Thread: Opal Inlays

Opal could be expensive but most the cost will be in the labour.
Opal is also porous and I don't know how it would react to the timber finishes.

Would look great though.

'Tiger Eye' from W.A. would be another great looking stone inlay.


Will

Originally Posted by willcall

Opal is also porous and I don't know how it would react to the timber finishes.

The plan was to cast it into the headstock with epoxy, so it should have minimal contact with any timber finishes. Perhaps something like a doublet would be more suitable instead?

A flat(tish) doublet or triplet would be the go.

Even then you'll need to test a piece in your epoxy... opal can be 'delicate' and it'd be a shame to see the stone react unfavourably against the solvents.

eg. cloudiness as the doublet/triplet delaminates .

Any idea what sort of adhesive they use to put doublets and triplets together? I imagine it would be some sort of resin, wouldn't it?

Yes. We use a water clear bonding epoxy. (ie. it dries water clear)

But in the past I've used other brands of epoxy to fix a doublet to a setting and later discovered a 'cloudiness' around the edge of the stone where the new epoxy 'leeched into' the original. Not all 'poxies are created the same, apparently.

Not saying it'll be a problem for you... however it's still best to check your glue's compatible first, y'know?

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Not saying it'll be a problem for you... however it's still best to check your glue's compatible first, y'know?

Thanks Skew, not a bad idea at all. Any particular recommendations as to which epoxy to use for it?

Have you got, or can you get, some abalone shell, instead? When compared with paui(?) abalone from NZ, British Columbia abalone shell is very pale, pinks and blues.
Opal would be wonderful, matched doublets would be visually stunning. The puzzle I see is trying to reshape the pieces.

I use abalone for moons and eyes in my wood carvings, just a personal hang-up about using BC materials.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Have you got, or can you get, some abalone shell, instead? When compared with paui(?) abalone from NZ, British Columbia abalone shell is very pale, pinks and blues.
Opal would be wonderful, matched doublets would be visually stunning. The puzzle I see is trying to reshape the pieces.

I use abalone for moons and eyes in my wood carvings, just a personal hang-up about using BC materials.

The intended use is just to be set in to a headstock as its "natural" shape, so no cutting is required - I want the whole opal used. I wouldn't even think about cutting it into different shaped inlays, that would be shell all the way

Oh, man, I can't wait to see the head.
When I lived in Melbourne, 40 yrs ago, I knew a manufacturing jeweller who had a necklace of 12-sided beads, entirely matched opal. I have yet to see anything so beautiful.