Bentwood bangles

[Maria Alvarado]

Hi, I wasn’t sure where to put these, but here goes. I have been playing with laminated veneer rings and bracelets with some nice figured veneers. Staring to get the hang of it, put the first coat of wiping varnish on. I think they are going to turn out pretty well. I used flex CA to glue, they are 4 laminations thick which allows a fair bit of spring. These veneers were sprayed with softener before bending, though boiling/steaming works for some. I created several sizes of oval forms from pine. Left to right, Mappa burl, pepperwood, elm burl, amboyna and elm, amboyna and walnut, cluster elm burl.

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As always, comments/critiques welcome.

[Mel Fulks]

All are pretty, but those two tortoise shell ones are super! And I’m pretty sure the tortoises will not claim “patent infringement “!

[Mark Rainey]

Natural and unique Maria! I have not used flex CA glue in bent laminations...what are the advantages?

[Maria Alvarado]

Natural and unique Maria! I have not used flex CA glue in bent laminations...what are the advantages?

Thanks, Mark. I don’t think there is a particular advantage to the flex CA in this application. I had been making rings using it for the improved water resistance and as a finish that will resist cracking (at least as compared to regular CA finish). But I decided to use the varnish and they are less likely to get wet, so your favorite wood glue would probably be just fine.

[Jim Becker]

This is absolutely the correct place to post this and those are...beautiful.

[Thomas Wilson]

I am glad to see you were able to wrap your brain around this project, Dr. Alvarado.

[Maria Alvarado]

I am glad to see you were able to wrap your brain around this project, Dr. Alvarado.

LOL! They were a real mind bender 😂

[Jim Tobias]

Very Nice!!

Jim

[David Utterback]

Very, very nice. Thanks for sharing

[Mike Null]

Those are, indeed, beautiful! Thank you for posting.

[Lee Schierer]

Exceptional work and very different. It certainly makes each one, one of a kind. It would be interesting to learn how they hold up to actual use over time. Keep us informed if you can.

[Maria Alvarado]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. They are a nice size to show of the bling of the wood grain, and the shapes can be targeted to anyone’s taste.

[Christopher Charles]

Beautiful work. Are they four layers of commercial veneer?

[Maria Alvarado]

Beautiful work. Are they four layers of commercial veneer?

Thanks Chris. There is some variation in the thickness between species, but yes, standard thicknesses. This bunch I got from veneersupplies.com. I also have some Sauers veneer hobby packs. 4-5 layers worked for me. I’ve seen some where the person was aiming for 1/8” final thickness which needed 5-6. One of these came out a bit too flimsy, but I was able to add another layer on the inside surface, and used that same trick to tighten the shape of another. Hope you give them a try!