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If I wanted to do a rosette like the one in the picture below, would I have to cut my own abalone? I have cut my own abalone curved strips for a single rosette circle many times, but it is very time consuming. Lately I've been buying my curved rosette pieces pre-cut. I just don't know of anywhere that sells them with a different inner radius. Anybody got any ideas?

Andy Depaul.

Ron

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Ron Wisdom

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australian mother of pearl supplies have supplied some great stuff for me. google for email address.

Hi Colby, that's a nice rosette. Is it one of yours or just an example of what you plan?

I second Andy Depaul. He may not have it in stock, but his guys in Vietnam are very quick.

Don't know if you've purchased from him before, but he's really a great guy to work with.

DuPaul Supply

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Colby not sure if Michael McClain was referring to MOP Supplies

I purchase a lot of MOP from Andy DePaule -- but have found MOP Supplies to be of equal quality and significantly cheaper for paua strips. They will also cut strips to the radius you specify. MOP Supplies is one of the few places I have seen that offer radiused strips in Abalone, White, gold ... you name it. Anthony Z39073.4200462963

Yep Andy DePaule will cut them to spec. Three to four week turn around. I have to say though if you are using abalone that you can break curves or straights into the channel and because of the camo effect of abalone the seams are not noticeable with out close inspection. Yes it is more work.MichaelP39073.4352199074

Michael – does breaking the pieces into the channel work for solid Paua with a radius larger and/or smaller than the standard 4.92” radius?

Yep but to tell you the truth I don't break I nip or cut. Real Paua or any abalone for that mater will some times delaminate or chip when breaking in the channel. Probably about 20% of the time when breaking, 5% when nipping and 2% when cutting. I nip till I start having to redo pieces more than once on a ring then switch to cutting. But as a whole nipping works very well most of the timeMichaelP39073.471099537

yes anthony, that's them.

Colby, I am in the process of making a rosette virtually indentical to the one pictured. I cut and sanded all of the abalone myself and it came out quite nicely. I would estimate that I spent 2 hours making the jigs and another two hours working with the abalone. Next time I won't have to make the jigs so it will only take two hours.

Scott I do hope you wear a good dust mask. Abalone dust will cause silicosis quickly

Yes, I have ordered from Andy Depaule before. I figured it would be at least a four week turn around for custom cut radiuses. I may end up cutting them myself from solid shell. It just seems to take a while.

Has anybody tried buying the curved Abalam (laminated shell) strips and breaking them so they would fit into different radiuses?? I understand this stuff breaks much better than solid shell.

Anthony, thanks for that link for MOP supplies. Do you know how long their turn around time is for custom cut radius strips?

[QUOTE=Colby Horton] Yes, I have ordered from Andy Depaule before. I figured it would be at least a four week turn around for custom cut radiuses. I may end up cutting them myself from solid shell. It just seems to take a while.

Has anybody tried buying the curved Abalam (laminated shell) strips and breaking them so they would fit into different radius?? I understand this stuff breaks much better than solid shell.[/QUOTE]

Yes ablam breaks a bit better than natural shell. Every guitar that has body shell purfling must have the waist area broke from ablam or shell into a tighter radius that the shell came with unless custom cut.

If you don't have to sand much ablam works great for rosettes and top purfling. but if you have to sand you can some times get part of one layer showing through the top layer and it can look a bit funny.

[QUOTE=MichaelP] Scott I do hope you wear a good dust mask. Abalone dust will cause silicosis quickly[/QUOTE]

That's not bad advice, but it must be said that there is nothing in published medical literature to support this; I've checked, come up with bupkiss. It's likely it does, but the evidence remains lacking.

Colby, sorry I don't know what their turn around time is -- though if you emailed them you'll find they respond quickly.

Colby, the curved Abalam strips work really well for rosettes in fact they
will probably bend (no need to break them) to the tighter radius you
need. I just did one with an I.D. of 4.30". Just inlay it flush like Michael
said so you don't sand any of it away.

long

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[QUOTE=Mattia Valente]

That's not bad advice, but it must be said that there is nothing in published medical literature to support this; I've checked, come up with bupkiss. It's likely it does, but the evidence remains lacking.[/QUOTE]

Abalone shell is calcium carbonate (predominantly as the mineral aragonite?) rather than a silicate. That said I prefer not to have any sort of mineral dust lurking around inside my lungs.

I do all my abalone purflings from real shell and have no problem breaking them into tight curves.

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
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Peter

How do you get such a nice radius on your bindings?

[QUOTE=rich altieri] Peter

How do you get such a nice radius on your bindings?[/QUOTE]

I could tell you but then you know what I would have to do to you?

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Rich,
there is no radius....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Std rosette radius shell will work fine - I did this one with .063 curved red ab from MOPsupplies, same radius inner and outer ring .. it just snaps in. Wood is braz rw bookmatch segmented. Soundhole will be 4 inch.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Thanks Tony! Nice rosette!

Colby -- perhaps this thread is too dated for you to respond but is that a picture of a Kinnaird Rosette? Anthony Z39079.0981365741