Arrow pass material

[DC]

Has anyone tried guitar picks as an arrow pass? The one I have looks like mother of pearl. It's very thin and and I'm wondering how well it will wear.

[penderbender]

They seam to last a while with a guitar. Try it out I bet it would look good!

[wizardgoat]

Mother of pearl is surprisingly hard wearing.
I'm sure a guitar pick would work just fine.

[DuBois]

There was a guy on here who used them for tip overlays once.

[Dakota Kid]

I have a bunch of raw shell if you need some. Shell is 10 times harder to carve/sand than antler. It looks amazing and I would use it more if it wasn't such a pain. Plus the dust can make you quite ill.

[DC]

I live 100 yds from the beach, shell is not a problem. I've found that the shells are mostly bent the wrong way. I want a shiny convex surface and shells are mostly concave. If you know of a way to bend them I'm all ears

[chamookman]

Black Cherry & Pin Cherry bark makes an attractive pass - the deep red color looks real nice on Osage or Yew. Bob

[PatM]

If you grind away the outside of the shell won't the mother of pearl appear as a convex surface as well if it has any thickness?

[crooketarrow]

  Whats wrong with shooting of the wood shelf with no side plate. Adding a side plate makes your arrow LESS closer to center shot. Some people do it for the looks because they grew up lesarning that way.

  Closer to center shot you have less to worry about arrow spine. If your releasing right there's no noise or arrow slap off plain wood. Adding a 1/8 side plate not a smart move.

  Your going back to your recurve days where you learn you have to have a rug and side plate. I've shot off the shelf for over 20 years. Not saying this is for every body. Not very many people have a crisp clean realease.

Just saying you don't need  rest or a side plate.

[loon]

Side plate, I guess is just in case your arrow spine is too weak or release is off and your arrow is hitting the handle on release?.. to avoid wearing the wood or handle wrap

[PatM]

  Whats wrong with shooting of the wood shelf with no side plate. Adding a side plate makes your arrow LESS closer to center shot. Some people do it for the looks because they grew up lesarning that way.

  Closer to center shot you have less to worry about arrow spine. If your releasing right there's no noise or arrow slap off plain wood. Adding a 1/8 side plate not a smart move.

  Your going back to your recurve days where you learn you have to have a rug and side plate. I've shot off the shelf for over 20 years. Not saying this is for every body. Not very many people have a crisp clean realease.

Just saying you don't need  rest or a side plate.

  People typically recess an arrow pass of harder material.

[Dakota Kid]

I live 100 yds from the beach, shell is not a problem. I've found that the shells are mostly bent the wrong way. I want a shiny convex surface and shells are mostly concave. If you know of a way to bend them I'm all ears

Um... flip it over? The other side should be opposite. Of course you'll have to sand the dark outer layer off.  I typically end up with a flat piece after I sand and shape it anyway. I take the sanding all the way to 2000 grit, then I buff it. It shines like jewelry. Plus as already stated you can carve a recess into the wood of the handle so that it sets flush with the wood.
How thick are the shells in question? The only way I see my methods being a problem is that the shells you have might not be thick enough. I got lucky and found some that range from 3/8" up to almost an inch in thickness. I had to go to a local stream because this species of mussel isn't found in lake erie.

[DC]

I just assumed that the MOP was a very thin layer that was only on the inside of the shell, not carrying on through. I will try and sand the outside off and see. Hard as it is it's going to be a pain to buff though. I will report back

[PatM]

It must get laid down in layers so some thickness must be there. Just saw a cross section and view the prospective layers that way first.

[DC]

Yes you are right. I was afraid that coming in from the back with sanding and buffing might affect the colors of the MOP. I did a small piece and the result is not to bad. The little square in the middle was sanded in various grits to 1000 grit and then buffed with red buffing compound. It's not quite up to the original but it was tough holding that little bit. If I do the back of a whole shell it will be easier to hang on to and maybe I'll get a better finish. The pictured shell is abalone and its very thin. I'll go down to the beach and get an oyster shell and try that. Tha abalone has better color than the oyster but we'll see. Thanks for the clue.