This bowl is made from Bradford Pear. The tree was severely damaged in January 2014 from heavy snow. Our neighbor in Mallard Point had to cut it down and gave me several large pieces. (Georgetown KY)
The calcite circle on the rim was cut into the bowl 5/16 inch deep while turning on the lathe. Black calcite was inlaid into the rim. The ring was sanded through 4000 grit sand paper then buffed with tripoli and white diamond polishing paste. The finish on the bowl is Boiled Linseed oil. Several days after that cured I polish the bowl with the Beal buffing system.
I finally finished this piece and it is astonishing. I think my sweet wife is going to exercise her spousal right of first dibs and claim this for herself. Do you blame her?
She loves this bowl. It sat on our dinning room table for about a month and then someone bought it at our Tallahassee Art show. Now she wants me to make her a new one. I’ll get right on it.
The red design on the rim is inlaid calcite and howlite mineral. While the bowl is still on the lathe I cut 3/8″ deep square bottom groove in the rim. Remove it from the lathe and hand place the minerals in the groove. When it is full and pleasing to the eye I carefully squirt very thin CA glue in the groove until it is full up to the edge, without running over. Let that all cure for about three days. Put it back on the lathe and sand the top of the mineral with 80 grit sandpaper. Take it off the lathe and inspect the mineral for any holes in the mineral. Any found are filled with calcite dust and topped with CA glue being careful not to let it get on the wood. Let it cure a couple of days. Put it back on the lathe and sand with 100 grit paper through 4000 grit paper. Polish with tripoli and white diamond past.
The strawberries were masked with frisket and then air brushed with the appropriate translucent colors. The bowl was finished with dewaxed shellac.
Roger Scott
WoodPops
The bunch of grapes was cut into the outside of the bowl 3/16 inch deep with a high speed dental drill using a very small carbide cutting bit. The calcite mineral colors were very carefully selected to match nature’s true colors. The completed piece was polished using Tripoli and white diamond paste on a high speed polishing buffer. It was then finished with Danish Oil and polished with caranuba wax. It is food safe.
Roger Scott
WoodPops
This piece was turned on the wood lathe. I left enough wood thickness at the top rim so that I could hand carve the leaves. This bowl is all one piece; nothing is glued on. Once the leaves were carved I brushed on a one pound cut of dewaxed shellac as a sanding sealer. I sanded the area around the leaves to match the bowl thickness and smoothness. It was intricate and time consuming.
After the leaves and bowl were carved and sanded I masked off all the areas on the bowl around the leaves so that I could air brush the leaves. Several transparent layers were used; the first being yellow. When the leaves were completely air brushed and the paint was dry I used the point of an x-acto knife to scratch in the veins. The leaves were finished with 6 coats of satin lacquer.
Once the lacquer dried and the masking was removed, the bowl surface was sanded to 400 grit sandpaper. Three coats of Danish Oil was applied to the bowl, wiping off any that got on the leaves. I let that dry a week then I buff on caranuba wax with the Beal buffing system. It is food safe.
Roger Dale Scott
WoodPops
This little maple bowl is my interpretation of a pink coral reef. In the center is a colorful Siamese Fighting Fish. It is flanked by Sea Horses. They are done with an air brush. The pink coral is pierced and stippled. The inside is painted deep blue with shadows of Jelly Fish and Stingrays swimming about. It is finished with satin lacquer.
The piece is sanded through 400 grit paper. The two black lines running around the outside of the bowl are made from friction using a wire while the lathe is turning at high speed. The dark area between the lines was scorched with a small butane torch. I applied a liberal amount of Boiled Linseed Oil and let it set for 15 minutes, then wiped off the access and let dry for a week. It is then buffed with the Beal buffing system.
This free standing bowl was turned on the lathe from Hard Maple. The red design on the rim is inlaid calcite and howlite mineral. While the bowl is still on the lathe I cut 3/8? deep square bottom groove in the rim. Remove it from the lathe and hand place the minerals in the groove. When it is full and pleasing to the eye I carefully squirt very thin CA glue in the groove until it is full up to the edge, without running over. Let that all cure for about three days. Put it back on the lathe and sand the top of the mineral with 80 grit sandpaper. Take it off the lathe and inspect the mineral for any holes in the mineral. Any found are filled with calcite dust and topped with CA glue being careful not to let it get on the wood. Let it cure a couple of days. Put it back on the lathe and sand with 100 grit paper through 4000 grit paper. Polish with tripoli and white diamond paste.
