My first Burl and eccentric turning

[efgee88]

Hi All,
A while ago I posted a question about some burls I got from the inlaws' farm and how long I should leave them to dry out. Well I decided to try one of the smaller burls and made this little vase. These burls were cut in december 08 and it was already rock hard now. I spent nearly as much time on the grinder as on the lathe! Interestingly, as I was turning up the shape, little cracks would appear after some time so I guess shrinkage was still occuring. Should I have filled these cracks, and if so with what?

The letter opener was a little experiment with seeing what happens when you turn a piece half way and then move the centre on the tailstock or headstock (can't remember which). The interface between the two was very odd and very unpredictable to me. In the end I just cleaned it up square.

This turning caper is still new to me so I like to try these things out. I'm also still experimenting with finishing oil/lacquer combinations.....which reminds me, why has my Danish oil suddenly turned to jelly and is there a recommended thinner to reconstitute it to its original state? - or is it now destined for the bin.

I'm now having a go at Salt & Pepper shakers in walnut. I was pleasantly surprised to see some spalting in the timber once I removed the bark from the stick of wood. I'll be using the Crushgrind mechanisms and I'll post the end result if I'm satisfied with it. Oh boy, its not easy making them both the same size and profile!

Cheers,

FrankG.

[poulso]

Nice vase,I like the colours :2tsup:

[artme]

Nifty little vase. It shows the nature of the burl very well. Well done on the knife too.:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[Ed Reiss]

Nice turnings Frank:2tsup:

For small checks and fissures, thick CA will do the job....for larger cracks and knot holes I like to use polyester resin (tinted) to fill them.

As far as the DO is concerned, air is the cause of it thickening up to a jelly state. To avoid this in future, squeeze the metal can until the oil reaches the top of the pour spout, cap it and your good to go. To my knowledge, I don't think you'll be able to re-constitute the already ruined product.

BTW...the letter opener is neat, but don't try going through airport security with it !!!!!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Nice litle vase!


which reminds me, why has my Danish oil suddenly turned to jelly and is there a recommended thinner to reconstitute it to its original state? - or is it now destined for the bin.

Bin it. It can be semi-reconstituted, but will always have annoying lumps and will never be as good as a fresh batch..

Why? Would I be correct in guessing that the tin was only about 1/3 full? There comes a point when there's enough air in the tin for the remaining solvents to evaporate and the DO to gel.

I used to fill my tin with glass marbles as I used it, but as I began to use DO more often I bought in bigger & bigger tins, until it got to the stage I was straining to lift a half-empty tin for the weight of the marbles.

(And then I didn't replace the lid one day and had the stress of trying to recover my marbles from a mass of jelly encased in tin. :-)

[Edit: beaten by Ed. And he made a good point about CA...]

[Grumpy John]

Would something like this (http://www.2spi.com/catalog/photo/air-evac.shtml) work for storing DO?

[Rum Pig]

Looks good to me:2tsup:

[Paul39]

There are supposedly environmentally friendly cans of compressed gas that does not contain oxygen. Office supply places have them. A squirt of this in the DO container before capping for the night will displace the oxygen. Propane works too. It is used in spray paint cans as a propellant.

You could also break down larger containers into small high density plastic bottles.

If you normally buy a quart, get a 16 oz., an 8 oz., and 2 4 oz. bottles. When you bring the new batch home, immediately break out into the small bottles, filling right up to the top. Or just get a bunch of the small bottles of a size that you would use before it congealed and fill them as soon as you open a new batch.

I like free, baby food jars, olive jars, etc. Look around in your food market and find things that you like in the right size bottle or jar. A little bigger opening lets you pour without using a funnel.

VERY nice vase!!

[rsser]

Yeah, once it's jelly it's cactus.

On the other hand if there are just some bits of jelly you'll get a bit more mileage out of it by straining it through a stocking (pref with the missus out of it but you never know ... ) and then adding some White Spirits to thin it a bit.

As for checks, to add to Ed's advice: squirt some $2 shop CA in first, then use coarse paper with the piece spinning to push sanding dust into them. One at a time. Cover your ways and stand aside as the CA will likely fling out a bit.

That may take several goes. Beyond that, use epoxy tinted with coffee grounds or else dust from the piece.

Burls will are likely to check when stresses are relieved and heat from friction builds up.

[ElizaLeahy]

The little vase is very pretty! Lovely shape and the wood is amazing. Good luck with the cracks.

The letter opener!!!!!! Love it! Looks vicious :)

[efgee88]

On the other hand if there are just some bits of jelly you'll get a bit more mileage out of it by straining it through a stocking (pref with the missus out of it but you never know ... ) and then adding some White Spirits to thin it a bit.

Thanks Ern,
It is obvious to me now that a man with your experience has done it all - and here I was thinking you'd have the spirits before the jelly!

As for CA, whatever turns you on.... as for me I haven't a clue what CA is - maybe you could enlighten an innocent like me?

Cheers,

FrankG

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

CA = CyanoAcrylate glue = superglue.

