Another Pistachio NE Bowl

[Kathy Marshall]

So pretty much all of the blanks I cut and sealed from my pistachio haul have developed major cracks, but it's such cool wood that I'll just have to deal with the cracks the best I can (can't stand the thought of tossing the blanks on the scrap pile).

This was from a bowl blank I cut from a crotch piece.
In this pic I've started shaping the bottom. As you can see, there are plenty of big cracks (and more that you can't see). My biggest worry was that one or more of the big ones might go all the way through and that it might go flying when I cut through the connecting wood, :eek: luckily, that didn't happen.

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Here the bottom is finished and the crack have been filled with a mix of turquoise, black metalic flakes and epoxy.
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This is the finished bowl with a generous coat of BLO. It's about 9" x 4".
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Thanks for looking!
As always comments and critiques are welcome.

[Keith Westfall]

Who would have thought, that was hiding in that blank...?

Well done.

[Dan Forman]

Kathy---That's really wild, I like it!!! Hope it survives.

Dan

[Cheryl A. Prince]

Kathy, I usually just lurk around in the background but this piece has really called out to me. The pistachio is stunning and your lines on the piece are very eye pleasing. I found it interesting that you filled the cracks before you hollowed out the inside of the bowl. I now see by doing that you were actually able to go ahead and finish turning the piece. Have you ever considered posting a tutorial on how you fill cracks so successfully with turquoise and epoxy? I picked up some turquoise two summers ago on a trip to Tucson but haven't been brave enough to try using it in a piece. Keep up the wonderful work!

[John Keeton]

Kathy, that is some really nice work!! Love the wood and form, and a great "save" on the cracks.

[John Hart]

Wonderful form with wonderful wood....and the character cracks just seem to add to the whole thing. Nicely executed!! :)

[Michelle Rich]

fantastic job..pretty turning

[Roger Chandler]

Brave woman, that Kathy Marshall! That one had the all the makings of an explosion waiting to happen, but your epoxy fix was a stroke of genius. Good one KM!

[philip labre]

Another great bowl, Kathy. The pistachio is gorgeous, too bad it all cracked so much, I imagine it is tough in AZ to keep wood from drying too fast.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Kathy you did a great job on this, and the wood is beautiful!

[Tim Rinehart]

Beautiful job Kathy...hard not to like that contrast with the striking heartwood that lurks in that stuff. Very nice save with the inlay work.

[Pete Jordan]

Boy did you nail this one!

I really like this piece a ton!

[Scott Hackler]

Really nice and although I'm not a giant fan of the turquoise, it works well in this bowl. Thanks for posting.

[David Reed]

Kathy, this is a wonderful piece. The Pistachio has so much character and it is a good thing you didn't give it the toss. I certainly would consider the epoxy highlights a feature, not a failure. Vice work.

[Michael James]

Very nice job! I LOVE the turquoise/black mixture...nicest fill I've seen to date!

[bob svoboda]

That's outta the park! Very nicely done.

[Jim Burr]

I really like the crack filler...well done.

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a beautiful NE Kathy. You never know what is hiding inside. Well done.

[David E Keller]

I love it! I too would love to know your methods for this particular filling job... I really like the color, and I think the piece is better with the cracks filled than it would be with no cracks at all. Just beautiful.

[David DeCristoforo]

Really nice NE. The filler adds some interest and I'm very glad you did not suffer any bodily harm making it! The more I see of your pistachio, the more I'm thinking that the wood I have that I thought was pistachio isn't! Doesn't look anything like yours. So for now, I'm just gonna call it somekina wood.

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice job! The pistachio you have turned is quite attractive to say the least!

[Chip Sutherland]

This is a winner. I definitely like the turquoise/black. Never thought of using black before.

[Curt Fuller]

Kathy, that's a beauty! The cracks just add to the 'natural' look.

[Kathy Marshall]

Thanks Everyone! I really liked how this one turned out, the colors and patterns in the heartwood are cool and look even better in person.


Kathy, I usually just lurk around in the background but this piece has really called out to me. The pistachio is stunning and your lines on the piece are very eye pleasing. I found it interesting that you filled the cracks before you hollowed out the inside of the bowl. I now see by doing that you were actually able to go ahead and finish turning the piece. Have you ever considered posting a tutorial on how you fill cracks so successfully with turquoise and epoxy? I picked up some turquoise two summers ago on a trip to Tucson but haven't been brave enough to try using it in a piece. Keep up the wonderful work!

Thanks Cheryl! I almost always finish the outside of a piece through final sanding, before hollowing (one exception being hollow forms where I turn the outside in increments as I hollow the inside). Almost everything I turn is green wood, and many times by the time the inside is finish turned, the piece has moved enough that any more cuts on the outside isn't doable. When I use a filler, I always fill the void just a little proud, and then make my final cuts to turn it flush. The turquoise I use is inlace I believe (it's labeled turquoise, but I'm not sure it's real turquoise) and it's crushed fairly fine. It turns pretty cleanly.


I love it! I too would love to know your methods for this particular filling job... I really like the color, and I think the piece is better with the cracks filled than it would be with no cracks at all. Just beautiful.

Thanks David! The crushed turquoise was a little too bright to use on it's own (at least for this piece), so I added the black metalic flakes to tone it down, which I think it did well. The method I used on this piece is pretty much the same I use any time I do a fill job. I get the surface close to finished size/shape, then I take a knife or carving tool, and clean up the cracks and try to cut loose any fibers stretched across the cracks. I use a cheapy painters pallet thingy to mix the filler in (little plastic rectangle with 6 cups), squeeze in some epoxy and then the hardener (trying to do equal amounts of each), then add whatever filler I'm going to use, stir it up well and then start applying. I use a pallet knife to apply since the blade is thin and flexible and it lets me push the filler down into the crack. I fill the crack proud so I can turn it flush once it sets. Have to work quickly since the epoxy sets up fast (I use 5 minute epoxy), so when I have alot of cracks or large cracks like this piece, I mix up small batches at a time or it will start setting up before I get to all the cracks.

Hope that helps.

[Don Alexander]

YUPPER !!!! Life is definitely too short to bother with ordinary, plain ole wood

looks a contest too see who can turn the most air and find a bowl and i have to say you done did GREAT