Yard Work

Here's how I spent the last weekend. A before and after picture. Just making room for the new shop.

For those of you not here in PDX, here's where I get my live music when I'm on the computer, http://www.kink.fm/ Have a listen.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Jewelry Class

Here is an ornament that I made in the class. It is so shiny that I had trouble with the pictures. The flash made the piece too bright, and if I got directly overhead, you could see the camera in the picture. The process involves cutting the initial hole in the base metal, using that to define the shape for the insert, then cutting a filling that fits perfectly (almost). Actually you use a small hammer and stretch the metal to fill and spaces where the piece doesn't quit fit. After the insert is in the hole solidly with minimal gaps, you get to solder it in. This is solder that melts about 1400 degrees. With each insert you use slightly cooler solder, so you don't melt the previous solder.

Pen Blanks & The Wood Tool Show

We just had the wood tool show here in PDX, and while there was a lot of stuff available, it did not seem to be as large as last year. The only thing I bought was a few pen blanks to try out.

I watched a few demos, and drooled over a few new machines, but as I don't (yet) have the space for them, I went on by. Often the prices are better than in the store, especially the stuff that they are demonstrating. The demonstrators always make it look so easy, too. There are a few gadgets I'd like to get, but there will be other opportunities. Whether it was worth the cost to get there and get in? Well, I think so. Even just to look at the work by the separate clubs was worth the price. I did get to look at some unique woods, and see how some of the tools compare to each other too. So it will be with a shopping list next year. And a truck.

Enjoy, but be careful of the splinters.

Jewelry

HI y'all. I've been semi-busy, or shall I say to lazy to post. I've just taken some pictures of my latest projects, a broach, a box, a Halloween decoration and a Santa.

Lets start with the broach. I'm taking a jewelry making class at Clackamas CC and this is the first project. We take our design and cut out the 'see-through' sections with a jeweler's saw. The trick is to only use 1 or 2 'ought' blades. Step two is to cut the backing piece to fit behind the decorative part. After shaping, we use hard solder and attach a loop of copper wire to the back, which becomes the pin to attach it to a bag or blouse. The we rivet the 2 layers together. The backing on mine is copper and the front is brass. The holes for the rivets are drilled with a #58 drill, which 18 gauge wire fits in perfectly. By cutting the wire slightly longer than the hole, you can tap the wire to mushroom the ends (yes there are tricks). Well I broke the drill bit, I oversized a hole, the pieces don't match as well as I would like, but it is great to make something like this. I didn't quit the class.

Another project is the attached box. This box will be auctioned off at work near Christmas to raise money to help pay for the Holiday party. The woods are Myrtal wood, Purple heart and a spalted something for the top. I used 1/8" Baltic birch ply for the bottom. I left these images large.

Project 3 is a carved Santa, as yet unfinished.

Project 4 is the Halloween decoration. Made from fir (a common 4x4) turned, carved and painted by me. This one took 3 years to complete.

Mechanical Artist Pencils

Here are 2 pencils I turned this last weekend. One is from an acrylic whose colored name is Fire and Ice. The other is from a piece of spalted wood. Each style of material has its own features and drawbacks. The acrylic pencil is for my daughter, the wood for myself.


The bore I drilled for the brass tube was 29/64, which is pretty big. I then ran sandpaper through the bore to enlarge it slightly, as the tube itself was about a hundredth larger than 29/64. I had to start with a 3/4 inch square block, no cheating on the size like I do with the 7mm stuff. Neither was difficult to turn, and I started with a roughing gouge and then switched to a skew for both pencils. The whole process took less than 2 hours, including time to epoxy the tubes in the holes I drilled and resharpening the skew. Very satisfying.

Enjoy, but be careful of the splinters.

Still more pens

I turned two new pens tonight, both 7mm American Slimline Twist. One is from Myrtal Wood for my boss, the other is from a branch of something my sister gave me (I think). I also turned a bottle stopper, but forgot to take a picture. I gave the pens a little weight as I knew they would be used by men. I need to make my own center band so I may try taking a jewelry class this winter to try and get a taste for working with metal. The alternate is to turn the band from wood or acrylic.

I picked up some resin to try pouring my own blanks, as it does add a different aspect to the pen making. The store was out of catalyst, but I'm not in a hurry anyway.

Had the power company stop by today to look at our house to help determine if I need to increase my feeder size for the shop. Maybe not, I can only hope, as this would be about 1/3 of the shop price.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Apple Figure

This project is a piece of an apple tree I got from a friend. I hollowed it out, simply to allow the wood to dry when I nuked it. The color is great. I would have liked to done a better job on the interior, but I was trying to save as much of the exterior as I could. The piece was part of a burl he took from where they had been trimming the branches off, for years.

Enjoy.