My newest resin piece.

[Alan Trout]

This by far is my largest cast piece to date. I just finished it Saturday. It started out as a 15lb. Mazanita burl and then I added 168oz. of tinted resin.

Overall I am pretty happy with the result. I like the proportions and this is probably my favorite color combination in resin. Generally I pick resin colors based on the colors of the wood and this has some similar coloration's to my native mesquite. this is my favorite combo with the mesquite so I figured I would try it with the Manzanita.

It is about 12 1/2" tall and over 8" in diameter so it is a pretty good size piece. It is a bit over 1/8" thick but I tapered the bottom 3 1/2" to a bit over 3/16" for weight at the bottom as a request by a gallery that I show at.

As always open to cheers or jeers.

Thanks for looking

Alan 194789194790

[mickey cassiba]

Cheers here Alan. I like Mesquite anyway, and the pearly blue is a real kicker. Job well done.

[Dan Forman]

No jeers, only cheers here. It really looks like an oblong earth from space - the blue is oceanic. If it's not a trade secret, I'm really curious about the general procedure - do you partially turn the burl first, before pouring the resin, or do it before it even hits the lathe? Whatever you do, it certainly is striking! The blue is just the perfect color for this.

Dan

[Roger Chandler]

Marvelous Alan! Bravo! What an exquisite piece...............I don't know if I will ever get into doing resin castings.........kinda doubt it, but boy, that is just fantastic..........great form, and your color choices just make this special........thank you for sharing this with the rest of us.

[John Keeton]

Alan, I do hope one or more of these pieces will be at AAW - I really would like to see one up close. They are awesome turnings!! I am with Dan on the overall effect - one immediately feels they are looking down on earth - just a phenomenal result. I love the look of some of the acrylic pen blanks, and this is similar, but on a much larger scale.

Great work!

[Donny Lawson]

Beautiful piece. That deserves to be in a museum.

[Andrew Kertesz]

I am also curious about your process although I have a good idea of how it is done. One question is how long do you let the resin cure before you start turning and what do you use for a mold for something that large?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Alan - love the form! Beautiful combination of colors and wood! I can see your resin pieces being big hits at galleries and I wish you luck with your sales!

Just curious if you have had any problems with wood movement? I would think the wood might separate from the resin due to humidity, temp, etc.

[Alan Trout]

Thanks for all the kind comments.

Yes, the burl is partially turned for no other reason than to conserve resin. of course sharp tools are a must because of the interrupted cuts. The resin I use is a polyurethane resin and is expensive so I save where I can. I make forms out of what ever I can find for the project. This one was made with a paint bucket and sonotube. I was in Walmart last night at 10:00PM looking for a suitable form or another piece I am working on right now. There was a bit of extra pucker factor with this one because of size and cost. I can generally start turning a form in about 3 or 4 hours of casting. I just don't like to start turning them when they are still hot.

Thanks,

Alan

[Alan Trout]

Steve,

Of course I only use dry wood for this but no I have not ever had any separation issues. The resin usually becomes so impregnated in the wood fibers that it is pretty much a homogenous structure. Of course I do not keep them in a truck all day when it is a 100 degrees outside which I am sure would not be good for the piece.

Alan

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Alan,
This is one of the most original concepts I've seen in woodturning. I wouldn't have thought a plastic resin mixed with a natural burl would be appealing but this is drop dead gorgeous. Keep showing them to us. I feel privileged just to enjoy them in photographs.
faust

[David E Keller]

Fantastic, Alan! The resin choice is perfect, and the whole piece reminds me very much of the Earth as viewed from space. This is just a stunning piece of work. Thanks.

[Tim Rinehart]

Yep...I think stunning is a good expression for this. I too think this looks like another world and it's oceans. The blue is a great contrast to the brown in the manzanita.
Personal preferences here, but if not using a finial, I'm wondering if the opening would have benefited from a little 'softening'? Just a thought, really nice how it is. Keep em coming...really love this work you do with the resins.

[Scott Hackler]

Another stellar turning, Alan. I love the color combo and like Dan said, it looks like an ocean and land mass. You should think about a completely round version of this and build a "globe stand" that would look so cool.

Are you going to bring any of these to the AAW for the instant gallery??

[Jim Burr]

I want to live on that land mass on the left side of the right-hand pic...what a great imagination stretcher! Amazing as always Alan!!

