The Sharon Conglomerate - A Tutorial

[John Hart]

I was inspired by a dazzling pen that Jim Burr recently posted. His Coffee Bean pens are not only beautiful, we're told that they smell like coffee. I thought that was pretty cool. Now, Jim didn't make the pen blanks, but his pens inspired me nonetheless. So I set out to get my self learned. I went and got a gallon of resin, a set of oil paints and a couple of bags of dry black beans in the Mexican section at Wally World.

But I didn't want to make a pen....I wanted to make a vase. Now, I had this ugly vase I did about 4 years ago...a vase I've never liked. It is 4" in diameter, about 8 inches tall, and made from the ugliest spalted cherry I've ever seen. The nicest part of the vase was the inside!! It was so pitted with punk voids that I tried to fill them all with black epoxy. That just made it uglier. So this became my foundation piece.
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I sanded it down to a decent looking form and rough surface to accept the resin

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Next, I had to make a mold. Now the problem with a vase shape is you have to build the mold in sections. so I grabbed a 2X10 of poplar and cut up several blanks. I drilled and tapped the blanks so they'd screw right on to the spindle.
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Since you can't slide the rings on, I broke them in half
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Then epoxied them in place, starting at the bottom and working up
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[John Hart]

The next step is the pouring. Artist's oil paint is considered an acceptable resin tint. I found this out through research...cuz I really have no clue what I'm doing. Anyway, just goofing around with the different colors, I mixed up a brown, mud sorta color, poured a bag of black beans in the pot and stirred it up. I went light on the hardener to assure I'd have a bit more time to work. The can says 15 minute working time, so I cut the hardener in half to give myself close to an hour. (I learned that trick at a surf shop from an old hippie that made surfboards)

Then I poured and stuffed

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It was a mess...And I managed to get that crap all over me. (I really don't like resin)

But...I waited overnight and anxiously slapped the whole thing on the lathe, sharpened up my roughing gouge and turned away all the poplar.

Sure enough...There was resin and beans under there!! Well....sorta
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Problem was...I couldn't really see down in the mold so I couldn't ensure good coverage and ended up with some voided areas. But no matter....This is an experiment...so I decided to repair the damage and keep on going

I turned a bit more and sanded it down to get ready for more filler
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As I turned and sanded, some of the beans came loose from their hulls, leaving behind bean-shaped voids.
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So...for the big voids, I added more beans and different colored resin....and for the small voids....still more different colored resin. I started going crazy with the colors and filling...and was actually have a bit of fun....since at this point, I figured I got nothing to lose
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After I was done plastering it with colors...it looked like this
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Then, tonight, I sanded all that down...and it was looking pretty good. A few voids popped up again as I was taking it to its final form
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So, I mixed up more colors...and patched up the few voids that showed up and this is how it looks tonight
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Now...the Sharon Conglomerate is a geologic feature in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. It is a vast layer of rock, comprised of mostly quartz pebbles, but lots of other pebbles, all worn away by an ancient sea. It is basically a smooth pebble gravel glued together by a calcium substrate, and that's what this reminds me of.

Tomorrow, I'll do the final sanding, cut off the top, and add the vase mouth.
I'll post the results tomorrow night.

Thanks for listening :D

[David DeCristoforo]

That's amazing! But.... does it smell like coffee?

[John Hart]

No....It is the most gawdawful smell of a mixture of raw beans and resin. Kinda like a Mexican Surf Shop

[Jim Burr]

Ha!!! That is cool John!!!! I get Coffee bean pen blanks from....someone and just wet sand them to 12k. They sell like hotcakes because they smell like coffee for a very long time. This looks like a ton of fun!

[Don Alexander]

i can't wait to see the finished product

[Scott Hackler]

Very interesting John. Cant wait to see the finished piece.

