April 30, 20179 yr Popular Post Here are some more pictures of yesterdays work in the shop , besides the ones I posted in "Friday April 28 Agenda" thread. We took 253 pictures in all, so here is another fist full. Herb Edited December 6, 20178 yr by Ron Dudelston tags added
April 30, 20179 yr Wow Herb...that is electrifying almost revolting one might even say. I can tell you this, "you are far more daring than I!" The results are truly beyond description though! I can't wait to see these sanded out and finished. Thanks for taking the risk and time to take and post all the pictures...Too cool!
April 30, 20179 yr That is very neat the way you wrapped the burn on the corners. I can see it was just a burned up day
April 30, 20179 yr Author Popular Post 5 minutes ago, Ron Altier said: How long does it take to burn an inch? Ron ,it burns at different rates, but i would guess average about 5-10 sec. One of those tissue boxes took a total of 3-4min. To answer some questions, I bought a burner from Conestoga Works - Lichtenberg Figure Wood Burners 2017. I didn't want to build my own because I only know the basics about electricity and when it comes to high voltage (12000v.) there is no room for mistakes. In addition, this has a higher voltage output than the microwave transformers, I understand. Grandpadave52, I am experimenting with the finishing. The ones I did for Christmas presents I fine sanded them back to the original wood color,as the electrolyte solution of baking soda in combination with the burning gives a weather beaten color to the wood. It also raises the grain. But it loses some of the fine figuring by sanding. I am going to try vinegar and a water rinse and see if that works. Will update that later. There is a ton of information on the Internet about Lichtenburg Figure Wood Burning. I have noted that are 3 types of paths that the burning takes and they seem to be unpredictable,and depending on the absorption of the electrolyte solution. 1. What I call the lighting bolt type that looks like the the lightening in the night sky. 2. The Vegetation type that looks like a tree branch, or weathered scrub tree or shrub. And 3. A variation of the two above,resembling more of a vine. The grain seems to dictate what it does,although on the same board all can appear. Different woods act differently, my favorites are ,Oak and Tennessee aromatic Cedar I have tried,Peruvian walnut, white oak, poplar, aromatic cedar, Spanish cedar, spalted western maple, unspalted western maple,mahogany, beech, BB plywood,luan plywood, Glad you enjoyed, H
May 1, 20179 yr I love the look after burning. I have been looking at a lot of this lately. How hard is it to do?
May 1, 20179 yr 3 hours ago, Dadio said: Glad you enjoyed, Most certainly...Thanks for the response...you also answered a question I forgot to ask about the wash solution...you probably already have, but you might want to try the white vinegar/water solution on un-burned or a scrap of burned just to see how much if any it will bleach the wood or the effect it might have on the burning...wouldn't want to ruin any of these beauties. I failed to mention again how cool your wooden hinges are...I always enjoying seeing your projects when those are included.
May 1, 20179 yr Author Popular Post 10 hours ago, RustyFN said: I love the look after burning. I have been looking at a lot of this lately. How hard is it to do? Rusty, it is a no brainer ,that is why I do it. heh,heh All a person has to do is be careful dealing with high voltage (12000 v.) and use all the safety precautions. I stand on a rubber mat. I wear heavy rubber gloves Unplug the transformer when not actually burning. it has a deadmans pedal switch for burning. Use a nonconductive workbench. keep all metal tools and clamps away from workpiece. I don't wear any jewelry or watch while operating it. It is recommended to have another person present while burning for safety reasons, (the picture taker) The actual burning is up to the operators creativity. Just stand there and hold the probes and watch the burn. Afterwhile You start trying different things to try and control how the paths form. It has a mind of it's own,and does what it's little heart desires. You find that it wants to generally follow the direction of the grain. It will go cross grain,but prefers not to. Once the two paths connect,it is done,it will just sit and burn and not expand. I have experimented by painting with an artists brush a path to form a figure and do a controlled burn, but it only partially followed the path.. I think it looks better doing it's own natural thing. The operator can control the starting point and the ending point though, which can influence the overall design. The tissue boxes I did for Christmas were a big hit with the relatives. I have a presentation to do at our local WW club at the end of the month so I am preparing for that. It is fun,and interesting, but stinks up the shop, cross ventilation is a must. Herb
May 2, 20179 yr Author Popular Post As an update, I did a dilute vinegar rinse on the oak and and the red cedar and it seemed to work to remove the stain around the burn. But the whole thing has a slightly different color, a little less red on the cedar than the top, but it is so slight that it is not too noticeable. The Oak seems a little grayer. There must be something in the oak and cedar that reacts with the process. The maple and poplar don't seem to discolor. I did a light hand sand with 220 g. and it smoothed up nicely and didn't seem to remove any detail of the burn. On the maple and poplar I am sealing with shellac first ,then lightly sanding the nubs. Herb.
May 5, 20179 yr On 5/1/2017 at 9:19 AM, Dadio said: . It has a mind of it's own,and does what it's little heart desires. Obviously a female! Love the effect, but I'm too cautious to play with high voltage electricity. John
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