865-213-2172 askwoodpops@gmail.com

Camphor Vase

Dec 24, 2009

SOLD

This Camphor vase came from a huge tree that was in Sheri and Doug’s front yard. They cut it down this fall and I got my pick of the wood. Wow! You should see what I have on my curing shelves. There will be a lot of pieces coming from this grand old camphor tree. Already this vase and the prayer box have been turned. My son Mitch has also turned a Chinese vase from this lot of camphor.

Anyone want to do some wood trading?

Oak Bowl with Bark Side

Dec 23, 2009

Piece #118 – Spalted Oak – 8.5″ dia x 4″ – Sold

This oak bowl is made from an Oak tree that was removed because of a worm infestation. Evidence is seen in the bottom of this piece. I also left part of the bark visible on the outside of this bowl. It all works together to make this a very interesting conversation piece. It would look great on your coffee table up at the cabin.

This bowl was a gift to our dear friends Barbra and Luther. It sets on an end table in their NC mountain top home.

Prayer Box

Prayer Box

Dec 23, 2009

Given as a Christmas present to a very dear friend.

This prayer box is made from camphor. It is about five inches in diameter and twelve inches tall. The lid separates just below the second gold ring. It took me four hours to turn the box and lid and about six times that to put on the finish.

I started with green wood. The camphor was cut into a blank and allowed to dry about two weeks. After the prayer box was turned I dried it using the microwave method. http://mgorrow.tripod.com/microwave.html After the microwave treatment I let it set for about a week.

To finish the prayer box I first applied Min Wax sanding sealer and let it dry. crackelThe next step was a coat of latex gloss black paint which I let dry overnight. The next day I brushed on a liberal amount of Behr Premium Crackle solution to the box and lid but not the spiral handle. I let this cure for about two hours. It dries clear. I then applied a very heavy coat of tan satin latex paint. Within minutes the tan paint started to crack and slide around on the gloss black paint. When it dries it looks like very old paint – cracking and peeling. A day later I covered the whole piece with Min Wax Spar polyurethane and let it dry another day.

spiralThe next step was to gild the spiral handle with fake gold making sure about 20% of the black paint went uncovered. I also gilded the four flat beads on the piece making sure to completely cover the black paint. The fake gold gild was left to dry overnight. The next day a liberal solution of warm water, Cupric Nitrate and Ammonium Chloride was applied to the fake gold leaf on the spiral handle only, not the four flat beads, through a thin layer of cheese cloth and tissue paper. The solution soaked tissue and cheese cloth was left on the fake gold leaf  for about 15 minutes to induce a chemical reaction and turn the fake gold leaf to an aged bronze patina. After gently removing the soggy tissue paper and cheese cloth I let the piece dry over night. Go to https://woodpops.com/gallery/greek-urn/ to see more details.

Now things really got crazy. On the lid and box I randomly brushed on gilders size making sure not to get it on the gold flat beads. I also did not cover about 50% of the tan and black  crackeled latex paint. When the gilders size tacked up I applied copper leaf foil and burnished it on with wax paper for a solid stick. When I was satisfied with the “look” of it all I set it aside to dry overnight. The next day I did that chemical patina thing again on the copper leaf using a solution of warm water and sodium sulfide applied to the copper leaf through the tissue and cheese cloth. I was careful not to get any chemical on the gold flat beads. After about five minutes I removed the chemical sodden tissue and cheese cloth. I let the piece dry overnight and the next day covered the whole prayer box with Min Wax Spar polyurethane.

The next step was very slight random burning with my wood burning iron: to give it more age and the look of hard use. I repeated the copper leaf foil and sodium sulfide treatment on the lid and box two more times varying the amount of time I let the chemical reaction work. This made the layers of copper leaf at different degrees of tarnishing. After each treatment I covered the piece with Min Wax Spar Polyuretehne. When I was satisfied with the completed finish I coverd it all one last time with Min Wax Satin Polyurethene.closeup

PS. After each coat of Min Wax Polyurethene dreid I lightly sanded the piece with 320 grit sandpaper.

