Keith,

BTW, the stems are holly

GaryG in MD

I love using holly for thin work because of the straight grain, the strength, and the ability to dye it any color. ...GG

Very nice work

thanks, Jim

GaryG in MD

Nowhere near Keith's level, but he's a role model.

Re: Keith,

Keith Tompkins

Hi Gary,

I do remember that symposium! I initially showed the v-skew to Brad Packard at the Hartford symposium; he asked Allan Hollar to test it out. Which he did, as we all watched on....."put that thing away, don't let anyone see it". I went into the Packard catalog, and I demo'd it the following year in the Packard booth, where I don't remember.

Thanks for the memories....BTW, remember I stayed with you and your wife, and had forgotten my suitcase?

yes,

GaryG in MD

St. Paul was the year after Hartford.

It was the AAW 25th Anniversary.

I really enjoyed that one.

I can't remember if you forgot your bag or if the airlines misplaced it, but we definitely went shopping for underwear and toothpaste before the meeting!

And your demo was a memorable introduction to one of your wavy winged bowl forms:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yw9cJq1wr8YR2BGG6

Hard to believe that was seven years ago.

Good times... ...GG

Very nicely done Gary, and what ...........

JamieDonaldson

...did you use to dye the Holly such a saturated black?

Beautiful!

Don Orr

I see no mistakes or room for improvement.

Re: Keith,

Keith T

I agree, these are beautiful!!

Hi Jamie,

GaryG in MD

Thanks for the very perceptive question.

FYI, it looks and feels as good in person as it does in the photo.

No surprise on the black product -- it is our old standby -- what we learned many years ago from the master, John Jordan -- Fiebings black leather dye. I couldn't find the 'USMC' version, so this is the regular stuff. It appears to work just as well.

After dying, I "sanded" (more like 'polished') it with Abralon (my absolute go-to abrasive for finishing) from 500 to 4000; gave it a couple very light coats of rattle-can Deft (lacquer) to add just a bit more shine; and did the Abralon sequence again. It has a silky look and feel -- kind of like polished stone. I really like it.

Holly is my go-to wood when I want featureless, super-fine grain that cuts like butter -- for small, delicate articles that I want to be strong, cut cleanly, need little sanding, hold crisp edges, and take any desired color. ...GG

Thank you, Don...

GaryG in MD

...for the high praise. I'm very happy with them. The cups are fine, but I can see ways to make small improvements in the stems. Maybe if I made ten more, I'd be able to get those worked out. :-) ...GG

and now the Rest of the Story...

GaryG in MD

OK, so why are there two of them?

I don't generally make more than one of anything.

So many ideas, so little time...

When I made what I hoped was my single mini-goblet, I made the cup on the right and the stem on the left. I wanted a "strikingly tall" form. It was, but it was out of proportion. The stem was a tad too tall for the size (diameter) of the cup. So I turned a new, second, slightly (10%) larger diameter cup for the tall stem (I would have made it still wider, but I was limited by the size of the burl bottle-stopper blank) and a new, 10%-shorter stem for the first, smaller cup. I believe we agree both changes worked. Now I think both are in proper proportion. I'm frankly surprised by what a big visual difference these small changes made.

I sourced the Marine Corp black through .....

JamieDonaldson

...a fellow guild member who owns a leather shop. It doesn't have the hint of blue that the regular black often imparts to wood applications. I also enjoy the Holly characteristics for parts such a finials, and it looks like ivory when well sanded and finished.

Re: I sourced the Marine Corp black through .....

Bill Blasic

Fiebing's USMC Black Leather 4oz Dye on Ebay $7.99 free shipping - $16.99 on Amazon

Jim,

GaryG in MD

I am familiar with the use of India Ink on wood.

There is an article online that recommends it.

I used some recently and had to go back over it with the Fiebings.

The ink result was not completely satisfactory.

I imagine the particular brand of the India ink is important and may make a difference.

Based on my personal experience, I'll stick with the Fiebings. ...GG

good to know

GaryG in MD

A little goes a long way...

I won't need any more for a while. ;-)

I strongly recommend wearing nitrile gloves and old clothes when applying it.

It does tend to get to places one would not want it -- and it doesn't come off easily, if at all.

My efforts with India ink were not as satisfying .

JamieDonaldson

...as with the leather dye. The ink doesn't penetrate as well, multiple coats have a tendency to chip off, and sanding leaves a black dust everywhere.

Re: Jim,

john lucas

It's mostly the wood species. I have used India ink and shoe dye a lot. some woods will dye perfectly with one coat. Some take multiple coats and some won't even penetrate or color the hard winter wood grains.

thanks, John, for the grounding

GaryG in MD

Interesting results, and I suppose not unexpected, but it takes "somebody" to do the testing.

We appreciate that "somebody" often being you. ...GG

Beautiful!

Mike Schwing

I don't see any mistakes.