Lost Reliquary of Thoth, Hot melt and DNA
Mike Foster
I thought that I would post my latest piece here because it was lurking here that gave me the idea on how to actually turn it. I had been mulling over how to turn one of my math based forms, and had some ideas, but hadn't really formulated a plan for turning it until I saw the thread started by Doc Green regarding removing hot melt using DNA (or acetone). Eureka! This was the answer for me.
So this is a tetrahedron that was completed totally on the lathe (minus the surface decoration). I always have to have a really good working plan for these, especially if I plan on making a box. The size of the hollow for the box (in this case a sphere) has to allow for the sides of the tetrahedron and allow for a rim including the planned bead to be carved on the edges. Once planned, I started the turning by completing the interior all the way to final sanding. I then hot melt glued the box together to allow me to turn the exterior. I did this by making a jig to hold the form. Basically a bowl like form with a center dent in the bottom to accept one of the points and center the piece, then the remaining 3 points rest on the rim. I carved the rim slightly to accept the points better and give it better stability, but what really held it in place was the hot melt. I used the tailstock to keep things as safe as possible until I had reached final form, then removed the tailstock and made a few light passes to remove the center nub. Do this on all four faces and WhaLa, you have a tetrahedron. I actually did this in 2 stages, first developing a tetrahedron with flat faces, and inspecting the hollow to be sure I had enough clearance. I then remounted all 4 faces and turned slight hollows in each face to get to final form. Hot melt, and removing it with acetone was key to the success of this turning. It allowed me to actually glue the box together, and still separate the halves when done. I also hot melted the work to the jig, also allowing me to not mar the wood. So thanks to all who made contributions to that thread. It is little pearls like this that can become extremely useful. I can think of other ways I could have turned this piece, but using the hot melt method made it so much easier. Thanks again to all who contributed.
So the decoration is all inspired by Egyptian gods and hieroglyphics. I posted detailed descriptions on WOW and WTU if you are interested.
Box Elder, Acrylics, India Ink, Fixatiff, 23 K Gold leaf
6” H x 7” W x 6” D