For sealing cracks, etc. the cheap 6-pacs from a $2 shop will do. I'm pretty sure I'm single-handedly keeping our local $2 shop from bankruptcy during these times of economic crisis. :rolleyes:

If you want to use it as a finish, as do pen turners, then you should buy the more expensive good quality stuff.


On the other hand if there are just some bits of jelly you'll get a bit more mileage out of it by straining it through a stocking (pref with the missus out of it but you never know ... ) and then adding some White Spirits to thin it a bit.

I'll admit that there've been times when I've realised my DO has gel'd so I simply wrapped my finger in the cloth, splooged it around in the tin and then applied the gel as a friction finish. :-

Not as good a finish as Shellawax, but it did the job. (Obviously not for jobs I care greatly about though; just quick knockoffs of tops for kids hanging around the lathe, etc.)

[efgee88]

Why? Would I be correct in guessing that the tin was only about 1/3 full? There comes a point when there's enough air in the tin for the remaining solvents to evaporate and the DO to gel.

I used to fill my tin with glass marbles as I used it, but as I began to use DO more often I bought in bigger & bigger tins, until it got to the stage I was straining to lift a half-empty tin for the weight of the marbles.

(And then I didn't replace the lid one day and had the stress of trying to recover my marbles from a mass of jelly encased in tin. :-)



I lost my marbles a long time ago!
You're right though Skew, the tin was about 2/3 empty. I always thought Danish Oil was like Skandinavian Teak Oil, which lived in my shed for 25 years no problems - come to think of it its still there! I used to finish my timberwork with 2 coats of matt estapol and then rub SkTO into the dry surface with steel wool. It created a beautiful satin finish which was very durable and still revealed the texture of the wood.

Cheers,

FrankG

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

100% Tung Oil is like that, but DO has metallic driers added to help it set.

That's the main advantage of DO over Tung (or Scandinavian) Oil - you don't have to wait years between each coat, while getting essentially the same finish. Of course, it introduced the problem you've just encountered...

[Grumpy John]

I repeat!!!!!!!!!


Would something like this (http://www.2spi.com/catalog/photo/air-evac.shtml) work for storing DO?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I repeat!!!!!!!!!

Grumpy ol' fart. [mutter, mutter, mumble]

To put Rum_Pigs answer more concisely: yes!

:D:p

[rsser]

Every time you slop some out of the container some oxygen's gunna get in the mix so you can only slow the jellification (warning, neologism) but not stop it.

FWIW if Organoil is still around their DO is not sposed to go off in the can. That doesn't make up for it's finishing properties IMO.

[efgee88]

I repeat!!!!!!!!!

Sorry Grumpy,

I did look at your link and lo and behold I used to use those photo chemical bottles, but I recall they were fairly big, ie 1lit plus. I'm wondering whether the chemicals in DO would eat the plastic? Thanks for the link.
Be happy!,

Cheers
FrankG

[efgee88]

100% Tung Oil is like that, but DO has metallic driers added to help it set.

That's the main advantage of DO over Tung (or Scandinavian) Oil - you don't have to wait years between each coat, while getting essentially the same finish. Of course, it introduced the problem you've just encountered...

OK Skew,

I've mentioned this before and got shot down in flames, but ....
I've been using a tin of Incralac (lacquer for brass) which is very thin, in the following way with good results:
1. sand to fine finish
2. apply plenty of Incralac with cloth on object while turning on lathe (this stuff dries in abt 3 miliseconds - and smells pretty good too, hic!)
3. resand with 400 grit
5. polish using DO or SkTO

Both the above examples were finished this way. I reckon the Incralac penetrates the timber as it is very thin and then hardens like lacquer. Fine sanding removes any raised fibres - it works for me!

Cheers,

FrankG
3.

[Grumpy John]

Looks good to me:2tsup:


Grumpy ol' fart. [mutter, mutter, mumble]

To put Rum_Pigs answer more concisely: yes!

:D:p

Sorry Skew, I assumed Rum Pig's :2tsup: was in response to efgee88's turning skills. Silly me :rolleyes:.

[Grumpy John]

FWIW if Organoil is still around their DO is not sposed to go off in the can. That doesn't make up for it's finishing properties IMO.

Bunnies @ Cranny sold off their last can of Organoil DO on Monday, 4 Litre can for $5.00. No, I was too slow, some bugga in the paint dept. snaffled it up :((:~:((:~:((:~.

[RETIRED]

Sorry Skew, I assumed Rum Pig's :2tsup: was in response to efgee88's turning skills. Silly me :rolleyes:.So you should be.:D:slap:

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Sorry Skew, I assumed Rum Pig's :2tsup: was in response to efgee88's turning skills. Silly me :rolleyes:.

:doh: I didn't think of that...


Bunnies @ Cranny sold off their last can of Organoil DO on Monday, 4 Litre can for $5.00. No, I was too slow, some bugga in the paint dept. snaffled it up :((:~:((:~:((:~.

Don't worry. Some you win, some you lose. IMHO, you won this one! That's $5 towards a tin of Rustin's instead. :wink::D

[rsser]

Yep. Organoil gives a flat finish and takes longer to dry than Rustins or FW Scandinavian.