Dyed Birdseye Maple Platter

[Baxter Smith]

Last spring, fellow creeker Kevin Nee(Massachusets) sent me a pm about possibly trading a cherry burl for a piece of walnut on one of my trips to Maine. I made a couple of trips by car( with a full trunk) but eventually traveled by van and had some extra room in the summer. I had a great visit and enjoyed the tour of his shop, woodsupply, and turnings(which he should post here!).

Although I was somewhat aghast:eek: that his plans involved cutting it up into little pieces for segmented work, I parted ways with the burl.:D Came away with a piece of walnut, cedar burl and this slab of birdseye maple. Kevin, thanks again for the super wood and visit! Hope you someday post what you make out of those little pieces.;) I am sure it will be great!

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13 x 1.25 Blue Transtint, Bush Oil and Beal buffed

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Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

[John Keeton]

Baxter, great accent with the dyed rim!!! Excellent work, and a nice composite pic of your recent pieces. I would probably call the maple "quilted" moreso than BE, but you are the owner/artist so it is what you say it is!;) Nonetheless, a beautiful piece of wood with which you have created an very nice platter.

[Jim Burr]

Oh boy is that sweet! I still want that red one you did last year, but this one will match the drapes;). The dye job has great depth and really sets off the entire platter...just beautiful!

[thomas prusak]

That platter is awesome! The blue transtint looks perfect as well as all the other design elements. Front and back. What was the mixture and how did you apply it? After seeing Keetons blue maple hf, I ordered blue transtint. And now that i have seen your platter I'm eager to apply it. Great job!

[Roger Chandler]

I like the way the natural wood frames the colored rim.........that in my opinion sets this apart and makes it distinctive....very nice Baxter!

[Jon McElwain]

Wow, that is a pretty platter! A lot going on in that piece of wood. It is a little hard to see from photos, but it looks like a couple beads to outline the rim?

You've been busy!

[David DeCristoforo]

Baxter, the platter is fantastic. So simple and elegant. And blue... how could you not like blue? All of your recent posts have been exciting but the platter is my favorite.

[Tim Rinehart]

Yes, I'll take three! I like the dye work on that platter, it really looks nice just inset into the rim of the platter. Well done.
I must be in the same camp as you Baxter...I would call this birdseye based on the little eyes that are evident especially from rear shot. Curious if JK could elaborate on what that is if not BE? I'm no wood expert by any means, just seeking clarity so I don't possibly misrepresent anything.
The composite is also really well done...what's not to like. I think what holds well with most of what you do, is that you stick with straightforward designs that don't try to do too much. I have to really try not to get too carried away with extra details, a likely result of sensory overload from seeing so many fine examples of "HOW" to do it.
Great work Baxter...I'm a fan!

[Doug W Swanson]

Wow! I really like the blue on the platter! All three are very nice but the platter is best IMO!

[Bob Bergstrom]

Thats a beautiful blue dye. It goes so well with the light colored maple. It almost looks like a landscape in the center with the dark horizontal stripe. Keep them coming I'm enjoying them all.

[John Keeton]

I must be in the same camp as you Baxter...I would call this birdseye based on the little eyes that are evident especially from rear shot. Curious if JK could elaborate on what that is if not BE? I'm no wood expert by any means, just seeking clarity so I don't possibly misrepresent anything.Tim, I think this may be a matter of degree. A lot of figured maple will exhibit a mixture of curl, bird's eye, quilted, etc.

This is what I would call bird's eye -

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And, this is what I would call quilted - though quilting can be much more intense than pictured -

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To me, this platter leans much further into the quilted category, but it is really subjective and there certainly is no clear dividing line!

[Tim Rinehart]

Thanks John! I guess not too different from calling something burl, when only a small percentage of the piece really has characteristic burl on it. I can accept that!

[Mark Hubl]

Baxter,

That platter came out great, the blue dye really pops the piece. The other forms are very well done too.

[Josh Bowman]

Baxter,
I love that platter. The rim is great. The HF's really produce a great trio.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Wicked good! ;)

The blue is fantastic and there is something about the color along with the darker figure that makes it look like clouds in a night sky (to me any way). Execution on that is spectacular.

[Harvey Ghesser]

The platter is beautiful, Baxter. And the HFs are spot on.

[Alan Trout]

Baxter,

You are really making some beautiful stuff. I really like it.

Alan

[Ron Bontz]

beautiful pieces. I really like the way you just died the outer rim.

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a beauty Baxter. I do love that blue on the rim. That and the wood color are just cool.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for your positive comments. I appreciate them!

........ I would probably call the maple "quilted" moreso than BE, but you are the owner/artist so it is what you say it is!;) ......
Your definition may be more correct John, but since I was asked if I was interested in a piece of birdseye, thats what it is!;):) They don't show up well, especially in comparison with the dye, but there are between 90 and 100 little eyes on the undyed center. (A little counting practice on the couch while babysitting a couple of 3 year old twin boys this afternoon.;):D)


....What was the mixture and how did you apply it? .....
Thomas, I mixed the transtint with DNA then applied it with a cheap 1 1/2" brush. I don't remember how many drops/oz of alcohol. I mixed it in a small cup and applied it a couple of times trying to even out lap marks and make it a deeper blue.


