Something to Say

[Baxter Smith]

This one was the result of seeing a form at a local pizzaparlor that I thought might be fun to try. What I thought I remembered about its proportions (namely that the mouthand base were much wider than normal) resulted in something that didn’t looklike what I remembered at all. When Ilater went back to see the original, I could see my memory wasn’t very accurate.

Another turner hadremarked that it “looks like it has something to say”. I got such a chuckle out of that, I decided ifI ever finished it, both the mouth and the name would have to stay.
“Something to Say”
1 Walnut Vase r.jpg3 Walnut Vase r.jpg4 Walnut Vase r.jpg5 Walnut Vase r.jpg6 Walnut Vase r.jpg
Walnut, 16” tall and wet sanded to 800 with AO. Buffed with Tripoli followed by a coat ofRennasance Wax.
I went with AO for the finish so I could compare it with theWalnut Oil. Any preferences on finish?

7 Pair of Walnut Vases r.jpg
All comments, critiques, wisecracks and jokes are welcome!

[John Beaver]

Really nice Baxter.
That little kiss of sapwood on the rim really sets it off

[Dennis Nagle]

Simply beautiful. Did you turn it green, season, return?

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[kevin nee]

Very nice! Did you buff & wax the larger piece. It looks like the AO has a little more gloss.
How do you compare the feel of walnut oil to the AO. I have copied pieces before only to find
that they were not even close to what I saw. I like the sap wood on the rim.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks John and Charlie.

Simply beautiful. Did you turn it green, season, return?

Thanks Dennis, This one was turned green to finish only a couple days after being cut this spring. It was slinging a lot more water than the big one which had been taken down in the winter. The sap had certainly started to run!

Very nice! Did you buff & wax the larger piece. It looks like the AO has a little more gloss.
How do you compare the feel of walnut oil to the AO. I have copied pieces before only to find
that they were not even close to what I saw. I like the sap wood on the rim.

I buffed both with Tripoli and wax Kevin. The AO has quite a bit more gloss. After a half dozen coats or more, it can get pretty shiny. I have read that the walnut oil can get shiny with enough coats but have yet to achieve it. I will have to get back to you on the perhaps subtle differences to touch. Both are pretty smooth since the pores were filled with wet sanding.
I almost never try and copy something specific I have seen. In this case, the mental note I made about the rim being almost as wide as the form was just so far off.......

[Prashun Patel]

Really beautiful. I thought AO has varnish in it which is why it can build minor sheen - like Danish oil. The walnut oil doesn't dry and form a film, right?

[Dennis Nagle]

Many questions here: what does AO stand for? being new to turning all I read and watch and hear is rough turn, anchor seal or shavings, let it sit a year, then return. So how are you going from a standing tree to that so quickly? Won't it warp. Also, all I hear is don't turn the pith and there you go turning the pith. How do you keep it from cracking from radial drying?

[Michelle Rich]

I like the taller of the two and the flatter finish

[Baxter Smith]

Really beautiful. I thought AO has varnish in it which is why it can build minor sheen - like Danish oil. The walnut oil doesn't dry and form a film, right?

Thanks Prashun. You know a lot more about finishing than I do. I believe the heat treated walnut oil I get from Mike Mahoney will cure in the wood with time and exposure to light. I mixed up a combination of his oil and beeswax to apply as somewhat of a topcoat (just for looks on some bowls) after several days of drying. A couple have developed a somewhat gummy feel after several months that way. It is almost as if the oil is coming back to the surface before it fully cured in the wood. They had to be buffed pretty hard but came out fine. I didn't use the beeswax on the larger vase but did wait for a month before buffing and apply the Ren wax.

Many questions here: what does AO stand for? being new to turning all I read and watch and hear is rough turn, anchor seal or shavings, let it sit a year, then return. So how are you going from a standing tree to that so quickly? Won't it warp. Also, all I hear is don't turn the pith and there you go turning the pith. How do you keep it from cracking from radial drying?

AO stands for Antigue Oil finsh made by Minwax. Comes in a Red Can. Around here, about the only place that carries it are the Ace Hardware affiliates. A pretty forgiving finish that can be reapplied. The level of gloss is pretty much determined by how many coats you put on.
If you don't mind warping, a lot of woods can be turned to about 3/8" or under then dried slowly without developing cracks. They won't be perfectly round but as long as they don't need a fitted lid they work. I used a large double layer leaf bag for these and gave them several months in it to gradually dry out before final sanding. The big one went from a little over 5 1/2 pounds down to about 4 in that time.
The pith on these were centered in either end. It gets removed on the top of the vase and turned to a fairly thin thickness on the bottom. I also soaked the pith on the bottom with some thin CA on the inside of the vase and on the small tenon that was left outside while drying. Because the pith is centered on these there is minimal distortion as the shrinkage is pretty even all the way around.(except where the heartwood and sapwood come into play as on the taller one). End grain forms which are taken from the side of the pith and its not included become oval but often survive. I have done several oak pieces this way. I have yet to try the oak and leave the pith.

I like the taller of the two and the flatter finish

Me too. I should know better than to trust what I think I remember.

[bob svoboda]

Nicely done, Baxter.

[Dennis Nagle]

Thanks Baxter. I like the idea of soaking the pith in CA. I was thinking about using thinned West system epoxy just 'cus I still have a lot from my sailing days.

[Eric Gourieux]

Baxter,
I like the traditional form of the larger piece, but the smaller of the two has a more quirky look to it that I like. Of the two, the larger one appeals to me more. But, again, I'm also drawn to the smaller one due to that quirky look. As far as finish, I lean more toward the flat finish. Nicely done.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful Baxter. Love the sap wood contrast.

[Kathy Marshall]

Very nice Baxter! The sapwood accents add a nice touch, especially around the rim. I like them both and would have a hard time picking a favorite.