Natural Edge bowl question

1/19/04, 2:06 AM #1

Greg
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Offline
83 posts

Registered: 1/2/04

Natural Edge bowl question

Greg

>I have a piece of wet cherry, with the bark on it, and I want to turn a natural edged bowl with it. However, I don't know if I should turn this to final size and finish it, or turn it with thick walls, and then finish it after it's dry. Secondly, if I should finish turn it while wet, what is the best type of finish to use on it? Thanks!

- - -

I am always on the hunt for ephemera. It can be pictures, legal document, diplomas, manuals, personal letters and anything else that shows up. I try not to keep any of my finds. I read them, enjoy them, and then look for a permanent home. I have donated to museums, schools, fraternal organizations and even to the Weyerheauser Company. My finds are distributed here in the Pacific Northwest, but also California, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Connecticut. Helpful hint: Just about every county in the country has a museum of some sort. They are usually thrilled to receive items that reflect their history and culture. I recently had in my possession a personal letter from February,1946, that had been addressed from one APO (army post office) to another. Stamped on the face was "Return to Sender, Undeliverable Address". I had found it at an estate sale, presumably at the home of the person who originally sent the letter. I have no idea why the letter was kept all these years, but it had never been opened. I opened it and read it at home. It was written by an American woman who worked as a civilian for the U.S. government in post-war Offenhut, Germany. She had sent it to another American woman who was doing a similar job in Shanhghai, China. The letter was newsy and informative about the hardships of living in a bombed out country. No doubt the conditions in Shanghai were no better. I had no great expectations of success, but I googled the name of the intended recipient. The woman's first name is uncommon, and I came upon a woman of that name who had gotten married in California in 1947, the year after the letter was sent. Further, the letter had stated that the two women had worked together for the O.N.I. (Office of Naval Intelligence?) in San Francisco during the war, so California made sense. So I had the woman's current name, or at least it was current 64 years ago. More digging revealed that there is a couple living in the same California town as where the marriage took place. He is 97 and she is 91. (It's amazing what the internet can divulge.) I got the phone number and called. The husband answered. I introduced myself and told him I was looking for a woman and mentioned her maiden name. He said yes, that was his wife's maiden name. Then I said the woman I was looking for had worked in Shanghai after the war. He said, yes, his wife had worked in China. WOW, I had hit paydirt. We didn't talk for long, but he was enthused about receiving the letter, and I mailed it the next day. He promised to write back after the letter arrived. It has been just over a week, so I am eagerly waiting for his return letter. Hopefully it will take less than 65 years to get here. Greg

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

1/19/04, 2:58 AM #2

Marc Phillips
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289 posts

Registered: 1/1/04
Website

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

Marc Phillips

>I turn all of my natural edge bowls wet and then finish them immediately...

I use Briwax, BLO, and CA on the bark...

Marc

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

1/19/04, 6:40 AM #3

GeeSeaWhy
Guest

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

GeeSeaWhy

>If you turn the bowl so it keeps getting wider towards the rim, the two high points on the rim will be further apart than the two low points - your bowl will be oval to begin with. When it dries, shrinkage across the grain will make it even more oval, making it more difficult to finish if you rough-turned it and let it dry. If you turn it all in one go, the shrinkage will add to the oval effect. That, to my mind, is attractive and has people wondering how you did it. Not at all the same as a formal bowl which was obviously meant to be round but isn't.

I would use Formby's Tung Oil Finish, because that's what I use on most of my pieces and because it looks good on cherry.

Graeme

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

1/19/04, 12:41 PM #4

Peter Teubel
Guest

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

Peter Teubel

>95% of my work is green-turned natural edge bowls. I turn to finished thickness, use a heat gun to dry the surface enough to keep the sandpaper from clogging, sand to completion, and apply finish the same day (Formby's Tung Oil Finish or WaterLox) followed by two or three more coats of finish over 3 days. In a week or so its dry, so I then buff with the Beall system. If the bottom has warped too much (rocks on a flat surface), I resand the bottom on my belt sander, re-sign my name, refinish, and buff.

Occasionally, I will come across some REALLY wet stuff that defies heat-gun drying (usually Box Elder). I will then turn to 1/2" thickness and just shelve the bowls for a week in the shop (no bagging of anything). I'll then re-turn to completion.

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

1/19/04, 1:38 PM #5

Greg
Member
Offline
83 posts

Registered: 1/2/04

Re: Natural Edge bowl question

Greg

>Thanks guys! I'll let you know how it goes, hopefully with a picture of a completed bowl, too.

- - -

I am always on the hunt for ephemera. It can be pictures, legal document, diplomas, manuals, personal letters and anything else that shows up. I try not to keep any of my finds. I read them, enjoy them, and then look for a permanent home. I have donated to museums, schools, fraternal organizations and even to the Weyerheauser Company. My finds are distributed here in the Pacific Northwest, but also California, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Connecticut. Helpful hint: Just about every county in the country has a museum of some sort. They are usually thrilled to receive items that reflect their history and culture. I recently had in my possession a personal letter from February,1946, that had been addressed from one APO (army post office) to another. Stamped on the face was "Return to Sender, Undeliverable Address". I had found it at an estate sale, presumably at the home of the person who originally sent the letter. I have no idea why the letter was kept all these years, but it had never been opened. I opened it and read it at home. It was written by an American woman who worked as a civilian for the U.S. government in post-war Offenhut, Germany. She had sent it to another American woman who was doing a similar job in Shanhghai, China. The letter was newsy and informative about the hardships of living in a bombed out country. No doubt the conditions in Shanghai were no better. I had no great expectations of success, but I googled the name of the intended recipient. The woman's first name is uncommon, and I came upon a woman of that name who had gotten married in California in 1947, the year after the letter was sent. Further, the letter had stated that the two women had worked together for the O.N.I. (Office of Naval Intelligence?) in San Francisco during the war, so California made sense. So I had the woman's current name, or at least it was current 64 years ago. More digging revealed that there is a couple living in the same California town as where the marriage took place. He is 97 and she is 91. (It's amazing what the internet can divulge.) I got the phone number and called. The husband answered. I introduced myself and told him I was looking for a woman and mentioned her maiden name. He said yes, that was his wife's maiden name. Then I said the woman I was looking for had worked in Shanghai after the war. He said, yes, his wife had worked in China. WOW, I had hit paydirt. We didn't talk for long, but he was enthused about receiving the letter, and I mailed it the next day. He promised to write back after the letter arrived. It has been just over a week, so I am eagerly waiting for his return letter. Hopefully it will take less than 65 years to get here. Greg

Natural Edge bowl question

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