coffee grounds

Re: coffee grounds

Sean Troy

>I,ve allways used instant coffee and thin ca glue.

Re: coffee grounds

Fog Tanner

>Gary,

I use only the finest coffee fresh coffee grounds that I can find at one of the finer emporiums like Dollar Store or the like. An alternative is coffee that has gone stale. I have never tried previously used grounds. I grind the coffee into a power, depending on the application, of varing consistency or "grit". For large wormholes, I use straight coffee grounds from the bag/can. For small areas, I fill the hole and use CA glue. CA is pretty poor in large filling applications (it is at its best when you have two perfectly flat surfaces to bond and its weakest in gap filling), so for larger applications I mix up some 30 minute epoxy and add coffee until I get a 60/40 - 70/30 coffee/epoxy ratio. The only problem with epoxy is you really need to let it cure for several days before machining it. Too soon and you will pull the epoxy from the crack. The 30 min is the pot life and the cure time on the bottle is really the "set time". Cure time is still seven days. And I would never use 5 min epoxy.

As far as what you refer to as fiberglass, I am assuming you mean polyester resin. I would never use this as it gets too brittle and over time can crack, one of the reasons ythe wood boat builders have gone to epoxy.

I have never had any bleeding problems, with either CA or Epoxy and I use coffee in both Mesquite and Cedar (my filler of choice). I have also used yellow glue in Cedar as a binding agent for the coffee with no problems. I have never tried glitter with it but I see no reason it wouldn't work with epoxy. I have mixed other fillers like that with not problems.

When done right the coffee grounds machine smooth and look like they are an interesting part of the wood, similar to a knot and not like a patch. Best thing to do is try it on some scrap pieces and find the solution that works for you.

Fog

Re: coffee grounds

Earl Eyre

>I, too, just use CA. I recently did a very large cresent shaped hole...about 3" long by 1" high. I just put in a little new, fine grounds, CA and shot it with fixer and kept building it up. It held great. I actually thought I had destroyed the vessel when the piece chipped out and tried the fix just as an experiment. Now people pick up the piece and find it one the most interesting parts.

Earl

Re: coffee grounds

GaryG in MD

>Earl, LOL; don't you just love it? I have a pottery vase like that that I bought at a craft fair -- it was effectively a 'second' because the glaze ran a bit on one side during firing and changed the pattern -- that's my favorite side! Thanks for the input. ...GG

Re: coffee grounds

GaryG in MD

>Hey Fog,

Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed reply. That's just what I needed. Now I can proceed with my project with reasonable confidence. I appreciate the warning about the curing time of the epoxy -- I didn't know that.

Regards,

Gary

Re: coffee grounds

GaryG in MD

>Sean, Thanks. Very interesting; I would never have guessed that would work. It's good to know. ...GG

Re: I use "used" grounds. Too cheap to waste them.

Al Crandall --NE of Indy--

>I like used grounds because they are blacker than fresh grounds. I grind my coffee one pot at a time just as fine as my grinder will process it. I air dry the used grounds for a couple of days and then finish drying them slowly in the microwave. I have about 1 cup of dried used grounds in a ziplock bag for future patches. I pack the void with dry grounds and drizzle a little thin CA glue over the patch. This produces a fill which doesn't have the usual solid shiny surface which accompanies CA glue in cracks.

Grounds for Art

mainebowlman

>If it's an "art" piece for a schwepsy gallery wouldn't you use something like fresh Starbucks Double Dark Roast Guatamalan Tropical Rain Forest Antigua Organic Espresso Decaf? How about matching the country of the coffee to the country of the tree?

I guess for functional salad bowls you'd use the House Blend. :)

Jack

French Roast or Columbian?

Jennifer@Indy.USA

>Hi Gary,

I have used coffee grounds several times and I find that French Roast works the best...(kidding)...any kind works....I grind my beans so when I'm grinding for filler I like to grind really fine. I use mine fresh out of the grinder. Unlike Crandall....I'm not so cheap that I have to use them first...Hee-hee (couldn't resist Al!) When the CA glue hits the grounds they darken up real nice. I like to use a tiny paper cup and a popsicle stick to quickly mix my coffee with the CA into a paste. Use slow set if possible or will have to work REALLY fast :) If you're using the spray accelerator use it sparingly because you might end up with bubbly white yucky spots that won't go away. This has nothing to do with the coffee, but just the nature of the accelerator when used in any situation. I have to thank Wally for that tip. Too much too fast causes heat and it bubbles and goes crazy and yucky. If you want the coffee to give a textured granular look, just use a more coarse grind.

Have fun!

Jennifer

Re: French Roast or Columbian?

GaryG in MD

>Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for the good tips. I now see that there are as many different methods as there are turners, and that different results can be had depending on needs and desires -- and they all seem to work. I'll look forward to experimentation -- that's half the fun anyway.

I now know a good use for those little foil coffee packets I always leave behind in hotels and motels: prepackaged wormhole fillers! I'm surely not going to waste any of my Starbucks Espresso Roast / SLO Vanilla Nut blend!!

Regards,

Gary

Re: I use "used" grounds. Too cheap to waste them.

GaryG in MD

>Thanks Al. It's good to know that it works just about any way you can think of. Microwave drying is a good idea. I suppose an hour in the oven at 200 F would also do the job. I'll look forward to trying different variations. ...GG

If it shakes,change to decaf...

Anthony

>

Re: coffee grounds *LINK*

Paul Porter in Phoenix, AZ

>Hi Gary and all. I use used coffee grounds. Since I don�t drink coffee, I have my dad collect his used grounds. He uses an espresso grind so it�s real fine. The coffee ground are usually self accelerating. If there are any pit holes left after I cut/grind/sand them smooth, I fill with ebony dust. It�s a different color from the coffee, so it gives it a bark inclusion look.

~Paul


my web site

Re: coffee grounds

GaryG in MD

>Hi Paul,

Thanks for the comments. I can see that there are many different ways to use coffee grounds! I like your idea of adding the black material to achieve a little more color complexity. Depending on the piece, I'll probably experiment with adding a little brass dust too.

I have great admiration for your work -- it has caught my eye before. Your woods are beautiful, and, particularly for anyone with a Southwestern background, you shapes are moving. If you are familiar with the Goodwin/Guenther collections at UA, the latter were my grandparents. [See ISBN 0-8165-1028-8 (UA Press, 1987) for their story and lots of great pix.]

Born in Bisbee,

Gary

Re: Grounds for Art

GaryG in MD

>Hey Jack,

That sounds like a great coffee -- where can I buy some? Only if it's shade grown, of course.

What part of Maine do you live in? We'll be coming up to spend three weeks near South Thomaston in July/Aug.

Cheers,

Gary

Stop by! *LINK*

mainebowlman

>I'm in Kennebunkport (as in Bush Sr. summer White House) on the southern coast. I narrate a few trolley tours each week, so if you or any WC turner would like a personal narrated tour of the Port, just let me know!

And I'm serious about that, folks!

Jack


Kennebunkport Trolley

Re: Stop by!

GaryG in MD

>Thanks Jack. We'll get in touch with you if our plans look like they'll permit a stop on the way by. Cheers, GG

Re: Grounds for Art

Mike Schwing from Md.

>Thomaston, eh?

I'll be at my in-law's summer home in Rockland, not too far from you, the first and last weeks of August. I'm sure I'll be getting together with Jorge and more than likely Bob Hackett, too (I'm hoping he takes me fishing). Maybe we can all get together.