[David E Keller]

I think you should call it 'Frijoles Loco'... I'm guessing the resin puts off a sort of gas very similar to sprayed lacquer.:D

Seriously, I think it's a cool looking piece, and I'm looking forward to seeing it finished. I greatly appreciate your sense of adventure, and I think the end effect if very cool.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Now John that is one interesting piece. Like to see it finished.

[David Reed]

Yes indeed, very adventurous of you John. I kind of like it in a perverted sort of way. And yes, it definitely reminds me of Sharon - had a bit of dermatitis in middle school.

[Tim Thiebaut]

What a cool experiment! Its to bad your black beans turn white when they are cut but this is a very inventive piece...cant wait to see what comes out of it.

[Bob Rotche]

Awesome way to think outside the box! I love the concept and the possibilities are endless. I recently saw one posted somewhere with a similar concept but using embedded pinecones and it was just stunning. Seem to recall seeing one in the past using corn cobs as well. Once you work the kinks out of the process, you will be limited only by your imagination. So many ideas, so little time...

[bob svoboda]

You're a busy guy! I like the creativity of this piece. Looking forward to the finished product.

[John Hart]

Thanks everyone! :) Ya know, it drives me crazy that I have to earn a living. I'd rather be in the shop right now smelling the down home aroma of Resina y Frijoles Loco.:D

Come to think of it....maybe I'll finish this in lacquer!! Ooooooh

Wait a minute...That might be like mixing beer and wine.

I'll need some asprin first :rolleyes:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks everyone! :) Ya know, it drives me crazy that I have to earn a living. I'd rather be in the shop right now smelling the down home aroma of Resina y Frijoles Loco.:D

Come to think of it....maybe I'll finish this in lacquer!! Ooooooh

Wait a minute...That might be like mixing beer and wine.

I'll need some asprin first :rolleyes:

That will make you puke. Don't ask me how I know but take my word on it....that will make you puke.:o

I tried it once in 1969 on the UofI campus in Champaign-Urbana.

[John Hart]

....I tried it once in 1969 on the UofI campus in Champaign-Urbana.

Yeah...at Boise State, we all talked about the mark you left there. I think there's a monument.:rolleyes:

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - this is a pretty cool idea and I really like all the color/texture in the piece! Have to wonder though, seems like it would be a great food source for critters - so maybe you just invented a better mousetrap!

[Chip Sutherland]

I really appreciate this posting. It was fun watching the progression and how you threw caution to the wind. I think up odd stuff like this but I never try to execute on it.

I want to see your next attempt.

[David E Keller]

That will make you puke. Don't ask me how I know but take my word on it....that will make you puke.:o

I tried it once in 1969 on the UofI campus in Champaign-Urbana.

I was always taught, "beer before whiskey is always risky... Whiskey then beer, never fear"... To think that my parents felt my college tuition was a waste of money! Those are the kind of pearls you can't put a price on. Never learned about lacquer and resin, but then I never really got in to the hard stuff.

[Tim Rinehart]

John....that's pretty darn cool. I can't wait to see finished piece, but looks cool so far. I am guessing it will be inspiration for others to try, especially, er, spilling the beans, about the buildup of the outer wall to hold the resin in place.
I yikes it!

[jwjerry w kowalski]

John that's a neat idea and very original, you're going to have to stop going to Starbucks. Can't wait to see the finished product, it will be like no else's, one of a kind.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...you're going to have to stop going to Starbucks..."

Actually, this is one of the few uses of coffee beans that Starbucks coffee would be good for!

[Jeff Nicol]

John, On the next one you will have to come up with a vibration chamber to get the beans and resin to fill the voids more efficiently. It looks like a lot of fun so far and you are correct with the resin stinking up the shop and getting all over everything! Even if I wear gloves and a complete set of disposable coveralls I will still have some on me in a place that makes no sense, but it finds its way there!

Waiting with bated breath for the finished piece,

Jeff

[David E Keller]

John, On the next one you will have to come up with a vibration chamber to get the beans and resin to fill the voids more efficiently. It looks like a lot of fun so far and you are correct with the resin stinking up the shop and getting all over everything! Even if I wear gloves and a complete set of disposable coveralls I will still have some on me in a place that makes no sense, but it finds its way there!