The butterfly is sketched in. I use a high speed dental drill with a carbide bit to remove all the wood within the lines. This leave a 3/16 inch deep impression of the butterfly. I crush and sort my minerals according to size and color. I hand place each piece of calcite like an artist uses his paints. When it looks good I carefully squirt very thin CA glue into the butterfly. Use plenty, but not too much. I set it aside to cure then follow the same procedure as above.
This treasure can be displayed upright on its display stand or it can sit flat on your coffee table to be picked up and admired by your friends.
Roger Scott
WoodPops
To purchase this item go to my Etsy Shop. http://etsy.me/1aezvAw
This attractive, small decorative dish was made specifically for the Columbus Winterfair Art Show. It was the second piece I sold on the first day of the show. I knew it would go quick.
The inlay on the rim is white Calcite dyed red and green along with red Howlite. There is also a smattering of clear optical grade Calcite in the rim. The Holly idea came from my Muse. She thought it would be perfect for the show. As usual, she was right. The dish was sanded through 5000 grit sandpaper. A liberal amount of Danish Oil was applied to the piece for about 15 minutes, then the access that did not soak in was wiped off. After the dish dried for about a week I buffed it using tripoli and white diamond compound. I then applied carnauba wax with the Beal polishing wheel.
The inlaid rim on this Elm bowl is made of Calcite and Howlite; the process is explained on this link https://woodpops.com/about-2/inlay/. The bowl was finish sanded to 400 grit paper. The finish is Danish Oil.
This odd shaped bowl was turned green and dried using our microwave oven. I set the microwave on high and heat the bowl for 3 minutes. I remove it and let it cool completely. Repeat the process until you see no more steam coming off the bowl. Any small cracks that may appear are sealed and stabilized with very thin CA glue. The piece is sanded through 180 grit paper.
I wanted this piece to look like aged Ash so I covered it with black leather dye and let it dry for 2 days. I then sanded the piece with 180 grit paper to remove all of the dye on the high spots leaving the black dye that had wicked into the end grain. I then ragged on a very light coat of Aged Oak stain. After completely dry I sanded through 400 grit. Then I applied a liberal amount of Boiled Linseed Oil and let it set for 15 minutes, then wiped off the access and let dry for a week. The piece is finished with six coats of dewaxed Shellac. After a week of drying it is then buffed with the Beal buffing system.
The piece is sanded through 400 grit paper and finished with six coats of dewaxed Shellac. It is then buffed with the Beal buffing system.
The inlaid rim on this Elm bowl is made of Calcite; the process is explained on this link https://woodpops.com/about-2/inlay/. The Salad Hands are also inlaid with the same calcite. The finish on this bowl and treenware is Boiled Linseed Oil. After thoroughly drying, it is buffed with the Beal buffing system.
This dark salad bowl with Salad Hands treenware makes a great gift. The pieces were sanded through 400 grit sandpaper. Pure Tung Oil was liberally applied and allowd to soak in for 30 minutes, then any access was wiped off. Four days latter the process was repeated. Four days later the process was repeated again. After four more weeks it was buffed with 0000 steel wool and then buffed with the Beal buffing system.
This Willow bowl has twin red calcite and howlite rings inlaid into the rim. The rings were sanded through 5000 grit sand paper then buffed with tripoli and white diamond polishing paste. The finish on the bowl is Boiled Linseed oil. After that has soaked in and thoroughly dried I wipe on a thin coat of one pound cut dewaxed shellac. Several days later I polish the bowl with the Beal buffing system
This is a flawless, classic bowl. It is finished with blond dewaxed shellac. I buy colorless shellac flakes and dissolve them in Denatured Alcohol. I brush on a one pound cut as a sanding sealer. After sanding to 380 grit sandpaper I brush on three coats of two pound cut shellac. Sanding with 400 grit between coats. I finish by wiping on a finale coat of one pound which removes any brush strokes I might have missed. I buff with the Beal buffing system.
This specimen Maple bowl is perfect. The undercut rim is inlaid with blue, white and transparent Calcite. The top edge is stippled and each dimple i hand painted.
Roger Scott, Woodpops
Stippled Texturing is Hand Painted
Close up of Stippled, hand painted top
Close Up of Calcite Inlay
This exquisite Sycamore bowl would make a timeless piece to anyone’s collection. It starts out as a flawless sycamore bowl. The top of the bowl has a delicate, outside round over bead; difficult to achieve. Definition is given to the pierced and carved ivy with top and bottom black lines burned in with a wire. The ivy is pierced, carved, air brushed and burned. The bowl is finished with lacquer then buffed to a high luster.
Roger Dale Scott, Woodpops
Four Beads plus Rim
Calcite Inlay