MY blistered Maple

Still learning to do hollow forms. I am using the Kobra system. This piece is 3 X 5 1/2. Finish is one coat of Colonial Maple stain sanded back to bring out the lighter aspects, one coat of natural Watco then Beall buffed. I am not happy with the finish and am planning to remove the wax and apply Waterlox. Any critique is welcome.

Terry

blisters!!!!

that sure is some unique figure there.. terry what dont you like on the finish? the blisters show up well.nice hollow form

Larry

The figure shows nicely but it doesn't "pop". There also very fine scratches from the Beall buffing. I have a rake and every time I use it I clean the buffs and apply fresh compound. I have tried light pressure and heavy pressure, slow speed and high speed. I can't seem to buff without scratches.

Terry

Love the wood!

Man, where do I get ahold of that stuff! That's awesome! Good work, and nice form.

About the finish, how much sanding do you do after the first couple coats? I am just now working on refining my finishing technique. I sand my bowls to 320, sometimes turning up the speed for this last grit in order to burnish the wood slightly. After I build up the finish with 3 to 6 coats I sand heavily with 400 and 600 grit. Then I apply a final coat that's almost completely wiped away after application. When I take it to the tripoli wheel I have been able to remove all 600 grit scratches, but any left from the 400 seem to be tough to get out. I am still learning, but this finishing techinique has been working great so far.

Hutch

P.S. BTW, I have been using gloss General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. No sanding sealer necessary, and you can give it a matte finish or high gloss. Also, this method goes through quite a bit of fine grit abrasives, but it's worth it.

I'm in the middle of a book on the history of space flight, so my first thought upon seeing the HF was "Wow - a cratered moonscape in wood!"

Pretty cool.

Great looking piece Terry with some awesome wood. Not sure about your scratches. I don't sand my last two coats. I use a synthetic pad for those. I do the same for lacquer or poly.

NOT a turner!!!!

but somewhere i read about the turners using saw dust to get a partial finish

Looks good from where I'm sitting, Terry.

I haven't rough turned any more of the blister maple I've got, but I'll probably be doing something with it before too long.

Nice looking form Terry! That's really some amazing wood you have there! Finish looks fine in the photos - but if you do decide to redo everything please be sure to update this thread as I am sure we would all like to see this piece again!

I've used sawdust/shavings on pens as a burnishing method for several years. I do a shear cut with a fresh edge, hit it with some 4-0 steel wool and a 1k polishing pad then grab a handful of shavings from the vaccum and cup my hand underneth the blank. A little Mylands and Renaissance Wax and that be that.

I am not sure how waterlox will improve that finish unless it will give more depth to the figure but in the picture it is hard to see how. Beautiful wood, Terry and your choice of form to display it is excellent. I don't think any of the pieces I have will show that much figure in the size objects I have planned. I am still drying my pieces.

Shouldn't be too much longer. I think I will beat Santa but not by much....