Chip Sutherland
04-06-2013, 11:13 AM
Okay...this is a participation opportunity. I am working on this piece of silver maple. This is part of the trunk of a tree that came down in a micro-burst...the actual tornado dropped about a mile away. This piece is 8"w x 8" h about 5 yrs old and dry. No figure has been found in this piece yet just staining and some spalting.
Dilemma - whether to finish this with mineral oil or dye it. If dyed, what dye options? IMO, historically, blue dye on this heartwood is kinda ugly. I have the three primary colors and black so I can mix different shades.
The wood in these pictures was wetted with DNA to show what the piece really looks like on one side and the opposing side. There is a large spot of heartwood. You can still see the growth rings thru the gray staining. I have cut a line at the top for the bowl rim, the wood above (if you turn your head) the line will be removed; it is not stable enough to keep
Style - I started out with a ceremonial bowl concept but won't know until I turn it around and start playing with the rim thickness. It's kinda of large/tall for ceremonial bowl but whatever. It has a nice shape already for a calabash-style bowl but I don't recall the Hawaiians coloring their bowls.
259151259152
For today, I will complete sanding the outside, turn it around and start to hollow it out. Let's see how many folks are wood purists and how many are colorists......:cool:
REPLY WITH YOUR OPINION.
Dilemma - whether to finish this with mineral oil or dye it. If dyed, what dye options? IMO, historically, blue dye on this heartwood is kinda ugly. I have the three primary colors and black so I can mix different shades.
The wood in these pictures was wetted with DNA to show what the piece really looks like on one side and the opposing side. There is a large spot of heartwood. You can still see the growth rings thru the gray staining. I have cut a line at the top for the bowl rim, the wood above (if you turn your head) the line will be removed; it is not stable enough to keep
Style - I started out with a ceremonial bowl concept but won't know until I turn it around and start playing with the rim thickness. It's kinda of large/tall for ceremonial bowl but whatever. It has a nice shape already for a calabash-style bowl but I don't recall the Hawaiians coloring their bowls.
259151259152
For today, I will complete sanding the outside, turn it around and start to hollow it out. Let's see how many folks are wood purists and how many are colorists......:cool:
REPLY WITH YOUR OPINION.