Inlay cutting

[TNMANDO]

I recently started cutting my first bits of inlay ( MOP and green Abalone)and was wondering if I needed to wear any kind of mask to keep from inhaling the dust. I haven't seen any warnings in any liturature I've read but I got a headache the next morning and wanted to get a second opinion.

[sunburst]

Don't breathe that stuff!
I've read a lot of warnings that make it sound like you'll die from it.
It's not as bad when hand cut as when cut with a high speed cutter. The heat from the high speed cutter apparently causes the release of even more toxins.
I've breathed my share of pearl dust as well as wood dust and so forth, I'm still alive and well, but my lungs aren't what they used to be.
Use a mask, vacuum the dust, or blow the dust away from yourself with an air nozzle. Take care of yourself and be healthy.

[Bob A]

Igot some pearl from the Mother of Pearl Company in NC a year ago. They have a website with info and tips on working with the stuff. They say it's not toxic (though I've heard nasty things about abalone shell) but it is like inhaling glass dust. Not good. You don't want to blow it around the shop, either.

Take a look at their site - I think it's www.knifehandles.com, but if you google them under the company name you can link. The working info is linked to the MOP topic off their homepage.

[Brian Aldridge]

Al Jamison, a well known banjo neck builder, had to have lung transplants because of pearl and abalone dust. I read years agao where the Japanese devised a method of cutting shell under water to eliminate the problem. Be careful. Better yet, buy the stuff cut. There are some excellent sources, like FQMS and custom stuff from Bryan England, among other places.

[Chris Baird]

The silicates in abolone, pearl, etc. cause cumulative tissue damage to the lungs. I put my dust collector outside and run the hose through a window and put it right up to what I'm cutting. It draws all the dust away from me. Using this method I don't even feel the need to use a dust mask.

[Michael Lewis]

Put a mesh over the end of the vacuum hose so you don't inadvertantly lose any of your cut pieces. Larry Robinson suggests nylon stocking.

[sunburst]

Another good tip Michael. Thanks.
That reminds me of a tip I got from Bill Swank on how to find lost pieces of pearl on the shop floor.

Take the filter out of your shopvac and stretch (not tight) a piece of cheese cloth over the top of the container part. Put the top part of the vac back on and vacuum up the area of the shop floor where the stray piece of pearl went. Now sort through the dust, wood chips, dog hair and stuff in the cheese cloth and, with luck, find your lost pearl.