Stress Test Result and earlier bowls

[Hilel Salomon]

Hi Folks,
Passed my stress test w/flying colors. I have had many of these since my heart attacks in 1994 and usually I stay in very good shape, but I had a bad feeling about this one. Can't complain as I wound up in the top 5% of my age bracket. Thanks so much for all of your good wishes. I can't tell you how touched I was.
Anyway, before I left for VA in Sept. I had made a few bowls and am including them below. I'm not fishing for compliments as I can't even begin to compare these with the things that Bernie, Leo and Steve (in alphabetical order) and others in this forum can create. Did want to let you know that I'm constantly trying.
The first one (two pics) comes from trying to use liquid dish detergent. It wound up bleaching some parts;
second bowl is spalted elm and the third one is spalted and beetle eaten soft maple.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Well that is good news Hilel. Now we can both say we passed. I don't know why your bowls wouldn't compare. Those are some beauties Hilel. I really like the first one. Is that one cedar Hilel? Anyway what type of finish did you use one them. Well done on all three. Keep'em coming.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Hilel - Congrats on passing the stress test! Did you have to study for a long time? Hope this means you have many - many - more years of turning and tool collecting!

I like the bowls! Really like the form of the dish soap bowl and really like the markings on the spalted elm! Nice work! Hope you have scheduled lots more time in the shop! Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

[Von Bickley]

Hilel,

Glad that you did well on your stress test. Do you have your test in SC or VA. I have been getting one every year since 1996. No fun at all....:)

[Paul Gallian]

I wish my own test would be as good as yours. I have to be consistent with exercise, diet, and all the other things.....

Beautiful bowls....

Praying for your good health in the future.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Hilel, great looking bowls. And, I'm glad you performed well for the stress test. I get to see too much of those that didn't pass their stress tests at work (acute cardiology unit). Nice looking bowls too. I especially like the spalting on the sapwood of the second bowl. You have a PM....

[Clara Koss]

congratulations on passing the stress test... i've had a couple and i think they are making them harder!!!! hospitals seem to need the work!!!! great bowls... keep posting... did you get to eat out in the sukkah????:p

[Norm Zax]

Well done Hilel, on both the test and the bowls? Do doctors count WT towards recommended exercise? If they dont, they should. Keeps the alpha waves churning, thats for sure.

[Hilel Salomon]

Thank you all for your kind words. I'll try to answer the questions in some order, but that's a word fairly alien to me.
Bernie, I have no rhyme or reason to the finishes I use. I will sometimes use Watco ,waterlox, teak oil, minwax antique oil or BLO in no particular order and sometimes in combinations. I wish I could remember what I used on the maple because it is very shiny and smooth. Hopefully I'll blunder into it again and write it down. I'd also like to master the Bealle system. The little bowl isn't cedar but cherry soaked in dishwashing liquid detergent, which left the cedar like markings.
Von, I had my test in SC, though I need to find a group in VA in case???
The truth is that the best part of the stress test is the test itself, with the worst part the waiting (7.5 hours for a total of 45 minutes of actual testing).
I used to be a marathon runner, loved the treadmill and in SC really like and use an ellyptical trainer.
Clara, I never did get to eat under the Sukka, but fasted on Yom Kippur, and ate like two horses thereafter.
Norm, I tried talking my cardiologist into declaring all the equipment as medical expenses. Turning really is therapeutic. Incidentally, I did get to declare (many years ago) my ellyptic machine as a legitimate medical expense. Compared to the two years membership in the hospital training facilities, which the doctors were ready to prescribe, the deduction for my machine was reasonable.
Well, I'll soon post some of my VA turnings-equally mediocre-and as soon as I finish some flatwork here, I'll start turning again.
Thanks again to ALL OF YOU
Hilel.