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The common name Dead Finish is also given to ARCHIDENDROPSIS basaltica AKA Red Lancewood the timber shown by Brad found in Qld.
THis one is so dark I even tried a small powerful torch (pic no 4). No change in detail. Nevermind it is another tough country timber so named Dead Finish if you see dead trees of this the saying stuck it indicates dire circumstances indeed.
Hence Brad my reluctance to use comparisons etc recently and you said go ahead.
Kind regards Peter.:2tsup::2tsup:
Good one, Peter - great turning (again) but I can't believe how dark it is. Is it finished in Kiwi (as in boot polish)? The variation in colours (and grain) in the same timbers is fascinating, and my excuse for never knowing what species they are. From now on I think I'll label all of my timber Dwiibili (Dunno What It Is But I Like It)! :D
Cheers, Gary
Fair call Gary with the pen in hand now and the use of a small torch the timber is brown with dark to black streaks in it. Dense and typical tough country timber it is. As soon as I gave it my usual one coat of CA it went highly reflective and only in sunlight easy to see the true timber.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary H
One time I used to get an African mate who used to import timber objects from a family tribe in deepest Africa and I coveted the big spoons made from Black Palm that I cut up for pens (this so many years ago before it became known much). Also another African who imported Ebony objects,the tribe in his area used Kiwi Boot Polish,lots of it as a finish and also to disguise deep brown Ebony to the public. Another mate of mine when he lived in Ebony country (his family were Indian settlers way back who initially came there as Railway workers) he dabbled in Ebony Walking Sticks,one trip visiting his family he bought and brought back a Walking Stick,One piece of Pure Black Ebony. I am a bit wobbly now I call myself a frequent flier so the time has arrived to use a stick. I use a dissability scooter,keep one in the boot of the vehicle, it saves the falls and the pain involved in walking further than 40 metres.
I agree in common with most everyone I have great difficulty in portraying deep timbers, not for the first time it used to be expected to have the brides dress in detail together with the black suit of the groom. I nearly went mental photographing indiginous people from New Guinea and Australia. please anyone HELP in this regard.
Peter.
Reposting as I meant for it to go here...
Its great to inspire each other and help each other. You have been a great inspiration to many Peter by example and help. My help is mostly limited to wood information (ID, properties, sources etc).
Thanks for you phone call Peter (we spoke for over 35 mins)! It was great to exchange a couple of stories of each other and of wood. As mentioned, and only to clarify NOT critisise, I attach a pic of Acacia tetragonophylla wood (ex Eastern states, even though it grows in WA and is called Kurara). It's wood like other desert Acacias is dense and very hard BUT in this case the wood is not dark more mid red brown. I attach a pic below from an authentic block. Its only a shrub. I will bring some to Canberra when I attend the IWCS event and look forward to meeting you there. :)
With best regards,
Euge
Attachment 451598
Acacia tetragonphylla (meaning 4 sided phyllode), also call Dead Finish, Kurara in WA ) Wood is shown above, is red brown even when finished
The only thing I can add here is a couple if shots of stuff I have been told (from reputable sources) are dead finish. I'm not sure of the species exactly....
I know I can't wait to actually be inspired to cut the log up one day as I reckon, judging by the sapwood, it'll be hiding some beautiful figure....
Anyways...
I did spash some water on here before the shots
Attachment 451613
Attachment 451612
Judging by the purplish pink colour & size of log it is likely the other ie Archidendropsis basaltic also (better called) red lancewood as Peter mentions above & also see Ironwoods posts.
Thats is a problem with common names applied to multiple species
Another beaut pen Peter, you are really on a roll.
The ‘Dead Finish ‘ that I have cut up and shown recently, is definitely Archidendropsis basaltica, as mentioned.
Euge a rough pic before I turned this pen,blanks on top of pic.
Peter.Attachment 451766
Thanks Peter, I still don't think the wood that was used to make the pen in your first post is Acacia tetragonophylla.
The wood of this species is simply not a very dark brown as shown... its a mid red as my pic shows. I've cut and seen it many times. I guess it may have been misidentified or misl-abelled, I don't know the source. That from WA (Karara) is also a mid red brown (raw or finished) from my experience. So I don't think the species changes depending on state where it grows.
Had a look at our IWCS publication by Morris Lake and see Dead Finish is applied to Aust growing species Acacia carneorum (purple wood), to Acacia farnesiana (also has a paler pink-brown to reddish-brown wood), Archidendropsis basaltica and a eucalypt are possibilities for DF but wood is neither of these. These dont provide any alternatives for what I see in your pen. It is likely wood of another inland acacia.
Sorry I cant provide any alternative name based on that common name or its appearance from photograhs. That's as helpful as I can be.
Cheers, Euge
Euge
Very good looking pen and such a dark timber. It looks as though there are some light flecks too, but that may be the difficulty you had with the photography: Not meant as a criticism at all as I am one of the world's worst with pix.
Just on the subject of Dead Finish, I think that the name may be used for a number of different timbers and as such it is a "local" name. Black Wattle is another timber that comes to mind that suffers a shared name. I think Dai Sensei may have identified some of the species associated with these names in a thread some time ago. I am confident he did it with Black Wattle, but my memory fails me on Dead Finish.
These are some shoulder planes made by HNT Gordon and are made from Dead Finish. I think they were a special order with the timber supplied by the original buyer as I purchased them secondhand.
Attachment 451772Attachment 451773Attachment 451774Attachment 451775
Clearly a very different wood to your pen.
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul, thanks for your comments and pics.
Those are not my pens nor my wood, nor my identity, they are Peters Pens and id provided by someone else to the pens not me.
I was only offering what I know about Acacia tetagonophylla (based on its wood colour, as thats all we can see). An authentic sample which I have is clearly different to that wood in the pen in colour. The other species applied to "DEAD FINISH" have been offered and discussed.
The woods on the HNT planes to me look like Archidendropsis baslatica (which is pale as well as darker tones of red-pink-purple). The pens are clearly none on the species / options for Dead finish. Black wattle is applied to a few species but have not seen dead finish as an alternative, but it may be.
My Point? Wood identity is important as much as a signature or label on a car or a pice of equipment. The onus is on wood suppliers to do their best to get it right. A proper woo ID part of its source, its identity its history its properties. As a member of IWCS our pledge is always to make an effort to provide and ensure proper identification and we buy sell exchange reference samples for that purpose ... that's what I have been trying to do here, help with id..
However here one can only say what the wood is NOT, rather than what it is... in my view it is none of the 5 species called commonly called "Dead Finish"
Just trying to be helpful, nothing more. I praise Peter for his turning skills.
Euge