Working Pearl

[ddavelarsen]

Okay, I'm about to try to use some nice black lip pearl, but I've never worked with it before. What do I need to know? I'm going to cut a diamond shape that will have a 1/16" pin in each corner. This will be an overlay on a relatively large (compared to the pearl) flat surface.

My idea is to drill the blanks first, then tape them back-to-back with double sided tape and cut the diamond. Dremel cutoff wheel?? Then bevel or round the edges and glue them down.

But I don't know whether the Dremel is the way to cut them (abrasive wheel? or saw?), or what grits are appropriate for pearl. What are your methods? Do I need an unusual bit? How likely is it to chip out when I drill? How do you minimize the chance of that? One chip and I've blown my only set of expensive pearl blanks. Is pearl heat sensitive when shaping or buffing?

Please help me not screw this up! Thanks, I'm off to prepare the surface.

 

[JasonSCarter]

You can drill MOP with a regular drill bit, but feed slow and keep your rpms SLOWER. It's quite soft believe it or not, but will chip out fairly easily. You can use a 120 - 220 grit belt for shaping and roughing. Always leave it thick and sand it flush when insetting. becareful to keep it cool as a fast belt speed will burn and ruin your piece.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

When working pearl, Sharp is the word.
New belts, sharp drill bits, sharp tools. Go slow, don't get it hot. Wear a respirator.
I saw the pearl to shape with a jewelers saw, or grind it on a lap. A Dremel will work if you have a steady hand. Use a new cut-off disc, and a slow speed (if you have a VS Dremel). It sands and polished easily.
Stacy

 

[ddavelarsen]

Thanks gents, that's just what I needed to know. Dang Stacy, thanks for the respirator reminder, I think that convinced me to use the jeweler's saw rather than a cutoff disk.

If I get up the huevos to go do the pearl tonight, it'll be the first time I finished a knife in one weekend... Well, I guess it won't be finished because of cure time but you get the idea. Maybe I'll use fast epoxy.

Thanks again,