Waiting with bated breath for the finished piece,

Jeff

Be careful who you tell that you're 'gonna cover up with latex and play with the vibration chamber':eek:... I think the conservative Amish neighbors might have some concerns. Of course, they've likely got some concerns already.:p

[Baxter Smith]

John, when I first looked at this, my only thought was,"thats a vase only a mother could love". Looking forward to seeing your finished baby!:)

[John Hart]

Thanks Baxter....Hopefully, a lot of mothers will love it!!! And they'll fight over it.:eek: I know...I know....WAKE UP JOHN!!!!:D

Well, didn't get much done tonight. I got started and my neighbor came over with a buggy full of wood for me, so we visited for a while, then there's this storm coming that I'm sure we're gonna lose power. So, I just got the vase mouth interface cut.
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And prepped the mouth
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And got it glued up to the vase. filled in a few more pot holes and that's it for the evening. Now, if I can get this posted before the lights go out.....I'm doing good.
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Oh..by the way....I sprayed a little lacquer on this thing...and WOW....those beans look like real quartz.:)

[John Hart]

Looks like I made it....and the thunder is rollin'!!!! Flashes of lightning and the tree frogs chirpin'. I love this.:)

Hey Mr Schlumpf....are you serious about critters? I hadn't thought about that. Seems like all the resin and lacquer would be unappetizing to an infiltrator. What are your thoughts??

[Ken Whitney]

Its...ALIVE!

[John Hart]

Oh....also, for what it's worth, I took the time last night to experiment with epoxy and artist's oil paint as a tint. Works great. I use regular Loctite 2-part system. Just squish out some resin, mix in a little oil paint, then add the hardener. It didn't affect the cure time or nuthin'. :) Which worked out really great, cuz it gave me an opportunity to do a repair on a piece I owe to David Keller as well. Life is good. :)

[Donny Lawson]

Looks like all the hard and fun work is going to pay off. I'm looking foward to seeing the end result. So far though,Great......

[Cathy Schaewe]

I think I'm speechless - but I can't wait to see how it comes out!

[John Hart]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments so far!! :)

Just a real quick update.

Had just a little time tonight and didn't want to hurry myself. So I prepped the bottom of the vase and prepped the foot.
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Then epoxied the foot in place
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Then turned and got a feel for the final shape
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I'll hit again tomorrow, but I'd appreciate any critiques on this form. Don't know if there's much I can change, but you can see where the foot is going to end and how big the mouth will be. If you think any of that is ickky...just let me know!!!

[David DeCristoforo]

I have bean watching this thread with great interest. This has bean getting better and better. The foot and collar really pull it together.

[David E Keller]

I think this is a really cool looking piece, John. The only thing that kind of strikes me... On the frijoles portion of the piece, the widest point is perfect with the 1/3 to 2/3 idea. With the addition of the collar and foot, the widest point is moved down the form a bit since the collar is larger than the foot. Please note these assessments were made with my head tilted to one side which I think decreases the blood flow to my brain by about 50%. I tried turning the computer 90 degrees, but with my head tilted, that makes the whole thing upside down... I should lay down for a bit... Wait a minute, if I lay down, I can see the form perfectly...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David......wouldn't want you to have a sore neck tomorrow.......so here you go....


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[John Hart]

Thanks Ken...I was bean a bit lazy last night!! :o


I think this is a really cool looking piece, John. The only thing that kind of strikes me... On the frijoles portion of the piece, the widest point is perfect with the 1/3 to 2/3 idea. With the addition of the collar and foot, the widest point is moved down the form a bit since the collar is larger than the foot. Please note these assessments were made with my head tilted to one side which I think decreases the blood flow to my brain by about 50%. I tried turning the computer 90 degrees, but with my head tilted, that makes the whole thing upside down... I should lay down for a bit... Wait a minute, if I lay down, I can see the form perfectly...