I learned this finishing technique from David Marks at a class I took at Woodcraft.

Spalted Maple Vase

Sep 16, 2009

NFS

This beautiful Maple vase was born out of disaster! I was turning a larger vessel and my fingernail gouge caught hold of a knot edge. BAM! I had been working on this piece for a long time and had some time invested. After a few choice curse words and a respectable amount of lamenting I examined the pieces and this phoenix was born.

The spalted maple figure in this vase is quite striking. The base is 5 inches in diameter and the body is 8 inches tall. A really nice arrangement of ferns and peacock feathers compliment the vase.

This spalted maple vase makes a great home decoration and would be an unusual wedding gift or birthday gift. Not only is it one of a kind, but it is hand crafted by a future great American master – Me.

Poplar Gilded Canister

Sep 16, 2009

SOLD

This Poplar canister, or “BOX” as we wood turners call them, is an experiment in design and color.  The box is 9 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter. The walls are about 1/4 inch thick and the lid is a snug fit. The colors were produced by a multistage process and a variety of  art mediums.

The first step was sanding the finished piece with 80 through 220 grit 3M aluminum oxide sandpaper. Next I put on a coat of MINWAX sanding sealer and let dry for 24 hours. After a light sanding with 220 sandpaper I sprayed the piece with gloss red paint and let dry for 4 hours. I then sprayed on some very miner highlight streaks using gloss black acrylic paint. Upon complete curing I covered the box with MINWAX gloss polyurethane and let dry for about three days.

I had just finished a turning class with David Marks, sponsored by my local Woodcraft store and wanted to try David’s process of metal leaf gilding. I sized the piece with one hour size. Using David’s techniques I laid on copper and fake gold leaf leaving about 10% of my painted surface showing. I set the work aside for 24 hours to cure.

The next day I set my work table up outside and donned my hazardous material garb. Using David’s suggested chemicals and application supplies I produced different chemical reactions on the metal leaf resulting in the final colors on the box. I set it aside for about a week before I applied three finishing coats of MINWAX gloss polyurethane.

Spalted Oak Pot

Sep 16, 2009

sold

I wanted to turn a piece of green wood to see how it would move as it dried. When this blank of oak was just cut I wrapped it in shrink wrap so it would not check (crack). I let it cure in my garage for about 8 weeks. When I unwrapped it there was this black crust on the end grain and it was quite moist.

I scraped off the mold and mounted it on my lathe. I shaped and hollowed it in about three hours. The finished piece went straight from the lathe into a five gallon bucket of denatured alcohol for a 12 hour soaking. The next morning the piece was removed from its bath and placed on a drying wrack. After about two hours I wrapped the dried pot in three paper grocery bags and stuffed it into my closet.

A month later I removed the Spalted Oak Pot from the closet and finished it my usual way. From the time the piece was cut from the tree to the finished product was about 3 months. Although the pot did not check, it moved quite a bit. You can not see it from this picture but there is a significant bulge to one side making this Spalted Oak Pot quite striking in its shape and color. All in all I pronounced this technique a success.

Wormy Oak Lidded Vessel #123

Sep 16, 2009

Piece #123 – Turkey Oak – 6″ dia by 8″ tall – SOLD

This very unusual gourd looking vessel is part of my “Worm Hole” collection that came from the Turkey Oak tree I cut down in my back yard. (If you haven’t read that posting, you should; it’s quite funny.) The tree was infested with worms producing the holes you see in this vessel.

It is 8 inches tall and 6 inches in diameter with a loose fitting lid. The figure and color combined with the worm holes give this Oak Vessel an abundance of character.

This work of art would look great in a country kitchen decor. You could even keep your teabags stored inside. There is nothing as rich and warm as a great piece of wood properly displayed. I also love the feel of wood texture and can often be found in my shop rubbing my wood.