Spalted Pecan--a special bowl

[David Hill]

Not long ago I was asked if I would donate one of my "creations" as a silent auction item for a little fella (son of one of my daughter's teammates & friend) who was diagnosed with a lymphoma--he's all of 2.
Anyway, I had a Pecan blank that was spalted & pretty punky that I'd started on and wasn't sure that I'd have enough left to make bowl after shaping, smoothing, reinforcing (CA of course), sanding, and smoothing & oh--did I mention sanding? Didn't realize that Pecan was as subject to grubs--now I know, had a lot of inlay to do. Chose the blue because of the contrast, think it turned out well. It was such an imperfect piece of wood for a perfect cause.
Looks nice--but I'm my own toughest critic. Still has a small rough spot or two and I'm still learning how to fill other defects that turquoise just isn't the right medium all the time--live & learn
Bowl is 11.5 x 4.5 inches, finish is poly. (As a side, believe that I'll start using sanding sealer--'cuz spalted Pecan sure "drinks" the finish.

[John Keeton]

Nice bowl and great cause! You might try coffee grounds as a filler. I don't personally care for turquoise, though many do. The coffee grounds blend with the wood and merely look like dark inclusions. They turn, sand and finish well, too.

[Frederick Skelly]

That's beautiful, David!

You folks keep showing me work like this and I'm gonna wind up buying a lathe. I've been trying to avoid that (still have Neanderthal hand tools I need)!

Fred

[Tom Albrecht]

Nice bowl and great cause! You might try coffee grounds as a filler. I don't personally care for turquoise, though many do. The coffee grounds blend with the wood and merely look like dark inclusions. They turn, sand and finish well, too.

Whoa! Coffee Grounds? Never heard or thought of that--- That's interesting-- seriously. Would that be a really fine grind, like espresso? And what would you recommend as a binder, epoxy?

[John Keeton]

Whoa! Coffee Grounds? Never heard or thought of that--- That's interesting-- seriously. Would that be a really fine grind, like espresso? And what would you recommend as a binder, epoxy?

Tom, coffee grounds are pretty commonly used. I use whatever is left over every morning - Costco Columbian, usually!😄 I use Titebond, but a lot of folks use CA or epoxy. I find the Titebond is thin enough that I can pack it in tightly and it holds well. Try to mound it proud of the surface and turn off the excess. A second application might be needed to fill a bit.

[David Hill]

Update on the bowl--it seems that it "called" to some folks---brought $600 for the family and cause.

As for fillers, I figure that if I'm going to "help" the wood, it might as well stand out. ​I have used sawdust, glitter, other minerals as well.
Guess it's just a matter of preference.

[Robert Marshall]

And the nice thing is, it smells like coffee when you sand it!