Koffee_Kosmo An update once again The handles soaked for 24 hours in the watered down sealer and then dried naturally in the sun AM had a hard time turning this timber as it shattered while being turned on the lathe. The timber was so old (over 100 years) You will notice some of these stress cracks on the photos below & the sealer soak has bound all the timber This treatment has made them light, strong and shatter proof The next stage was to sand lightly One unexpected consequence is that after the treatment the timber has lost its light red appearance and reverted to a wonderful walnut colour I have experimented with applying a natural red dye to one small handle and sanded it to see what it would look like I will also experiment with a blue & yellow dye at a later stage to see if I can create a unique finish I have taken some photos for you to see Large handles sanded ready to apply sealer or experiment >😃 The small steam/water knobs are 1 = Natural with a line of top coat 1 = Red dye sanded & a line of top coat With and without flash What looks best ? KK
derrilex Wow that interesting. The wife likes the brown and I tend to agree but both are tops. Cant wait to see the large ones
Lacehim It's too hard to choose KK. They both look great. :thumb: Wonderful handles! AM is a craftsman, he just doesn't give himself enough credit! Can't wait to see them on the machine! 8)
Koffee_Kosmo Update This is a photo of the half finished handle Its had approx 20 very thin coats of sealer with a soft fine sand very 5 coats The red tape is there to protect the copper ferule The coats will continue to be applied, until I see a 3D or deep luster look even if it takes 100 coats to do it KK
Koffee_Kosmo Yes AM I had more cracks appear and it was a chore to fill each one as they surfaced At one stage if not acted upon quickly I may have lost a chunk (especially the right hand one) The camera & flash however does bring out features that to the naked eye are not that dramatic Only time will tell as for now they are holding together Its not your fault its the timber I am passing a timber merchant tomorrow and may stop in to see if they have anything unique KK
Hatchy KK What's the 'sealer' that you're using. Perhaps it's actually causing the cracks by soaking the handles in it - sucking the oils out perhaps. I'm not sure what look you're going for, but a lightly oiled finish would allow a nice wear patina to build over time. Maybe something to think about for next time though. There's also a number of finishes that can be applied on the lathe itself, and you'll get that super gloss that I think you might be chasing.
Koffee_Kosmo Hatchy wrote: KK What's the 'sealer' that you're using. Perhaps it's actually causing the cracks by soaking the handles in it - sucking the oils out perhaps. I'm not sure what look you're going for, but a lightly oiled finish would allow a nice wear patina to build over time. Maybe something to think about for next time though. There's also a number of finishes that can be applied on the lathe itself, and you'll get that super gloss that I think you might be chasing. The cracks were there - at the start, during turning and after finishing As the handles were exposed to the atmosphere (prior to applying sealer) they started to show stress fractures The sealer is a water based sealer I use in my job when I seal timber floors ect - and it halted this self destruction after a soaking bath Then I proceeded to seal the larger cracks over and over until they were filled and level with the timber Then I sanded the handles all even Applied 20 fine coats with a sand every 5 coats Note these coats are very fine as the sealer is of water consistency and cant be put on thick as its self levelling on floor surfaces and is quick dry @ approx 20 min KK
Hatchy Sounds like you know what youre doing. Ive got some Eee, i can give you enough for a handle if you want to try it for the next one you make. Applied on the lathe. http://www.ubeaut.com.au/eee.htm
Koffee_Kosmo Derrilex kindly dropped off some more timber to be used as handles & knobs He thinks its - Sydney Blue Gum Or another that species I forgot what he said :doh: Here are a couple of photos taken on the IPad AM you know I hate to impose - But I was told that you love this more than your real job 😉 KK
derrilex Slight correction on timber type. I'm pretty sure its spotty gum but a slight chance of blackbutt also. Very heavy for the size of the blanks with a nice tight grain. See what happens. Release the wolf.
derrilex Some pics of KK's timber. I'm really struggling to get a confirmed ID, but looking at images on the net it appears either spotty gum, turpentine, string bark or blackbutt - all of which were readily available in QLD at the time that the donor house was built.
Koffee_Kosmo I agree its very heavy timber for the size So it may be very dense like a hardwood or similar KK
derrilex Definitely aussie hardwood from the east coast. I'll take a sample to my timber supplier and see what he reckons
UNM Koffee Kosmo wrote: I agree its very heavy timber for the size So it may be very dense like a hardwood or similar KK Just to be pedantic (who me?), density of timber is not necessarily an indication if It is hardwood or not. Balsa is a hardwood. It probably is though.
derrilex Do I have any volunteers for the tried and proven "wolloping of forehead" hardness test ? ??? :rofl:
