Hey, what are you turning these days?

Re: Hey, what are you turning these days?

Here is a recent box I turned for a friend's birthday.  Ironbark eucalyptus from a 22 year old stash of rough-outs I recently found when cleaning the shop.  Has a nice suction pop when removing the lid.  The perspective is a little off because of the camera angle.  It's about 40% top and 60% bottom.  And the bottom flair is a little wider than the top.

Re: Hey, what are you turning these days?

Round and brown is fine, until you do a show or sale. A well lit dyed piece in a show display will stop walkers in their tracks. I call them booth magnets. They may buy the round and brown, buy you need to get people in the booth first.

Well. Round Anyway

Had a chunk of white wood with little in the way of grain and halfway to punk.

So, naturally, I just had to see what I could get out of it.  Yeah, I know,  "Life's Too Short" but still.

Has way to go as in another rattle-can of black lacquer,  But the painter's rule of "Black shows every defect" in full force here.

Showy though.

Great advice, Dick

 Thinking back on all the shows I've gone to over the years, it's clear that there are a lot of turners who agree with you. 

Re: Great advice, Dick

This was my First Friday Studio Tours booth magnet for years. I still have it.

Re: Hey, what are you turning these days?

I like the forms.  (I think there is a lot to be said for focusing on the form, fundamental regardless of the wood type, color, figure, size, embellishment.)   I've never turned monkey pod but from your beautiful piece and a bowl I saw today in a furniture store I might have to get some and try.

I'm turning very little this winter but am starting on a few more simple hair sticks.   I don't have pictures yet so I think I'll post some I made earlier in a new thread, perhaps of interest of those who aren't familiar with them.  I'll try to get photos of some new ones soon!

JKJ

Re: Hey, what are you turning these days?

Here are some of last years things.

Nice, Ray!

That segmented piece really gets me wondering how you did it. I've never had the patience for all the pre-construction, much less figuring out how to get the end result. Kudos.

Ellis

Here's a couple...

...of open forms that I finished up late last year from my stash of roughouts donated by David Fry when he moved. 

He thinks the smaller one is Formosan koa.  That's not koa from Formosa -- it's a separate species -- it's considered an invasive weed in Hawai'i. I thought it was walnut when I started working with it, but that changed quickly because it's highly chatoyant and quite fluorescent.  It's about 3" high and 4" in diameter.

The larger is some kind of "eucalyptus" -- I'm guessing maybe red gum or jarrah, but neither of us have a clue.

The ribbon figure is pretty amazing.  It's about 5" high and 4.5" in diameter.

The finish on both is many coats of Deft lacquer hand rubbed out to Abralon 4000 -- so they still look and feel like wood.

Nice work, Gary

Some of those no-name woods can be surprisingly wonderful for turning. Your finishing process looks great, too. Do you wipe, brush or spray the Deft?

Thanks, Ellis

The answer to your question is "yes".  :-)

I typically wipe or brush on a couple of coats of Deft Clear Wood Finish - Gloss Brushing Lacquer (can, liquid) first (depending on the size and my mood), as a sealer, rub out the wipe/brush marks with 3M ScotchBrite Gold 7745, and then spray on a few more rattlecan coats of the Deft spray.  I almost always get orange peel, so then back to the Gold, and then Abralon it from 500 to 4000.  I don't use machine buffing -- all by hand.  

A club friend has recommended Mohawk precat lacquer rattlecan, so I bought a couple to try -- but haven't yet had the opportunity.  His work speaks for itself.  It apparently doesn't have a limited shelf life -- must have an evaporative retarder built into the formula.  I'd be interested to hear more about it if anyone else here uses it.