I was afraid of that. Which is why I left so much material on the foot blank. I absolutely have to follow the body curve, so it kinda limits me on how long the foot can be, before I have no stability. I suppose I could sweep it out to a base.

Now that Ken has rotated it....I can see better. Maybe I'll photoshop a bit today and decide.

[Tim Rinehart]

I think this is a really cool looking piece, John. The only thing that kind of strikes me... On the frijoles portion of the piece, the widest point is perfect with the 1/3 to 2/3 idea. With the addition of the collar and foot, the widest point is moved down the form a bit since the collar is larger than the foot. Please note these assessments were made with my head tilted to one side which I think decreases the blood flow to my brain by about 50%. I tried turning the computer 90 degrees, but with my head tilted, that makes the whole thing upside down... I should lay down for a bit... Wait a minute, if I lay down, I can see the form perfectly...

John, the assessment from David is a good point to consider when a form later has other pieces married to it...something I hadn't considered, so good point to all.

That being said, if I look at many of your pieces, there's a bit of a 'heavier top' feel to many of them, which I think we've come to expect as part of the "JH Style". I see nothing at odds with you keeping this one heavier on top, and certainly don't think you need to get crazy with bringing the flow down further to an unstable, hypersmall foot. Perhaps when you photoshop, you would see a nice pedestal foot that would work for you...but I certainly wouldn't sweat it over your current direction.
Can't wait to see whatcha do...this is a cool piece...it really is!

[jared herbert]

A question Where do you get coffee bean pen blanks? THanks Jared

[John Hart]

Jared....I tried to pay Jim Burr to tell me....but he wouldn't divulge his source. :cool:

I'm going to try and make my own after this. ;)

I will fail of course.:o

It's what I do.:p

[David E Keller]

A question Where do you get coffee bean pen blanks? THanks Jared

Check out the IAP classifieds... There are several sources for the blanks. Beartoothwoods and other pen gear sellers also carry them I think.

John, I've been thinking about this piece for a day or two now, and I had an idea... Notice I didn't type 'good idea'. Anyway, what if the collar was fairly tall? That might shift the widest point down enough to get the 'golden proportions' back. That may be an awful idea... It wouldn't be my first.

[John Hart]

Ok...so something like this...which is doable with the available material

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[John Hart]

I did try to photoshop a narrow, long foot, and like Tim says....it's just too unstable and not worth it. I tried a base and just couldn't warm up to it.

[Tim Rinehart]

Actually, my preference was with the amount of neck you had in prior photo (at least one that Ken F had rotated for you). I wasn't suggesting so much to elongate this one further, only that your work can get away from rules of 1/3 and 2/3 rules and still get away with good affect.
You know...I just about deleted this post...I'm starting to warm up to the longer neck.
We'll see how it's received by the viewing audience...

[David E Keller]

Or even something like this...
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[John Hart]

Hmmmmm....well now. :)

[John Hart]

Ok...Well I think I'm done!:)

On the suggestion by David Keller, I opted to go for a little taller mouth on this guy and thin it up. The original idea to have a short wide mouth would have certainly been less painless though. I forgot that I had prepped this for the wide opening, so I ended up pretty thin through the neck. (I'm figuring 40 to 60 thousandths) Anyway, here it is as the final profile.
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Then I just hollowed and sanded forever :eek:
Most of the sanding was with the lathe off. I was highly aware of my scratch pattern, and the resin sands away pretty easily.
But...long story short...here it is with a couple of coats of lacquer. I'll give a bunch of views since this is a tutorial. (I was the student by the way ;) )
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It was a fun and interesting project. Thanks for putting up with me!! :o I learned a lot from it, and perhaps I can apply that knowledge toward something a little cooler in the future.

