Today my friends I want to show a little more about unusual material I use in my new Mirock Maker Cutter Abalone.
It is real natural abalone shell.
I was looking for something different from wood and the other materials I normally use. When I saw how abalone works together with brass, I really liked the result.
What is Abalone?
Abalone is a sea mollusk with a very unusual shell.
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Inside the shell there is a layer of nacre, also called mother-of-pearl. This is what creates the strong changing colors that you can see in the material.
Depending on the piece and how light falls on it, you can see green, blue, turquoise, violet and sometimes pink colors.
The interesting thing is that the color is not just a printed pattern or paint. It comes from the natural structure of the shell itself.
This is also why the appearance changes when you turn the Cutter in your hand.
Every Piece is Different
For me this is probably the most interesting part of working with abalone.
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There cannot really be two identical pieces.
One part of the shell can have much more blue and green. Another one can have darker areas, violet colors or completely different lines and patterns.
So when I use natural abalone in a Maker Cutter, every finished tool gets its own appearance.
I cannot make the shell repeat exactly the same pattern, and I don't want to.
This natural difference is part of the design.
Abalone and Brass
I decided to combine abalone with brass because I like the contrast between these materials.
Brass is heavy, warm and quite traditional material for tools. Abalone is completely different - colorful, reflective and always changing depending on the light.
Together they make something that still feels like a proper workshop tool, but doesn't look like anything else I have made before.
The Cutter itself uses the same automatic mechanism and Stanley 1992 blade standard as my other Automatic Maker Cutters. Abalone changes the appearance, not the basic idea of the tool.
Natural Material
Because this is natural shell, small differences in color, lines and surface are normal.
Actually, this is what I am looking for.
When I make tools from wood, I already like that every piece has its own grain. Abalone gives the same idea but in a completely different way.
You don't really select an identical pattern from a catalogue.
You get the one that nature made.
I think this makes every Abalone Maker Cutter a little more personal.
And this was exactly the reason why I wanted to try this material.
You can purchase Abalone Maker Cutter here: Mirock Maker Cutter Abalone or here Etsy listing
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