Last One I think

[Steve Russell tucker]

Hello once more , This is my first rimmed bowl I had tons of fun with it , I hope to get better at it Have a great day and thanks for looking 338607338608 Its cherry ...Its always cherry :) I mixed some beeswax with BLO and then a couple coats of shellac on top it has a really cool feel to it . Thanks again for putting up with my inferior skills.

[daryl moses]

Looks good, I like the shape of it. Perhaps a little thinner rim next time?
You did better on the sanding, finishing part on this one.:)

[David Delo]

I agree with Daryl's comments. Looks like your having fun and making progress.

[Allan Ferguson]

You are getting there. Have fun.

[Tim Boger]

Beautiful bowl, well done.

Do I understand correctly that you applied Shellac over the Beeswax and BLO mix?

Don't sound right to me, I'm no finishing expert and hope to get some more opinions here.

Hello once more , This is my first rimmed bowl I had tons of fun with it , I hope to get better at it Have a great day and thanks for looking 338607338608 Its cherry ...Its always cherry :) I mixed some beeswax with BLO and then a couple coats of shellac on top it has a really cool feel to it . Thanks again for putting up with my inferior skills.

[John K Jordan]

I like the little raised rim on top - I like to do that on some of my platters and bowls too.

This is not meant as criticism, but these photos look a little out of focus. Are you using an auto focus camera? Maybe the issue is not enough light which can make focusing more difficult.

If you are ever interested, I (and others) can give you hints on better photos to better show off your work. For example, for almost zero $$ you can make a simple photo diffusing cube that will help a lot with photos, make focusing easier, improve color balance, provide a clean background, and give good shadows too! (this is a bit of a hobby for me and was part of a past career!)

JKJ

[Steve Russell tucker]

Mr. Jordan I would welcome any and all advice or tips from you sir !, as for the camera these are all cell phone pics ...I know I know....I have a professional photographer friend that I am building a baby cradle for in return she is going to take some real worth while pictures for me but I would still love to know anything to help with future pics . thanks again all of you for the input I am grateful

[George Conklin]

Hi Steve,

Your "inferior skills " don't look so inferior to me!

I appreciate you sharing these pictures with us:).

[John K Jordan]

Mr. Jordan I would welcome any and all advice or tips from you sir !, as for the camera these are all cell phone pics ...I know I know....I have a professional photographer friend that I am building a baby cradle for in return she is going to take some real worth while pictures for me but I would still love to know anything to help with future pics . thanks again all of you for the input I am grateful

I'll try to write up something in the next couple of days. Some cell phone cameras are better than others (I actually had a magazine cover published with a cell phone picture) but the amount of light is sometimes critical for good focus - some cameras need more light or they simply can't autofocus. And unfortunately cell phones cannot always be focused manually.

You might try an experiment with the same bowl - position one or two bright lights to the side and in front of the bowl and try a test shot. See if that focuses better.

I really like these lights for photos - the color temperature is close to daylight and they are plenty bright. I use both the 85w (equiv) bulbs and these 65w:
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-3078-Professional-Fluorescent-Spectrum/dp/B000UCKP8U
I put them in small swing arm fixtures so they can easily be positioned for the best picture.

You don't need a $2000 camera to get good shots. But someday you might want to pick up a compact Canon or other point-and-shoot camera to use instead of the cell phone. These can take incredibly good photos. I would get one with a tripod socket to eliminate a big potential source of blurry photos.

As you do more and more interesting work you want to be able to show it off! Also, a sharp, clear photo can help others see issues better and help you if you are interested in that.

JKJ

[William C Rogers]

Steve your work is very nice. Like the bowl and detail and cherry is one of my favorites.

[Steve Russell tucker]

Yes Sir I did the shellac over beeswax and BLO was that wrong? I didn't know ... is it dangerous ? I would also like to hear from anyone on that subject I'm far from a finishing expert myself I have just been experimenting with some different stuff and keeping my fingers crossed thanks again for the insight I appreciate it

[robert baccus]

I think I would reverse the order of your finishing materials.. Nothing likes to adhere to waxes. Very nicelooking bowl and wood.

[Jamie Straw]

I'm far from an expert also, but shellac is most famous for it ability to be an undercoat for virtually any finish (especially if you use dewaxed shellac). It can be used on blotch-prone woods such as pine or alder to even out subsequent stain application (commercial "wood conditioner"). Part 5 of this book by Jeff Jewitt (http://www.amazon.com/Tauntons-Complete-Illustrated-Guide-Finishing/dp/1561585920/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465186407&sr=1-2&keywords=jeff+jewitt+finishing)helped me understand finishes better, years ago. Unfortunately, I've forgotten almost all of it! Of course, shellac can also be a final finish, albeit not a particularly sturdy one compared to our modern finishes.

[Aaron Craven]

...Nothing likes to adhere to waxes...

That is my understanding as well, though if anything would, it would be shellac. The old adage is that shellac sticks to anything and anything sticks to shellac.

A very common "friction polish" is generally a combination of oil (usually BLO), shellac, and denatured alcohol. Look up "shine juice" for info on how to make it (Cap'n Eddie has a good video on it). If you prefer to buy, I used one produced by Doctor's Woodshop that uses Walnut oil for a while. You can topcoat with wax on this, but it doesn't really seem to add much to the finish IMO.

I've tried a number of finishes and so far my favorites are simple oil finishes (usually either Mahoney's walnut oil or TY Utility Finish), wipe-on polyurethane (if I want a glossy finish), or CA (mainly just for pens). On occasion, I'll start with oil, then realize I wan't a glossier finish, so I'll let the oil cure for a couple of weeks and then top with poly. I've yet to experiment with lacquer, but it seems many like it as well for a quick durable finish.

[Steve Russell tucker]

Yes Sir ,It seemed to work out ok on this bowl anyway ,I have another bowl posted that I used OB's shine juice on I like it a lot but I guess I'm partial to thick glossy finishes,I have not tried walnut oil yet but I will look into that asap ,Thank you for the advice all of you this is exactly why I love this site!

[Aaron Craven]

Yes Sir ,It seemed to work out ok on this bowl anyway ,I have another bowl posted that I used OB's shine juice on I like it a lot but I guess I'm partial to thick glossy finishes,I have not tried walnut oil yet but I will look into that asap ,Thank you for the advice all of you this is exactly why I love this site!

Walnut oil takes a while to cure because it doesn't contain the metallic driers they put in BLO, but it's very nice. If you want something that cures in a similar amount of time as BLO, look at the TY utility finish (search for TY Fine Furniture). It acts much like BLO (the primary ingredient is polymerized linseed oil), but smells better and is made with food grade oils and no metallic driers. It's theoretically safe to drink (though I don't think drinking oil would be much fun).

[Prashun Patel]

Steve-
Nicely done.
+1 on Daryl's C&C.

Nicely done on the inside of the bowl.