Burnt Ring Bowl

[joe greiner]

On another thread ( http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=49621 ), we have a discussion about burning lines. Tom (thostorey) asked about burning a line on the interior of a bowl. I suggested using the outside of the elbow of a bent dental pick, and added it might also work on the top of the rim, as well as at awkward surfaces of the exterior. All that was talking the talk; here is walking the walk. Completed a few hours ago (Saturday arvo here).

Sweet gum. 5" (130mm) diameter; 1.75" (45mm) high; 0.25" (6mm) wall. Sanded to 400. I did these without any precut grooves. The pick made its own grooves. 2400 rpm (fastest available). I found that just the outside of the elbow didn't have sufficient contact for good burning, and tilted the pick to provide about 8mm contact. I only did two rings on the interior because, frankly, I ran out of courage. Lower pucker factor on the exterior, but still a bit scary to deliberately jam the tool between the toolrest and the bowl.

I didn't form the bottom as much as usual because it was already almost a funnel. Just turned down the tenon (chuck jaw impressions still visible) and rounded the bottom corner. Likely finish will be Minwax Polycrylic, which I've been wanting to try, and probably my S&T at our club meeting on 5 June. (See it up close, Gil.)

Joe

[OGYT]

Good job on the bowl, Joe... rings, too. Interesting. I've been turning a lot of Sweet Gum lately. Got several large bowls drying... (wettest wood I've ever turned)
Pretty non-descript wood, but the rings set it off. Might borrow your idea for the rim ring...
Thanks for the post.

[Gil Jones]

Nice one, Joe, bring it along to the meeting so I can see it up close.
Guess I will need to pester our dental hygienist and tooth grinder for their worn out tools.
Do you find the pick end of the tool getting soft from loosing its' temper, or are they made from titanium?

[joe greiner]

Thanks, Al. It wasn't toooo wet. Was felled a few months ago, and I lopped off a blank last week. I was more interested in the rings experiment, didn't really let it dry much (except overnight!) Had to re-turn the whole thing today, and even then, between final shaping and burning, it warped enough to produce slightly differential ring depth around the periphery.

I don't know what they're made of, Gil. I used the same tool for all the rings. You might note the end has been ground into a scraper; I've used it for tiny details before also. Haven't noticed any relaxation yet. I've bought these, as well as a bunch of other stuff, from a surplus mob near Chicago ( http://www.sciplus.com/ ). US$10 minimum order, and sorry to say they don't export. Catalog's fun to read, though. I must start pestering the dental staff.

Joe

[rsser]

Thanks Joe. Good result.

[thostorey]

Thanks for posting that Joe. I have a pick so I'll give it a try!

Tom