A Few Inspired Pieces

[Kathy Marshall]

In no particular order....

The Mesquite goblet was inspired by David Keller's thin stemmed goblet. This was turned from a branch about 4" diameter. It's just under 9" tall and finished with DO and WOP (it may get a few more coats of WOP before being buffed).

The NE Pecan goblet was inspired by Robert Harper as something to turn to use up all those little branches (of which I have plenty!). It was turned from a branch just over 2" diameter and is about 9" tall, finished in DO and WOP (more coats to come).

These goblets really are fun to turn and can be done fairly quickly.
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The last piece was inspired by Steve Schlumpf and other dyers.
This is my 1st dyed piece, been wanting to try it for awhile. Went to the pecan pile (of which I have tons) to cut out a chunk. Thought pecan would be a good piece to start with since the contrast between heartwood and sapwood is fairly slight and if I messed it up, I could just go cut off another chunk and start over.
It's about 4"x4" and I used Rit navy blue dye. It's got several coats of WOP with more to come. I think it turned out pretty good, considering I didn't have a clue what I was doing :eek:
Picked up a few other colors of Rit, and I may just try a few more pieces this week!
Any tips or tricks on using Rit would be appreciated!

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Thanks for looking!
And as always, comments and critiques are welcome!

[John Keeton]

Kathy, those are really some nice looking goblets!! I like the NE one a lot, but the other is a more refined look. Both are great. When you turn these, do you do the cup portion first and then use the tailstock with a cushion to turn the remainder? Is the base just parted off?

Neat HF!! I see you picked up on the earth/sea theme that Steve used - very nice!

[David Reed]

Kathy, those are indeed a couple of nice looking goblets you produced. Very nice tool control to form that long uniform stem - and all from one piece of wood. Very nice. I am also wondering what your process was.

[Jim Burr]

Cool goblets...hope they hold a beverage?
The HF is a nice SW form...good curve and transisition to the shoulder. I'm not picking up the blue in the picture, but I wear glasses. Finish looks great!

[John Hart]

Cool Pieces Kathy!! I am really fond of that mesquite goblet the most. The flare has a lot of grace to my eyes....but then we all know that I have no eye....but don't take that the wrong way.:o


...Any tips or tricks on using Rit would be appreciated!

Here's some tips I found on the internet. Information is great. The internet is full-of-it :)

http://www.ritdye.com/sites/default/files/basicinstructionstye_dye_chart.gif
Follow these basic steps for creating vibrant tie-dye patterns!



The first thing you should do is choose your colors. You can choose one, two, or three colors. When using more than one color, it's usually best to start with the lightest color.
Next, refer to the color wheel. When tie-dyeing with two or more colors, plan to put adjacent primary or secondary colors next to each other. In the areas where they run together, they will create a third, great-looking color. For instance, Scarlet and Golden Yellow will produce Orange; Royal Blue and Kelly Green will make Aqua; Fuchsia and Royal Blue will create Purple.
Prepare all the dye baths before starting to tie-dye. Wear rubber gloves before handling dye. They prevent colorful fingers and offer protection from the hot water in the dye bath. Dissolve 1 package powder dye or 1/2 cup liquid dye in about 2 - 3 gallons very hot water (at least 140ºF). If water is not hot enough, heat water in a tea kettle or the microwave. The hotter the dye bath, the stronger the colors will be. For dark or bright colors, double the amount of dye used.
When you begin your project, immerse your garment in the lightest color dye bath for 4 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove when the color is a little darker than desired. Rinse well and repeat with next darkest color. Repeat until you have used all your colors.
Remove garment from dye bath and rinse in cool water until water runs clear. Using scissors, release the ties very carefully to avoid cutting the garment.
Wash garment in warm water with mild detergent. Rinse thoroughly in cool water. Gently squeeze out excess water by rolling garment in a clean old towel. Machine dry or hang to dry.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice work on everything Kathy!

