A Few Quick and Dirties

Vaughn McMillan

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I spent the last couple weeks before the Malibu show getting my stock of small, inexpensive pieces built up. Here are three magnetic paper clip bowls I finished up last week. After shaping the outside, I remove most of the inside with a Forstner bit, then enlarge it with hollowing tools. (The Ci1 carbide cutter is excellent for this, either freehand or in the Monster rig.) I leave the walls thick for weight, but get rid of the hole from the point of the drill bit and round the bottom corners of the inside. All of them have what I'd consider a gallery-quality buffed lacquer finish. After working on bigger things for the last while, these were a breeze to finish.

Dye and limed ash, too glossy to get a good profile pic:

June 2010 Paper Clip Bowls - 01  800.jpg June 2010 Paper Clip Bowls - 02  800.jpg

Carob:

June 2010 Paper Clip Bowls - 03  800.jpg June 2010 Paper Clip Bowls - 04  800.jpg

Curly maple with black, red, and honey amber dye:

June 2010 Paper Clip Bowls - 05  800.jpg June 2010 Paper Clip Bowls - 06  800.jpg

These are comparable to making low-end pens in terms of time and cost, but a bit more flexible in regards to size and form.

Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome...
 
Good job on all them and im sure they will sell well.................
Question - can you explain in more detail how you did your finishes ?

I always like to hear about how others are applying their finishes..............thanks Dan
 
...Question - can you explain in more detail how you did your finishes ?...

Pretty simple and basic. ;) The dyed ones got four or five coats of spraycan lacquer, hand-rubbed between every couple coats with white synthetic steel wool to remove the dust nibs, then buffed with Don Pencil's PL compound, followed by a thin coat of Renaissance wax, buffed off with a clean wheel. The carob piece got the same routine, except it got a coat of Formby's Tung Oil finish before the lacquer. (And I let the Formby's cure a few days before I hit it with the lacquer.)
 
Vaughn I just never get tired of seeing your great work. :thumb: You got the word "form" down pat. No doubt there is an artist designer in you.:) I can never choose only one. Like a kid in a Candy store.:thumb:
 
...Where did you get the rings?

I found them at Craft Supplies. They have two kinds - these, and some smaller ones that are a lot less expensive, but also much smaller and less powerful. The little ones aren't worth the cost of shipping, IMHO. The big ones, on the other hand, are very strong. You don't want to get two of them stuck together. DAMHIKT. :doh:
 
You knew I was going to ask this:huh::huh:... on the dye, which was 1st, 2nd, and how far did you sand down before the next color? Black, red and yellow is on the way :thumb::thumb:
 
You knew I was going to ask this:huh::huh:... on the dye, which was 1st, 2nd, and how far did you sand down before the next color? Black, red and yellow is on the way :thumb::thumb:

Jim, I did the black first, sanding it down (using 320 grit, as I recall) to where it barely showed in a few places. Then I did the red, sanded some more, leaving a bit more red than I did the black, then the honey amber yellow. I think I might have even sanded that down a bit, but I don't remember. As far as I can tell, the main thing is to apply the colors from dark to light, and the sanding is just sort of guesswork and experimentation.
 
All are great looking pieces. Where is it written that just because something is a small utilitarian object that it can't be done well and treasured by its owner.

I think we lose sight of the fact that there are people out there who cannot afford the big bowls and hollowforms who would like to have a small piece of wood art. These objects demonstrate that perfectly. Someone will treasure them.

I love the limed bowl. I really enjoy liming pieces once in a while myself.
 
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