Dear Dan and all,
        What's so about abalone shell and being worked is this: If it is worked
dry, it makes a nauseating smell which is bad enough by itself, but the
real danger comes from the dust which is not poisonous per se, but it is
like inhaling window pane shards and it lacerates the lungs.
        The answer to both problems is to make sure that you work it wet,
either by a drip system, common in all lapidary setups, or by constant
dunking if using regular power tools such as a Dremel or a belt sander.
KEEP IT WET!
 
        Mariah
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Mark and Mariah Lawson
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