Dyeing wood can be challenging and full of surprises when you do it! Each form and wood species will take the dye differently because of how the grain is oriented. End grain will act as a straw and grab all the dye it can and the face grain will absorb just a little at a time. I have found that the grit of sandpaper used for the finish sanding (before dyeing) makes all the difference in the world as to how much dye is absorbed. I think it has something to do with the amount of end grain exposed to the dye. If you sand the form to 220, it will drink in the dye as compared to if the sanding had been been to 400 grit or above. If I want a very dark or intense color.... 220 grit. If I want the dye more transparent - then I sand to 400 and use multiple applications to get the intensity of color desired.

Depending on the wood - sometimes I will sand the color back to bring out the curl. Sanding a form back is challenging! You have to get everything equal and blended or it looks like heck! It will require a lot of elbow grease!

Another thing to keep in mind is the finish you are going to use. I like using an oil based wipe on poly but have to take into consideration what it will do to the final color. It will darken it considerably and also add a slightly yellow tint to everything. So if your dye was blue - it will have very slight teal highlights. Just something to take into consideration.

Also - should you really like dyeing your work - consider using some Transtint dyes or something similar that are supposed to be somewhat light-fast. RIT is a clothing dye and is reported to fade with time - especially when exposed to UV rays.

Have fun! Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

[Kathy Marshall]

Kathy, those are really some nice looking goblets!! I like the NE one a lot, but the other is a more refined look. Both are great. When you turn these, do you do the cup portion first and then use the tailstock with a cushion to turn the remainder? Is the base just parted off?

Neat HF!! I see you picked up on the earth/sea theme that Steve used - very nice!
Thanks John!
I rough out a cylinder between centers, cut a tenon, mount in a chuck and then hollow the cup (would help to use a spindle steady for support, mine has too small of a max diameter for this). Then I used a scrap on the tail stock live centr to support the cup while turning the outside, stem and base (be careful to only use enough pressure to hold it steadyI then used my easy detailed to part it off. It gives a finished surface plus I can get the concave bottom with just a 1/8 stub to clean up with a chisel. When I part off, I take it down to the stub then release the tailstock then use my skew to slice through the stub while turning the spindle by hand.


Kathy, those are indeed a couple of nice looking goblets you produced. Very nice tool control to form that long uniform stem - and all from one piece of wood. Very nice. I am also wondering what your process was.
Thanks David! See above


Cool goblets...hope they hold a beverage?
The HF is a nice SW form...good curve and transisition to the shoulder. I'm not picking up the blue in the picture, but I wear glasses. Finish looks great!
Thanks Jim! Might hold a shot, but not much more than that.



Cool Pieces Kathy!! I am really fond of that mesquite goblet the most. The flare has a lot of grace to my eyes....but then we all know that I have no eye....but don't take that the wrong way.

Thanks John! I'm kinda partial to the mesquite too, although I like the color ( or lack of) on the pecan.


Nice work on everything Kathy!

Dyeing wood can be challenging and full of surprises when you do it!

Have fun! Looking forward to seeing more of your work!
Thanks Steve!
I believe I sanded this to 800 (my norm wether it needs it or not, just my habit) then applied the Rig somewhat like how I apply WOP. But 1st I wet the piece down with a wet paper towel, thought the dye would flow better on wet wood. Then applied the dye with a paper towel and used the wet paper towel to blend in any heavy or light areas. I look forward to doing more.

[David E Keller]

Those look good, Kathy. I like your mesquite piece better than the one I made... It's more graceful and refined.

[Kathy Marshall]

Those look good, Kathy. I like your mesquite piece better than the one I made... It's more graceful and refined.

Thanks David! That's funny since I like yours better, I think your cup profile flows better and has a nicer flair.

[Baxter Smith]

Nice job on both Kathy but I especially like the goblets.

[Cathy Schaewe]

Really nice. I'm going to have to give these a try. I think you do something new every day!

[Michelle Rich]

how the heck did I miss this?? Oops. I love the rustic goblet ( the one with bark) Have you seen the book: Turning Green Wood by O'Donnell ? Your goblets reminded me of his. He turns his to transparency and as they dry, they get all misshapen and wild! Your hollowfrom is a nifty shape good turnings!

[Mark Hubl]

Great job on those pieces. The goblets are very good. Nice work.