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To my knowledge Capt. G from BD, is the creator of this process. After all it bears his name!! I know Capt. G uses laquer paint more so than just pigmented finish. For this tutorial I used only pigmented finish.
1. I put down a thin coat of finish on the blank where i would be placing the abalone. Since the bottom side of the shell is abrasive, I do not want this in contact with the blank. After the finish dries, super glue >dime sized pieces to the finished surface. In the place of super glue, you can wait till the undercoat firs up and just place them directly into the finish, however, the pieces will float & move around; usually bunching on one side. Therefore, Super Glue!
2. Mix a batch of pigmented epoxy and apply; making sure to get it under all the pieces. Make sure all surfaces are coated & just let the excess drip off. If it aint drippin' you aint added enough!
For this step I used Purple Pigment.
3. After the previous coat dries, mix another color & apply the same way. Letting the excess drip off.
After the purple, I used metallic pearl (pictured) then a final coat of Metallic Turquoise (not pictured)
4. After the final coat, I like to let everything cure for 1 day extra before sanding. Starting with 80-100 grit, begin sanding. I use a piece of pegboard, cut to just under the width I need sanded, as a base for my sand paper. I will sand with this corse paper till all the sharp edges are rounded uniform. Next move to 150-200 grit and sand till you like the results. Typically I sand till there is little to no pigment over the abalone shell. Finish with 500 grit just to smooth everything out.
At this point you will notice there are still high & low points, thats ok!
After cleaning up all the dust (everywhere), take DNA and clean your creation good.
5. Apply clear finish to the low spots and let dry. Repeat this process till everything is just about level. Then take your 200 grit and sand everything uniform, finishing with 500 grit.
6. Clean up your dust again. Use DNA to clean the rod. Add a nice thin coat of clear finish. After this coat has dried, you can add trim bands or whatever. Then finish with a final coat or two.
This is a very long process but the end result is worth it! It also adds up to a few extra ounces of weight to to the rod. For this reason I usualy apply this only to heavier rods, (surf, boat, & bait soakers)
Thanks
Shawn
1. I put down a thin coat of finish on the blank where i would be placing the abalone. Since the bottom side of the shell is abrasive, I do not want this in contact with the blank. After the finish dries, super glue >dime sized pieces to the finished surface. In the place of super glue, you can wait till the undercoat firs up and just place them directly into the finish, however, the pieces will float & move around; usually bunching on one side. Therefore, Super Glue!
2. Mix a batch of pigmented epoxy and apply; making sure to get it under all the pieces. Make sure all surfaces are coated & just let the excess drip off. If it aint drippin' you aint added enough!
For this step I used Purple Pigment.
3. After the previous coat dries, mix another color & apply the same way. Letting the excess drip off.
After the purple, I used metallic pearl (pictured) then a final coat of Metallic Turquoise (not pictured)
4. After the final coat, I like to let everything cure for 1 day extra before sanding. Starting with 80-100 grit, begin sanding. I use a piece of pegboard, cut to just under the width I need sanded, as a base for my sand paper. I will sand with this corse paper till all the sharp edges are rounded uniform. Next move to 150-200 grit and sand till you like the results. Typically I sand till there is little to no pigment over the abalone shell. Finish with 500 grit just to smooth everything out.
At this point you will notice there are still high & low points, thats ok!
After cleaning up all the dust (everywhere), take DNA and clean your creation good.
5. Apply clear finish to the low spots and let dry. Repeat this process till everything is just about level. Then take your 200 grit and sand everything uniform, finishing with 500 grit.
6. Clean up your dust again. Use DNA to clean the rod. Add a nice thin coat of clear finish. After this coat has dried, you can add trim bands or whatever. Then finish with a final coat or two.
This is a very long process but the end result is worth it! It also adds up to a few extra ounces of weight to to the rod. For this reason I usualy apply this only to heavier rods, (surf, boat, & bait soakers)
Thanks
Shawn
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