Brains Trust

[3RU]

Folks,

Figured it was time for a change from pens today and decided to have a go at a pepper grinder. Quick check through the redgum collection, selected what looked like a nice piece and away we went. All was going nicely until I came across a sap vein. "Hmm thats a bit different but still looks OK maybe we should keep going" and here we have it. The vein appears in 3 places, knob, top ring and body. The body looks OK but but the top two are a pest

So, here is my question, what should I do??
Options
1. Just leave it, but eventually the dry sap will fall out leaving a hole or
2. Fill it, but what with, initial thought 5 min araldite which dries clear and might look OK - Or ??

Once I sort this out I plan to finish it with High Speed finishing Organ Oil or UBeaut Wax....

Dave

[gawdelpus]

Lookin good there :) if the sap is dry you can try stabalising with thin CA ,if room to use some filler ,dried percolated coffee grounds poked into the spaces and then thin CA to make it solid ,I did one of these a while back and found a big hole full of red sticky sap, had to get it all cleaned out , then I made a wall of plasticene around the area and cast it with red colored epoxy .looked good in the end and was sold , features can make a difference hehe. Cheers ~ John

[3RU]

Thanks for the coffee tip John, I read that somewhere before and a reminder is always helpful. The sap is dry and falling out now and I would like to keep that look and seal over clear rather than a brown skidmark (Hi). Maybe I should zip out to the shed and fill with CA now and leave it. Can you tell me about the epoxy you used. Did you use 5 min araldite??

[gawdelpus]

Thanks for the coffee tip John, I read that somewhere before and a reminder is always helpful. The sap is dry and falling out now and I would like to keep that look and seal over clear rather than a brown skidmark (Hi). Maybe I should zip out to the shed and fill with CA now and leave it. Can you tell me about the epoxy you used. Did you use 5 min araldite??

definately pour some thin CA in as it will penetrate and percolate into the depths very nicely ,that way if the flaw goes further than you think (into the final drilled hole for instance ) you will have it sealed already, the araldite is fine but much thicker and may only fill the surface area ,so the CA is good,you don't want any shrinkage after turning and finishing , If you do use CA let it go hard properly about a day for thick CA, Seems you know what you are looking for ,so a clear polished window in the wood will be nice :)

[dj_pnevans]

Dig the sap out and fill it with colour resin.
David

[3RU]

Thanks for your feedback and I took your advice John and filled it. I left the dry material in place and stabalised with CA glue then filled with clear araldite. Yes the vein did run through to the centre but drilled nicely glue and all

No too easy to see in the photograph but the epoxy gives a window like appearance into the wood which is different but I should have kept going with the CA for a clearer finish.

[gawdelpus]

Looks good to me ,charge extra for the added feature :) . What finish did you end up using , I usually do a triple E after sanding ,then several coats of "Glow" allowing time to dry out between coats and harden up a bit. Gives a natural feel and seems to last pretty well :) cheers ~ John :2tsup::2tsup:

[3RU]

Thanks John,
I like the charge extra idea but I usually give them away. 60th birthdays have been popular lately.

I have been turning pepper grinders, almost exclusively old fencepost redgum, for a number of years and have tried lots of finishes. Early days I used Organoil and it is still one of my favourites but I just cant seem to get that real shine.

I started this one with EEE and it looked good but was a bit light in colour, I like dark redgum. So sanded it back and was thinking Organoil but figured any remaining wax might be problematic, so rubbed on some Hut Wax. That gave it a darker appearance, then followed through with a couple of coates of EEE. Thats the finish.

My original pepper grinder is in daily use around the house and it was finished with Organoil hard burnishing oil. Not sure I knew what to do with it at the time and it sure got a soaking, but now, years later it looks fantastic, really dark, good grain and luvely shine. Maybe the skin oil has produced the effect. I will take a pix and add it to the post. Dave

[RETIRED]

I started this one with EEE and it looked good but was a bit light in colour, I like dark redgum. So sanded it back and was thinking Organoil but figured any remaining wax might be problematic, so rubbed on some Hut Wax. That gave it a darker appearance, then followed through with a couple of coates of EEE. Thats the finish.EEE is an abrasive, not a finish.

[3RU]

Fair call ,
Same pot different product. I actually used Traditional Wax.