........ It is a little hard to see from photos, but it looks like a couple beads to outline the rim? ......
Jon, I made a flat rim to start and applied the dye to see what it looked like. It was ok but I thought it might stand out more if I could outline the blue. Turned it all off, made a couple of small beads then lowered the space in between. Made a small groove on the inner side of each bead then burned the groove with a piece of laminate to try and contain the dye.

[John Keeton]

Baxter, I am fine with your description/definition! I think folks all differ on how they describe figure in wood, and as noted, birdseye will nearly always have other figured characteristics as well. What one calls it really doesn't matter if there is a pic. It can get confusing when one relies on a description without a visual image. The real issue here - IT IS BEAUTIFUL! That is all that matters.

On the lap marks, you might want to consider wetting the wood with DNA immediately prior to the dye application. It tends to minimize the lap marks. Wiping down with DNA after application helps, too, but it will also pull some dye from the piece.

[Michelle Rich]

so call it quilted birdseye..that's what it appears to be! I like the deep, dark blue..

[kevin nee]

Hi , Baxter would you like another piece of BIRDSEYE

[Russell Neyman]

I have just recently started experimenting with dyes for decorative purposes. Previously, I airbrushed portions of my projects to hide or enhance features that Mother Nature put there.

So, what are the options with transtint? It seems to me most people apply it in a solution of denatured alcohol, but I guess you can also mix it with your finish? Do you apply it directly onto the raw wood (seems to me that would give a blotchy effect in many cases) or seal it with something first and then add the color? Does an airbrush application have any advantage over just dabbing it on?

[Roland Martin]

A beautiful platter indeed, Baxter. The rim detailing really makes this piece and the bottom is also very well done, nice work!

[David DeCristoforo]

John's picture of "Bird's eye" maple is what most people want to see when they pay the premium price for bird's eye. Unfortunately, "bird's eye", more often than not, looks more like Baxter's piece with some degree of curl and a few "eyes" scattered around here and there. We used to get bird's eye that was so profusely figured that you could not put a pencil eraser down on the surface without touching at least one "eye". Wood like that is rarely seen anymore because anything approaching that quality is immediately shipped to veneer mills, laid up in sheets and sold for astronomical prices as "architectural grade" paneling. The other thing that makes a piece like the one in John's picture so highly prized is the fact that bird's eye figure is often accompanied by "ugly" dark streaking. So a highly figured piece with a clear maple color is rare.


The big difference between bird's eye and burl is that burl is basically a tight cluster of small knots. Bird's eyes are not knots but an "anomalous" figure in sound wood.


There are so many variations in maple figure that there is some "overlap" and sometimes you will see a piece with very tight swirls sold as "bird's eye" when it really just figured wood.

[Baxter Smith]

.....On the lap marks, you might want to consider wetting the wood with DNA immediately prior to the dye application. It tends to minimize the lap marks. Wiping down with DNA after application helps, too, but it will also pull some dye from the piece.
Thanks for the wetting before tip John. I will give that a try on the next one!

Hi , Baxter would you like another piece of BIRDSEYE
When have I ever turned down a beautiful piece of wood!:D Good to hear from you Kevin! Glad you got to see what happened to some of your wood. The other two pieces are still in "inventory";)!


....So, what are the options with transtint? It seems to me most people apply it in a solution of denatured alcohol, but I guess you can also mix it with your finish? Do you apply it directly onto the raw wood (seems to me that would give a blotchy effect in many cases) or seal it with something first and then add the color? Does an airbrush application have any advantage over just dabbing it on?
Russell, my experience is very limited. I have only tried brushing transtint with water if I am going to be sanding it back, and DNA if I am not. A foam brush seems to apply the dye more evenly than a small bristle/artist brush. I don't have an airbrush though may at somepoint since coverage would be a lot more even. I am not sure it would have worked in this instance without masking off the beads in some way.
I have only applied it directly to raw wood. I added a small/narrow colored ring to a couple of beech bowls yesterday and it is blotchy. If one was to try and color the complete bowl, I don't believe it would look very good. It can be mixed with finishes but haven't tried that yet.

[John W Dixon]

I think I'll just call it beautiful! Nice job Baxter and I love the blue.

[Bill Wyko]

Baxter, you are truly talented my friend. All 3 look amazing. well done sir.

[Joe Landon]

Simply awesome...

[Ted Evans]

Very impressive Baxter, some beautiful wood and I admire your talents in presenting them.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Beautiful work Baxter! Really like how you managed to keep the dye work very clean and surrounded with natural wood! Great effect!

I have to say that your forms keep getting better and better! Looking forward to seeing what you turn next!

[BILL DONAHUE]

Like the others, I am very impressed with this beautiful piece and will have to try transtint soon. Everything about it is terrific and I normally don't like colored woods. One question - what do you mean by the following:

burned the groove with a piece of laminate to try and contain the dye.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks again for all the supportive comments! I appreciate them!

...... One question - what do you mean by the following:

burned the groove with a piece of laminate to try and contain the dye.
Bill, I had read that burning a groove with a wire was a way to control/limit the spread of dye. After I turned the beads on the rim of the platter and recessed the space in between, I needed a way to keep the dye from bleeding into the beads. Using the tip of a skew, I cut a small groove at the edge of each bead. I had some thin scrap laminate used for countertops that I broke into a pointed piece. By holding it in the groove, I was able to slightly burn the groove. The burned groove was a barrier to the spread of dye from the band to the bead.

[Kathy Marshall]

That's a beautiful platter Baxter! Love the blue and how you framed it with natural wood. That's a winner for sure!