Just pulled this off the lathe. Walnut is just the most amazing wood to me, the grain in walnut is always different and always spectacular IMO. Tried a new finishing technique(to me) on this piece. Left it spinning on the lathe and applied tung oil with a foam brush. That allows a wet heavy coat with no drips or sags. It's a technique I'll be using again I'm sure. This piece is 13" tall and about 7" major diameter. It's a pretty consistent 1/4" thick.  

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

Just realized i didn't take a picture of the top, it's hollowed through 1-3/4" hole if I remember correctly.

 

 

Absolutely Gorgeous!

 

I agree about walnut. It is an awesome wood. Too bad folks around here use it for firewood! Many of our roads and farmer's fields are lined with walnut trees that have been planted by the squirrels.

 

Did you use a grain/pore filler? I can never get my turnings that smooth or maybe I'm just not applying sufficient layers of finish.

I have worked with wood filler a lot in my younger days when it was oil based and the newer is probably worked about the same for an equally good effect.

  I started with a very thick, not runny, solution. Apply it to what ever then use your bare hands to work the filler into the grain on small items. On larger surfaces a good flexible plastic spreader is good. Keep working it till it starts to thicken and don't try to clean much off until it has set up an hour or so. Its not necessary to clean off the excess till tomorrow of the next day. Most all the excess I removed with my hands and at the same time I was working the filler in any pores not yet filled..

    Since it was oil base I would not mess with it for at least one full day and night. I would then shoot a clear coat of lacquer. I could tell if another filler coat was needed after the lacquer set up. 

There might be problems if one has to brush or wipe on the clear finish.

I'm gonna steal that...

Beautiful Steve.  That piece of wood should be happy it came into your possession.

2 hours ago, lew said:

Absolutely Gorgeous!

 

I agree about walnut. It is an awesome wood. Too bad folks around here use it for firewood! Many of our roads and farmer's fields are lined with walnut trees that have been planted by the squirrels.

 

Did you use a grain/pore filler? I can never get my turnings that smooth or maybe I'm just not applying sufficient layers of finish.

Lew, amazing to me too that people burn walnut,  this piece definitely would have gone that way if I hadn't got lucky enough to get it. It is three coats of tung oil, period. I was pretty surprised it filled the grain like it did. It is a high quality oil, Sutherland Welles high luster, and not cheap. I really like the technique of applying the finish while spinning but I think my lathe is just a little fast at lowest speed which is 48rpm. I'm told 10-20 rpm is ideal. The other downside is, it ties the lathe up until the finish is set enough it won't run, about 3 hours.

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

I saw some pictures someplace where a turner set up a grill rotisserie motor for applying finish. He made a special stand that held the motor and it was adjustable. I'll have to see if I can track that down.

 

Thanks for the video. Wish my lathe turned that slow.

1 hour ago, lew said:

I saw some pictures someplace where a turner set up a grill rotisserie motor for applying finish.

 

William Young was talking about doing that and I suggested he use a drill he already had and then it would be variable speed.  Here is a video of what he made up for it.

 

 

 

Steve that is a great looking piece. I have not done on lathe finish but have used tung oil. It is great on porous woods but i did not care for it on cherry.

Lew I guess we are going to have to make a trip for firewood.

51 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

 

William Young was talking about doing that and I suggested he use a drill he already had and then it would be variable speed.  Here is a video of what he made up for it.

 

 

 

That'll Work!

 

Here's a link to something similar to what I had read about-

http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-finishing-rotisserie

 

 

Here's the one I saw although not this particular article. On page 3 of the PDF-

http://www.bwwt.us/uploads/7/0/5/0/70504979/july_2017_bwwt.pdf

Edited November 25, 20178 yr by lew

The first one shows the rotisserie carrying the weight.  Not a good idea. 

Thanks for all the ideas guys, a rotisserie motor seems the way to go.

 

Steve

Absolutely gorgeous Steve.

The grain with the finish is unbelievably deep.

Did you rub out the TO between coats?

26 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Did you rub out the TO between coats?

Hi Dave, thanks. I sanded between coats with 1000 grit paper. I had some air bubbles that were giving me fits, on a hunch I hit it with  a heat gun while it was spinning and that really seemed to help.

 

Steve

Very nice.

That is absolutely beautiful Steve.  A year or so ago I was hunting a project I could do with an old ceiling fan motor.  That might be too fast though...

Cal