hole. Was at the material should cover the entire surface of the cyanoacrylates (the super-glue finish)? Could someone help me, please? It's my first time with coral ...
 
I've had decent results with coral by filling in the voids as best I can with CA before beginning to grind to shape...then while shaping you need to stop frequently and re-fill any new voids that pop up. The coral you have looks to be much more porous than any I've used, so you might be better off by starting with epoxy rather than CA to get the initial voids filled. Hope this helps.
 
Coral can vary widely in porosity and density. What you have looks like natural material that has been dyed, and maybe filled ( stabilized). That would not matter in cutting it, though. The material is thin walls of calcite-like material with open chambers where the creatures lived (What we call coral is actually the dead skeletons of the animals). You need to fill the chambers or the thin walls will chip and break away. Flooding with thin CA, and repeating this as you grind deeper, will take care of the problem. Using a quick-cure spray is advisable, as the coral will soak up a lot of CA. As with any natural and brittle product, use new belts, gentle pressure, and avoid all heat.
 
Thank you all. Thin CA is giving good results, slowly ;)
Blank space - I've bought it from a man from Denmark during 2012 Gembloux Knife Show.
 
Of course, You can buy coral scales from Fine Turnage Productions in the USA. His are fossil ones so all legal. As well, they are pretty tight. You do still need to treat them in the same manner, with glue and care as you go along. Frank
 
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