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Both abalone and white mother of pearl have been traditionally used in solid form. Shells 6-8 inches in diameter are not uncommon, though quality of the pearl has gone down-probably due to over-fishing and pollution. I have several 6+ inch shells here that we use for soap dishes. They were tradition...

Those were a lot of work!

Billyfish- yes, doublets and triplets.

Just the pin head can be polished with your Dremel and a felt wheel with rouge.. You can also use a polish like Simichrome on a cloth without worrying about the horn.

The mollusk applies nacre in layers. Most shells are not large or thick enough for knife handles, so the shells are broken into pieces and layered with adhesive. Mosaic is larger pieces laid out and glued together. The laminate that I use has a very thin layer of premium shell sandwiched between a M...

Angelo Campolin, Sr. was the production manager for Mauro Mario. Whether there was a MM manufactory, I don't know. Perhaps the brothers were simply contractors. Perhaps Campolin made their knives. I have not researched this. There are some who have, but they guard their information because they thin...

It is indeed a Latama. Perhaps it was an early one- before the patent was issued. Less likely is that it just didn't get stamped..

Show us a picture of the knife.

Same process as above. Get it shaped, harden, and temper.

I haven't even unboxed it yet. Started clearing a space for it in the shop, but still have to learn how to use it and what it will/won't do.
This one is a diode laser-sort of between a CO2 and a fiber laser. It will do some metal engraving. If I get it figured out, I'll probably get a fiber laser.

I thought you were talking about little coil springs, like used in knives.

3/32 can be successfully torch heat treated, Quench in canola oil.

Why would I want to post pictures of my new design?
The Chinese might steal it!

It can be done. Unfortunately, small coil springs are too thin to reliably heat treat without a heat treat oven. The steel heats and cools too fast without a controlled atmosphere and even heating is a problem. In theory, if the spring is common high carbon steel- heat to cherry red and quench in wa...

I won't be accepting new work for at least a month.