This is a picture of the techniques which will be covered at Sunday's 10:00 presentation in High Point. The discussion will include mosaic pin inlays, block inlays (including abalone), brick patterns, scroll patterns, and wood burning fish scales.
Forum: rodboard

powder coated reel seats with cut-out and filler material
Forum: rodboard

various handles made using powder coated metal tubing
Forum: rodboard

used graphite tubing to make UL handle without a reel seat, used self tapping 6-32 brass wood insert nuts screwed and epoxied into brick foam, ground down allen wrench to tighten screws under reel
Forum: rodboard

Bone reel seat insert.
Forum: rodboard

Cobra skin insert made with polyester casting resin.
Forum: rodboard

Insert made from corn cob cast in resin.
Forum: rodboard

Braided brass cast in resin to create insert.
Forum: rodboard

Polyester resin tinted to match thread colors. Hardbait scale pattern was added to the casting. Step by step instructions are in RodMaker Magazine Volume 8 - Issue 3.
Forum: rodboard

Paua abalone from NZ inlaid in cherry witn Tru-oil finish. The paua is first cast in resin which protects the shell and allows it to be worked as if it were wood.
Forum: rodboard

Split grip handle made of maple and cherry with a tru-oil finish. Insert is made with NZ abalone (Paua) embedded in resin and inlaid in cherry.
Forum: rodboard

Ivory tinted resin, engraved 360 degrees with original artwork, and color filled with black india ink.
Forum: rodboard

Reel seat insert made with shark vertebrae cast in resin. I always liked the shark vertebrae canes the old time whalers and fishermen used to make during their time at sea.
Forum: rodboard

Truly holographic scaled reel seat made using casting resin.
Forum: rodboard

Rattlesnake skin reel seat made using polyester casting resin.
Forum: rodboard

I think I understand what you are trying to do. There are a few things to consider. First, the shell veneers are far from flexible. Try taking a piece of thick paper 1-1/2" wide and spiraling it up the blank. It seems as if it would wind on at a tight interval, but it spirals way up the blank. I hope that makes sense. Just make sure this is the distance you need. Secondly, you are goi
Forum: rodboard

Kevin, The shell veneer is wrapped around the blank, so there is no way to avoid a seam. A straight seam along the bottom of the blank looks best. The 3M strips provide the best adhesive in my opinion. So to answer your question, the seam will be visible on close inspection, just keep it as clean as possible.
Forum: rodboard

Here is a previous discussion on the topic if you have any more questions after reading this thread just ask. Jared had good luck using this method and posted some great pictures of his work I will be giving a seminar in High Point describing the use of shell veneer for decorative accents. Thanks
Forum: rodboard

MaryLou, I have found that the more leathery skins like ostrich leg, frog, lizard and alligator tend to absorb some finish before it sets up, especially along the cut edges. This can result in a splotchy look. Where the finish soaks in a little, the skin is darker. I saturate the underside of the skin first to evenly wet it. The skin will be a lot darker but it will be an even color. I shou
Forum: rodboard

Ray, the brass inserts are placed into the arbors and then the arbor is slid into the tubing. I think it does add a little strength and it looks better when the reel is off. I should have added I would still use epoxy on the outside of the threads, can't hurt.
Forum: rodboard

A few people asked if the brass insert nuts would pull out of the brick foam. I was also wondering about the strength in that area so I decided to test it. I put rod bond on the threads of the insert nut and screwed it into a hole in the arbor. I didn't feel like waiting 24 hrs. for the rod bond to cure, so I took another insert and screwed it into the arbor without rod bond. I then tied a st
Forum: rodboard

Jared when you say in the butt wrap, do you mean in place of a butt wrap? If so, you have to remember you will have a six inch long seam on one side. I would suggest framing pieces of the abalone with a cross wrap pattern. This will expose the veneer on top and bottom of the rod without any seams. I think the veneer comes in 5" x 9" pieces, so one piece will be enough for what you w
Forum: rodboard

If you talk to them, they will sell you whatever you want. Also, the laser cut shell pieces are assembled in the sheets in long strips with the seams all running parallel. When you roll them on the blank orient the seams parallel to the blank. This will help reduce the cracking. The veneers are also sold in other species such as Mother of Pearl, Sea Snail etc. They have some exotic species a
Forum: rodboard

There is no secret. The veneer is the actual shell and being shell will crack when applied around small diameters. It is difficult to use on light blanks. You are probably going to get some tracks. I should mention that the shell is coated with what they call ThinLam which helps it stay together and makes it seem more pliable. Also when it is cut into thin strips, it is easier to roll on sm
Forum: rodboard

I believe what you're talking about is a laser cut shell veneer. It comes with an adhesive backing produced by 3M and can be "rolled" right onto the blank. You may get what the manufacturer calls tracks on small diameter blanks where the shell veneer cracks slightly. There are a few companies that sell the abalone. I bought it from They sell shell veneers at a good price, but the
Forum: rodboard

I just returned home and I wanted to say thank you to everyone I spoke with in High Point. I got some great ideas and information from so many people - new lathe chucks, adhesives, shop organization, air brush use, offset handles, Gerber variable scales, and on and on. It is really amazing to see what people can come up with and it motivates me to use my head for something other than a hat rack.
Forum: rodboard

Billy, JP, and Mike I look forward to seeing you all at the show. I need to pick the brains of each of you guys at some point during the weekend. Billy, I started some EVA work that I may bring along. I didn't get as much completed as I would have liked, but I still have a few questions.
Forum: rodboard

If you are interested in custom handle work, there will be a presentation on Sunday at 10:00 to discuss various methods. The techniques which will be covered include mosaic pin inlays, block inlays (including abalone), brick inlays, scroll patterns, and wood burning fish scales. I posted a picture on the photo page showing some examples of this work. Mike Barkley will also be giving a semi
Forum: rodboard

Erik, I usually take 1/2 the volume of the mold and mix up some white and take the other half and mix ivory. I use TAP pigments. Mix each in containers which will not break down from the resin. Let the colors sit for about 15 minutes, and then combine them in another container. By letting them set up first, the colors won't completely blend into one color when combined. The separate colors will c
Forum: rodboard

Sam, I don't think polyester casting resins would work well for the application you are considering. In order to get the resin to set up in the time you are talking about, you would have to use a lot of catalyst. The resin tends to harden with a wavy finish on the surface when it cures this quickly. You could entirely embed the item in the resin and turn it down on a lathe to the thickness you wa
Forum: rodboard