Sandblasted NE

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

216881216882
This is my red and white Christmas bowl. It is a natural edge bowl with the bark removed. The wood is Kentucky Coffee and it was sandblasted on the exterior. The inside is died dark red with Procion dye. I had to use flash to show the real color. I'm sure there is a way to photograph the bowl without the flash and still show the true interior color. The exterior was painted with white gesso and sanded back to expose the late wood then coated with a few thin coats of shellac. I raised the grain on the interior and pre-sanded before applying the dye with a foam pad. (A tip passed on by John Keeton) Then I sprayed the entire piece with hi gloss lacquer and rubbed the interior back to a satin finish. The sandblasting provides interesting opportunities for multicolored finishes. It creates deep recessions that are perfect to fill with a contrasting color. Next time I will color the entire blasted exterior, thinly coat it with lacquer then use a contrast color glaze to fill the recessed grain.
faust

[Tony De Masi]

Cool concept and work Faust. Something else I'll need to try as some point.

[John Keeton]

Faust, that really adds some drama to this piece!! I love the color combo, and the way you have achieved the look and contrast. Nice work!! What did you think of the Coffee Tree to turn? I have done a couple of pieces and was not impressed with it as a turning wood.

I am interested in hearing more about your sandblasting setup.

[Steve Schlumpf]

WOW - this is really cool looking! Love the colors, the texture and the form! You are really on to something here!

I haven't sandblasted anything .. ever .. so would appreciate some info on how you did that! TIA.

[Greg Just]

Nice job Faust. I like the contrasting colors. I have seen things sand blasted before and it adds some real nice texture to the piece. Would like to try some day.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

John,
Funny you ask about the Coffee Wood. It worked well for this piece and is fine to turn. However, I have never seen a wood so prone to wind shake. My tree cutter friend cut down a monster Coffee Tree. I grabbed a serious size crotch piece that should have yielded two 18" feather grain bowls. Until I got past the wind shake, I ended up with a 6" hollow form that was only 3" deep and a pile of shavings. The other side became firewood. I took this bowl and a couple more chunks then abandoned the rest of the tree. The little hollow form, however, has some of the most stunning feather I've found. I will post it for you tomorrow.
Meanwhile, thanks for liking the Christmas bowl.
faust

[Jim Burr]

Nice work Faust!!...and the second pic really shows the piece well. I'd ask one thing...if it's a natural edge with out the bark...is it a natural edge?
Color and texture is well done!! Merry Christmas!

[Ken Hill]

I like it alot, reminds me of driftwood

[Scott Hackler]

Great look! I like the texture and the color contrast from inside to out.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

if it's a natural edge with out the bark...is it a natural edge?
Point taken, Jim. Lets call it an "Used to be Natural Edge". :>}

[John Keeton]

Faust, windshake was a problem with the Coffee Tree I turned, as well. It also seemed to be somewhat brittle, though it finished up OK.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice looking piece. Really like the color contrast.

[Baxter Smith]

Nice work Faust. Lots of contrasts to look at. What did you use for blating media? I keep putting off trying it thinking I need to media that is different from what I use for metal.

[John Beaver]

Faust. I like your bowl. Reminds me of some of Bill Luce's work. In the second photo it looks a little fat on the bottom, but it might just be the photo. I do like the red interior however.

As far as the pictures goes... "I'm sure there is a way to photograph the bowl without the flash and still show the true interior color."
If you have a manual camera, just keep everything the same and make the exposure longer. It will brighten the exterior too, but solve your issue with the interior. Otherwise if you really want to work hard, you need to put a light right above the piece so it shines mostly into the interior. Also, a darker backdrop will help the interior look a little lighter. Always a challenge with contrasting colors.

[Hayes Rutherford]

Faust, nice work and like Baxter I was curious as to what you used for blasting.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Baxter,
The blasting media was aluminum oxide. I have a friend who strictly uses his blasting cabinet for surface embellishment on bowls and I used his booth. It is much different than "Black Beauty" or the usual metal abrasives. I believe it would turn to dust on metal. It leaves a lot of shiny fragments in the grain.
John,
I will try your photo suggestion tomorrow. Thanks for the thought.
faust

[Michelle Rich]

the second picture shows the vessel off very well. the contrasting color really gives the eyes a treat. the wavey orientation of the grain with subtle white is very very appealing. I think this is a super bowl

[Steve Vaughan]

That's a creative little bowl right there. Love how you did it and the colors are really nice. You put quite a bit into that bowl with your preparation, but it sure paid off! Another inspirational piece for me.

[Bill Hensley]

I like this. You've created an exceptional piece.