First letter opener & first Bottle Stops

[HappyHammer]

I know it may not be exciting to many but these are my first bottle stops and first letter opener. I made them this arvo once I got my chuck un-stuck. They are all Red Gum.

HH.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Ya gotta love Redgum... it can look soooo good!

Nice forms too, HH. You should be happy with them. :2tsup:

[killerbeast]

Well i havent got a chuck that can get stuck (damit) but ordered last week and the waiting is killing me... had to do some comfort turning hehe..

Im going into turmode for Christmas having told the family that they could only get round wooden things this year ...

Bottelstoppers are Oak and Cherry. Pen is ?? americhan mahogoni ?? got a nice big pice from a frind, had i left over from his kitchen build.

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PIc are as usually horrible ! the pen had a shine and 3D effect in the wood that i get on cam. so do the stoppers...

Thees are my first bottle stoppers ever :oo:

Cant wait to get the chuck....

[hughie]

Ya gotta love Redgum... it can look soooo good!
Nice forms too, HH. You should be happy with them.


ditto :2tsup:

[HappyHammer]

Skew, Yeah love the colour. I originally tried to make two the same but when I cut the three lines in the second one the redgum did something really strange. A kind of dent appeared on one side as the lines I'd cut almost completely closed up so I improvised and cut a different shape.

Very nice Rasmus what did you use to finish them?

HH.

[OGYT]

HH, spot on... form and finish. Love that letter opener. Was the timber green? Thot maybe that's what caused the lines to close.

[HappyHammer]

HH, spot on... form and finish. Love that letter opener. Was the timber green? Thot maybe that's what caused the lines to close.

Yeah could be Al the tree was cut down about a year to 18 months ago and this was an off-cut from the slabber that I scrounged.

HH.

[artme]

Happy, why shouldn't you get excited. Great stuph!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:
The best thing about wine stoppers is the stuph they stop!:D:D

Rasmus could you do just alittle less? it makes me cringe.:no:

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

In general, Redgum moves. A lot. Once it gets to around... oh... 100 years old it settles down, but until then...

If you measure the diameter now, next winter and then again next summer, methinks you'll find it ovals out quite a bit, comes back to round, then ovals out, then... Your choice of forms will go a long way to hiding this from the casual observer though. :2tsup:

This is partly why I turn so much of it: I like the challenge. :)

Rasmus, just a quick query: what glue did you use on the corks? I much prefer cork stoppers to the commercial ones (call me old-fashioned if you will) but I've never had much luck with making them. I either kill the corks while drilling or the cork falls apart after only a year or two of use... :B

[hughie]

I either kill the corks while drilling or the cork falls apart after only a year or two of use... :B
[/QUOTE]

Skew what do you use to drill the corks out? I use ,what is basically a piece of thin wall tube the right diameter. Sharpened with a longish bevel to the inside of the tube. Chuck it up in the drill and run at very low speed. It should cut a real neat round hole, perfectly round, no dags or fraying at all.

[killerbeast]

HappyHammer : sanded all directions to around 1000 and viped clean with turpentine let dry 10 minuts then Myland High Friction Polish...

Artme : Sorry... i am tapped by the evil vortex and have to turn on the lathe all the time ... cant promise i will behave..... so i shouldent post the scarfholders i designed ? hehe

SkewChiDAMN : i have used plain white carpenters glue. a danish brand thats flexible and for vet and dry. Have talked to the teacher at our club and she said that that was what gave the bedst and most lasting results.

Drilling ?? how do you make them.. I buy the predrilled corks at one of the local turning pushers at 4 DKR a pice. (1 aud) also one of the graybeards at the club said that the trixx with cork stoppers was to make the fit when you turned the dovel snug. it should not be to tight as the cork then would split in due to stress, but not to loose as it would then split from beeing worked into the wood.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Skew what do you use to drill the corks out? I use ,what is basically a piece of thin wall tube the right diameter. Sharpened with a longish bevel to the inside of the tube. Chuck it up in the drill and run at very low speed. It should cut a real neat round hole, perfectly round, no dags or fraying at all.

I've tried all sorts of things, with varying degrees of success. The one that works most reliably is to fit the cork into a predrilled board and then drilling with a 1/4" drill bit, then a 1/2" drill bit and finally bringing it to final size with a rat-tail file.

A laborious exercise, to say the least!

I like your idea... I'll definitely give it a go. And also see if filing a couple of "teeth" into it make any difference. I should've thought of it myself, as I often drill ceramics and glass with copper tube... :B


i have used plain white carpenters glue. a danish brand thats flexible and for vet and dry. Have talked to the teacher at our club and she said that that was what gave the bedst and most lasting results.

Hmmm... I guess that's equivalent to our Titebond III? I've been using epoxy, as although PVAs can be water resistant I wouldn't have thought 'em suitable for this. :shrug: Always worth a try... I can't do any worse than I have been!


I buy the predrilled corks at one of the local turning pushers at 4 DKR a pice. (1 aud) also one of the graybeards at the club said that the trixx with cork stoppers was to make the fit when you turned the dovel snug. it should not be to tight as the cork then would split in due to stress, but not to loose as it would then split from beeing worked into the wood.

You know, I've never thought to look for predrilled corks? :doh: I've often seen the plastic ones, as well as the rubber-ringed metal ones (like Happy Hammers) for sale and just assumed that was all there was.

Now that you mention it, I'll go hunting... but I'm hoping Hughie's method works 'cos then I can use the corks I have cluttering up my shelves... :D

[HappyHammer]

You know, I've never thought to look for predrilled corks? :doh: I've often seen the plastic ones, as well as the rubber-ringed metal ones (like Happy Hammers) for sale and just assumed that was all there was.
Hunt no more skew.....:U

http://cws-store.yahoostore.com.au/cgi/index.cgi/shopfront/view_product_details?category_id=1107144815&product_id=1107369437

HH.