Thread: green turning

So if the moisure cannot escape, the bowl will always remain green, and you will never be able to progress beyond the rough turned stage.......

Strange thing to do?

Originally Posted by Stuart.

So if the moisure cannot escape, the bowl will always remain green, and you will never be able to progress beyond the rough turned stage.......

Strange thing to do?

Only if he uses green enamel, if he uses red enamel it remains red, or blue or whatever but all the same, it will remain WET on the inside.

How many years do you let it sit in this painted state before you can finish the turning? I can see where the painted surface will allow the moisture to exude itself slowly over time and this will retard any cracking but how much time does it take? And, where is the advantage.

Dang - I should have thought about the colour!

i turn to a finished size and shape scrape sand and sp'ray with a glear gloss enamel varnish. all done finished and ready for sale

i turn to a finished size and shape scrape sand and sp'ray with a glear gloss enamel varnish. all done finished and ready for sale

Hmmm, but still green 'neath, long term it could be prone to rot due to mositure content being to high... a bit like fibre glassing wood all over.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

i turn to a finished size and shape scrape sand and sp'ray with a glear gloss enamel varnish. all done finished and ready for sale

Ouch!:eek: - if the coating gets scratched or damaged, wouldn't that area dry quickly, shrink in that area and cause cracking !!!:eek:

Originally Posted by hughie

Hmmm, but still green 'neath, long term it could be prone to rot due to mositure content being to high... a bit like fibre glassing wood all over.

Originally Posted by TTIT

Ouch!:eek: - if the coating gets scratched or damaged, wouldn't that area dry quickly, shrink in that area and cause cracking !!!:eek:

I knew there would be good reasons why selling work produced that way to customers would not be recommended, but I couldn't frame my arguement as to why. Had an idea that down track the bowl would crack leaving an irate customer, but missed the other - even if it didn't, the rot could make for....an irate customer.

No such thing as a shortcut.

My one was more along the lines of comparing an item finished with a quality finish, such as a shellac or wax, with one finished :eek: with enamel :shudder: (and then sold )

Originally Posted by Stuart.

I knew there would be good reasons why selling work produced that way to customers would not be recommended, but I couldn't frame my arguement as to why.

Ditto. Apart from saying "I don't like the feel of the finish" and that's not exactly a convincing argument.

Also, now that I think on it, wherever there's sufficient moisture there's always the chance of bacterial growth.

:shudder: again.

It will dry out and move. What happens will depend on the species. Some species (mango, white cedar, pine et al) will decay from the inside if not cut and seasoned. Rubbish??? What happens to painted timber doors and casements in wet, damp and humid weather? They expand and bind, and when the atmosphere dries out the doors and windows shrink back. Timber never stops moving. Whether it will decay or not is a species problem. Some species, particularly the heavy, dense species may not move very much. But then if you paint the bowls, why make them from green wood? Surely laminated plywood of mdf would be a better choice of medium????
Jim

Hmmm... regardless of what anyone may say, "sealing" is a bit of a misnomer. Nothing applied in thin coats as a finish really "seals" the wood, unless you're talking about so many coats that it may as well have been dipped in a vat of resin. Given time and care, weisyboy's painted pieces will cure as well as with any other finish.

I'll put my hand up and admit that I've used gloss enamel as an end-grain sealer when lopping trees and running out of anything more suitable. Like, when I've run out of my expensive stuff and already used all the PVA glue I have to hand. After all, anything is better than nothing on freshly cut end-grain and if you're particularly fussy you can always retrim/reseal once back in the comfort of your own shop.

Hell, I've even used bitumen, acrylic paint and, once, several layers of gladwrap then a blow-torch. Similarly, I've also used a variety of paints (amongst other things) to seal green rough-turned blanks until they've cured. For exactly the same reasons.

I think that what irks me about his method is that I don't think I've ever parted with any turned piece when I know the wood is still green. No matter what it's finished with, 'cos to me it's not finished until it's finished. And that includes drying. [shrug] I guess it's my sense of... professionalism? pride in my work? aesthetics?

Dunno. Something about it just doesn't feel right.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

and, once, several layers of gladwrap then a blow-torch.

Did that actually work :eek::confused:

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

I think that what irks me about his method is that I don't think I've ever parted with any turned piece when I know the wood is still green. No matter what it's finished with, 'cos to me it's not finished until it's finished. And that includes drying. [shrug] I guess it's my sense of... professionalism? pride in my work? aesthetics?

Dunno. Something about it just doesn't feel right.

Ditto on that one!

Originally Posted by TTIT

Did that actually work :eek::confused:

I believe so. 'Twas at the end of a long day spent felling, sealing & loading citruses, so I'd run out of everything except 2-stroke. Patience & energy were in especially short supply. About to leave, the bloke pointed to a spindly old (and I do mean OLD) Cherry tree and asked "Before you go, could could knock that over? It's pretty rotten so we'll burn it."

:eek: There ensued a frantic 10 mins while I rattled through all my sealer tins, looking for something... Cherry really, really needs to be sealed as soon as it's cut. Didn't want to travel back the next day, so I improvised. Didn't melt the gladwrap, just heated it enough that I could mould it into the endgrain without poking lotsa holes.

Of course, back at the shop, it came off and decent sealer went on ASAP. No sign of cracks. Well... not until later, but that's another story and I doubt the clingwrap had anything to do with it.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

with all this talk of drying rough turned bowls i joust spray mine with a gloss enamel all over 2 or 3 coats and then when that drys there is a hard coat over the outside of the bowl and it cannot crack or warp as the moisture cannot escape.

OK, so you are a rough as guts turner with no ethics or conscience whatsoever......