[Alan Trout]

Yep...I think stunning is a good expression for this. I too think this looks like another world and it's oceans. The blue is a great contrast to the brown in the manzanita.
Personal preferences here, but if not using a finial, I'm wondering if the opening would have benefited from a little 'softening'? Just a thought, really nice how it is. Keep em coming...really love this work you do with the resins.

Tim, I played with some different lid ideas for this one but all detracted from the piece. However I am kind of funny I like hard lines blended with smooth curves. When I see pieces like that It kind of grabs my attention and is something that is kind of like playing with different textures or contrast in my mind.

Again thanks for the kind words.

Alan

[Baxter Smith]

Another great piece Alan. I too would love to see one of these in person.

[David DeCristoforo]

Cheers. No jeers! This one looks like an elongated globe of an earth-like planet.

[Gordon Vizecky]

Great use of resin. Absolutely stunning result, it almost seems as though the piece is lit from the inside.

I used quite a bit of resin for pens and always loved the blue tint and silver/white mica swirl. Looks great with the burl but holowing to 1/8 had to take nerves of steel.

[Roland Martin]

Everything about this is gorgeous Alan. It's hard to add something new to the previous comments, a very well done and stunning turning it is. Thanks for posting, Cheers!

[Greg Ketell]

I love these pieces you do, Alan! Gorgeous stuff!!!

[John Hart]

I love the inland seas, the islands, and the lakes.....not to mention the oceanic currents. I love this piece. :)

[allen thunem]

alan would you share your methods?
am sure im not the only one dying to know how it is done

[Steve Campbell]

Just stunning. I can't improve on what everyone else have said. I love it. Thanks for showing us.

Steve

[Pete Jordan]

Stunning Alan!

One of my all time favorites!

[Cathy Schaewe]

Yes, thank you for sharing. This is one of those pieces where, if I had turned it, I would stop turning because I would think it would never get any better.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Alan, I really REALLY like it. I have admired your wood/resin pieces for quite some time, and this is definitely one of my favorites. I really like how the wood in this piece is very meandering, almost fractally, in contrast to the resin. Excellent work!

Hutch

[Joel Albert]

Amazing, I really love this piece--something I haven't seen before. I would love to see more information about how this was done.


This by far is my largest cast piece to date. I just finished it Saturday. It started out as a 15lb. Mazanita burl and then I added 168oz. of tinted resin.

Overall I am pretty happy with the result. I like the proportions and this is probably my favorite color combination in resin. Generally I pick resin colors based on the colors of the wood and this has some similar coloration's to my native mesquite. this is my favorite combo with the mesquite so I figured I would try it with the Manzanita.

It is about 12 1/2" tall and over 8" in diameter so it is a pretty good size piece. It is a bit over 1/8" thick but I tapered the bottom 3 1/2" to a bit over 3/16" for weight at the bottom as a request by a gallery that I show at.

As always open to cheers or jeers.

Thanks for looking

Alan 194789194790

[Nate Davey]

Alan,

That is spectacular. Very nicely done.

[philip labre]

Alan, cheers!!! I love your resin and wood forms.

[Scott Lux]

My wife said, "Oooh! Gorgeous!". I have to agree.

[Alan Trout]

I just can't thank everyone enough for the kind words. I really enjoy making these pieces and I really enjoy that others like them as well.

Thanks,

Alan

[Michael James]

Beautiful piece Alan! Quite an original niche you've... um, carved out for yourself. I love em all the best! Thanks for posting.
mj

[Lupe Duncan]

Great Job Alan.

I saw the Mesquite bowl you had in San Marcos at a meeting you attended, Beautiful is all I can say.
Hope I get to see this one too....

[Alan Trout]

Lupe,

Yes I remember. That was my very first large cast piece. I was offered a good chunk of change for it last year and let it go. Kind of hated to do it but it was for a wonderful lady as a birthday present. It just makes me happy when others enjoy them.

Alan

[Curt Fuller]

Not only is it beautiful, stunning, and all those other wonder descriptions, but you've made the woodturning equivalent to the Cover of the Rolling Stone! Congrats on making the cover of WOW tonight!

[Ron Stadler]

Awesome!!!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Alan....what an astonishingly beautiful piece! Gorgeous color combinations and a great form! Just stunningly beautiful!

[Robert McGowen]

I just saw this and cannot add anything else to all of the positive comments other than "Wow!"

[David DeCristoforo]

It might also be noted that this piece immediately went onto the cover on the WoW site!