I love these abalone sheets, have used them a number of times. However, I disagree that a heat gun is the best way to make them flexible enough to wrap around a rod blank without cracking. The best way, in my opinion, is to soak them in water that has been heated to boiling , then wait until the backing is almost totally soaked by the water. It will look dark as it wets. Then carefully separate the abalone (previously the sheet was cut to the right size for the blank) material from the backing, and get one whole edge of it free. Then carefully place that edge into position, and press it down. Then progressively pull the rest of the backing off and press the abalone to the blank. When done then protect its surface with a piece of paper and vigorously burnish it down hard to the blank. Then I wrap it with the paper protector and tightly wrap that in highly stretched electrical tape, then leave it on overnight.