Input needed

[Jim Burr]

My first platter with a rim...which makes it my second platter from a most generous benefactor!:D;) I'm happy with the shape and dye...black base, orange...which I'm convinced will work out at some point, and red final. I did a groove to seperate the rim and flat. Tried burning it with my pencil burner...all I have ATM...and really don't like it. So two options...deeper groove filled with red coral, or black ground up something. It just looks like it needs a good separation. Espresso powder still looks brown and I'm leaning to the black side.
Little help folks?

[Michael James]

Nice platter there amigo! If you insist on the groove....I say go with the black. Red on orange on maple?
my .02, your platter!
mj

[Jim Burr]

Ha!!:D:p The photo is a bit sorry, but it was...so far, meant for input purposes!! It really has a rich look to it...better kodak's to follow upon completion...trust me;)

[Steve Vaughan]

I don't know if I'd fill the groove in with anything, maybe just blacken it with a dye or black sharpie before your final finish.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jim that is a really nice platter. I am not sure I would fill it either. I would go black and just color it.

[David E Keller]

I like the colored rim and natural center combo. If it's a decorative platter, I'd probably just use a sharpie or india ink to darken the groove. If there will be food on the top, the groove becomes a little less desirable for cleaning purposes. In the latter case, you could use a lot of stuff to fill the groove, but you'll likely have to sand a bunch or re-turn to clean up the filler. I use dust from African blackwood or ebony to color epoxy with satisfactory results. I think you can mix acrylic paints with epoxy to color them as well. You could also use acrylic resin from the hobby store to fill the groove.

I'm interested to see what you decide.

[Brian Effinger]

That's a nice platter. I agree with what the others have said, but do have one other suggestion on the groove. You can burn a line in there by cranking up the speed and holding a scrap of formica to it. A scrap of formica like homey depot has as samples in the kitchen department. ;)

[Jim Burr]

Hmmm...thanks Brian. I tried to burn it with a guitar string at 2800...didnt work well. I'll try the formica.

[John Keeton]

Jim, I think I would be tempted to finish the platter, then go back and fill the groove with some sort of paint - perhaps a metallic of some sort. There are all kinds of possibilities there - mix a little gold metallic with red and see what happens?!?! But, if it is finished, you can just wipe off any paint that gets out of the groove.

[Michelle Rich]

OK I would do it entirely differently...I would turn a ring of a dark wood & insert.