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View Full Version : Burned Edge - First, Maybe Last



George Tokarev
11-22-2004, 9:31 AM
Didn't bother to set up a photo background, so the Kubota will have to do. I finally got a small butane torch at Menards, and scorched the edge of one of the unnaturals.

Observations:

Don't expect any but well-rounded edges on a scorch. Just as always, the fire starts on the sharp edge. Don't expect the coloration to be even, as hard as you may try to get in and around and under all contour. Probably ok on a "natural" edge, where things are smooth.

Charcoal gets everywhere fast. Best plan, and the one I'll follow if I do this again, is to set the piece down, scorch, wait for all fire to extinguish, and run some shellac on the edge to avoid carrying soot and coal by casual handling. It's awful tough to sand away even trace stuff. Keeps packing in as you make dust.

Two views, quick and dirty. Shellac needs to be spirited off, so it may be a bit obscured versus final appearance.

Ted Shrader
11-22-2004, 9:41 AM
George -

That looks pretty good. Reading your post, I expected a lump of charcoal to be pictured.

Ted

Bob Hovde
11-22-2004, 9:58 AM
Actually, that's a much better edge than I would have expected for as uneven as it is. Beautiful grain in the bowl and the black edge goes well with the coloring of the wood.

Bob

Brad Schmid
11-22-2004, 10:52 AM
George,

What I've done is scorch the rim in the bowls rough turned state. That way, when you finish turn the bowl, there won't be any scorching on the innner or outer finished walls, and you'll still have nice crisp edges.

Cheers,
Brad

James Stokes
11-22-2004, 11:01 AM
Looks good. Couple thoughts, Would it not be better to scorch before turning?
When I was younger I made a bedroom set and scorched it all then took some leather and buffed it all in. Came out looking extremely well.

Glenn Hodges
11-22-2004, 11:07 AM
I like it George, in the past I have used a felt tip pen to go around the edge, but I believe the fire will be my next try when all the bark goes flying off. You know how young boys like to play with fire.

Michael Stafford
11-22-2004, 1:36 PM
Sorry that you are unhappy with the result. The "irregulars" can probably stand on their own. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

George Tokarev
11-22-2004, 3:46 PM
I don't like the spillover that I showed in the first picture, that's for sure. The outside is tolerable, almost looks as if I layed black on in a thin layer. As the piece had already been turned, there was no other option. If I decide to do it again, I'll scorch oversize, as suggested, firm up the charcoal, then turn with lots of brushing to keep from sanding the black into the wood.

My wife reminded me yesterday that I had turned burned wood before. Had a piece of spalted birch that I had set aside in the wood room, which she tossed in the furnace. I rescued it, threw it in the snow to quench, and turned it with charring as a feature. IIRC, it came out pretty nice.

I would be interested in knowing, Glenn, what brand of marker you used, and if it resisted shellac. I used a "Sharpie" and a generic from school, both allegedly permanent. Shellac spread them around on my test piece. Same-o India ink.

Jack Hogoboom
11-22-2004, 3:59 PM
George,

I like the effect of the burning. And in any event, the form is beautiful. I really like the shape and especially the foot.

Jack

Glenn Hodges
11-22-2004, 11:19 PM
I used a Sharpie, but I used witches brew, not shellac for a finish. How do you like that Kubota? I have one, and love it.
Another orange man.

George Tokarev
11-23-2004, 10:28 AM
I used a Sharpie, but I used witches brew, not shellac for a finish. How do you like that Kubota? I have one, and love it.
Another orange man.
Well, guess I'll try one with oil-based finish and see what comes. As you can see, I'm working with aged-in-the-log soft maple, and oil does darken it more than shellac. Wasn't after the dark, but what the heck, there's more where that came from.

As to the Kubota, he's a little BX2200, think they call them "estate" tractors. I don't have an estate, but he's pulled the one-bottom plow for the garden, disc for seedbed prep, and spring-tooth harrow for cultivation. I've even ripped roots for meadow reclamation with a chisel-tooth, though that's a stretch. I'd rather pay the neighbor with the big Iseki. Kubota does it all, and cuts both the acre or so of quackgrass we laughingly refer to as a lawn, and a mile or so of two-pass walking/skiiing paths (and a couple of small shooting meadows) through the woods all within an hour and a quarter.

Most important task is coming up again soon - snow plowing. I've been using a backblade, which means I have to stay ahead of things during a storm. Backblade doesn't shed well if there's more than 6" or so depth. I run four passes with him, then one on each edge with a walk-behind snowblower. Drive's about 200' long. I'm carrying an extra 50 lbs in barbell weights up front for steering authority. I guess after the wedding (only daughter) is over, and the last son's out of college, I'll get front hydraulics and a blade on him. The blower's prohibitively expensive, and I can keep things under control with the combination.

Came out of retirement and taught for a year to earn him and some other toys, and it was a good deal!