Can I hand sand this Material

Okay so I have been looking at doing some more inlay dots and lines (see attached images for examples of what I am talking about) and well I have hand sanded to fit inlay before I am hoping to expand it a bit by using other materials.

So basically are any of these materials soft enough to hand sand down.

Mother of Pearl Shell
Paua Shell
Abalone Shell
Malachite Stone
Lapis Stone

cheers I just don't want to commit to buying things I can't use at the moment

Old question with no answer - I'm also wondering about hand-sanding/finishing inlaid items that react differently to abrasives than the main scale material.

If you can sand down metal to a high polish, no reason why other materials (clams, stone, plastic, etc.) could not also be sanded down - using progressively higher grit to get to a high polish. The issue really is to get the right grit progression so you are sanding then polishing and not just polishing forever. Metal jewlers files, followed by stones, and cloth backed wet sandpaper would be where I would start with stone items. Abalone is easier to polish so I would stick to progressive grit sandpaper (400, 800, 1,000, 2,000 grit). With Plastic you need to go higher, lapping film gets to a nice polish. You can then work your way to granite polish (liquid) or even metal polish to buff the shine (or simichrome). I have good results with car polish as a final buff too.

Of course the smaller the area you are working on, the more you need to pay attention to the adjoining material...like stone inlaid on a bone scale. The softer the adjacent material the more attention needed with the sanding progression. With softer adjacent material you really need to keep all items as flat as possible so you are only sanding the raised areas. Go slow, and check your progress VERY frequently.

The only thing you need to do when sanding different materials ,, and it's true for most sanding you do, is to back up the sandpaper with a firm material such as a rubber block or something that will bridge over the various densities of material. Doing it by hand can possibly create problems as your skin will follow irregularities and create uneveness in the surfaces. I've done inlays in wood of MOP, Acrylic, Tagua nut, etc. and they have all worked just fine. Sanding progress isn't so much a critical factor as just how the paper is handled. higher grits just remove more slowly,, the action is the same regardless.
Personally I haven't used files, stones , wet sandpaper on any razor I've restored, so I can't comment on them. And I can't think of any time I've sanded anything higher than 600 grit from the metal blades, wood, acrylic, stone, MOP, etc. That's just me and my .02 cents worth.. YMMV.

mycarver said:

That's just me and my .02 cents worth.. YMMV.

Click to expand...

Marc, your .02 cents are worth about $1.89

Thanks Doc,
But the analogy is very similar to sanding body filler in a dent on a car. Using only your hand as a backing, the soft filler will be eaten away while the harder metal stays in place. You'll never get a smooth , flat surface. A firm 'bridge' is need so you span across the softer material leaving a smooth surface and both are cut the same regardless of the grit of paper. Same holds true sanding just the blade. A cheap backer for sanding is a "Pinky" eraser. Use it as is for a smooth backing of sandpaper,, or shape it ( easily) to whatever curve you need. Then wrap the paper around the eraser and sand away. Works like a charm,, the paper cuts faster, and any slips and you will not get a slice through your fingers if you are working near the edge and it cuts though the paper.
Cut the eraser with a square edge and you can easily work right into the stabilizers where hand sanding fails to reach.

That's my $1.89 tip of the day or whatever it's worth!

i have done inlays with torquoise , and it works well