Lessons learned?
1. Don't mix hardwood with resin. Sanding would be extremely difficult at the interface between the two. This was done in Mahogany, and that worked pretty well.
2. Pour some beans...then some resin....then some beans...then some more resin. Mixing them first just made it impossible to ensure good coverage.
3. Beans come out of their hulls really easy
4. If you decide on a wide mouth and prep your piece as such...Don't change your mind.
5. I like lacquer :D

I'll put a couple more coats on it and buff it and post it under its new name.

[David E Keller]

I think it looks fantastic! The proportions look good to me, and I like the beans. I've enjoyed watching this thing develop, and I appreciate you sharing the experience.

I tried a Hart inspired piece tonight, and I struggled to get the mouth right... By struggled, I mean failed. I'll post it in a few days once I get some finish on it. I have even more respect for the forms you make look easy... They're not!

[Curt Fuller]

When I first saw the beginning of this thread I thought it was kind of a different idea, a little weird, and I had no idea what you would do with it. Now that you've finished it, all I can say is Wow, that is really cool. It's one of the neatest resin casting pieces I've seen. I like the form and neck and all that too. I imagine you'll have a lot of people looking at it and wondering what it's made from. Neat project John!

[Scott Hackler]

Ok...Well I think I'm done!:)...

5. I like lacquer :D



lol! That made me laugh out loud! Really neat project, John and a lot of lessons for the next one. Turned out pretty cool.

[David DeCristoforo]

Great call. That looks fantastic! I love it....

[Baxter Smith]

I am impressed! It looks good in lacquer!

[John Hart]

Thanks everyone. I'll probably break it while I'm buffing :eek:

[Belinda Barfield]

John, at first I had my doubts and suspected you had mixed the beer and wine before tackling this project.:D I love the finished piece. Lacquer is good.

[Roger Chandler]

holy frijolies! that is totally unique! No one can say that John Hart doesn't know beans about turning! :D

Conceptually, this one is certainly out of the ballpark of normal, but it just shows what a creative mind can do to move the genre into nether regions..........

John, you must of had a little too much lacquer one evening before you went to bed, and this was in your dreams............

Quite an accomplishment John...........I hope this one goes to the gallery, and begins a whole new series for you...........it will be interesting to say the least to see what you come up with next...........Wow!

[John Hart]

John, at first I had my doubts and suspected you had mixed the beer and wine before tackling this project.:D I love the finished piece. Lacquer is good.

:D:DThanks Belinda....somehow, I think a little beer and wine might have helped!!



John, you must of had a little too much lacquer one evening before you went to bed, and this was in your dreams............

:D:DYep! That is definitely a probability Roger!! I saw Jim Burrs pen....thought for a little while....then put a finish on a vase....then went to bed....WHAM! :) And, yes...this goes to the gallery....I'm hopin' to get 15 or 20 bucks for it to pay for the materials. :D

[Tim Rinehart]

Very very nice. Turned out great with the thin neck. Balance looks good. I see this being part of John Hart's "Cook's Series".
I mean ...c'mon, all these cooking shows need props too!!

[John Hart]

Very very nice. Turned out great with the thin neck. Balance looks good. I see this being part of John Hart's "Cook's Series".
I mean ...c'mon, all these cooking shows need props too!!

Oh yeah!!!! This could be like a matching vahse for a Bean Canister! I could make coffee canisters (with coffee beans)....Corn meal canisters (with corn)....And what about those bags of 9 bean soup?

Split Pea with Ham....'course I don't know how well ham will turn...might need to use some hardener...or lacquer or something.;)

Gonna hafta figure something out for Chicken Schmalz. :)

[Belinda Barfield]

Oh yeah!!!! This could be like a matching vahse for a Bean Canister! I could make coffee canisters (with coffee beans)....Corn meal canisters (with corn)....And what about those bags of 9 bean soup?

Split Pea with Ham....'course I don't know how well ham will turn...might need to use some hardener...or lacquer or something.;)

Gonna hafta figure something out for Chicken Schmalz. :)

Peanuts, John, you gotta' do something with peanuts.