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Every year I make an ornament as a give away to friends and family. This year I decided to make tree light bulbs. I used this as for sizing after an internet search. I used the C9 dimensions. I used some 1.25" birch dowel rods that I found at a local surplus store. They were three feet long and I cut them into 7" pieces and got two bulbs from each piece so each dowel yielded 10 bulbs. Somehow I cut a piece off one dowel this Summer and that one one only yielded 8 bulbs. 118 individual bulbs was the final total and I paired most of them together. I ordered 1/2" brass tubing from Grainger. Came in 12" lengths so I set the metal lathe up to cut 1/2" pieces for the thread ends. I sized the wood for a press fit. Goofed up a few and had to glue them on. I cut the thread end of the bulb first which accommodated sizing for the tubing. I have been trying different ways of coloring the wood and think I have found the answer. I used an acrylic ink I found at Pat Catan's. As I brushed it on it penetrated the wood like a dye would. It did raised the grain a bit so I put them back on the lathe after covering the brass with masking tape and lightly knocked it down with pieces of brown paper bag. Here is the ink bottles. I finished them with three back to back coats of shellac. I made and finished them in batches of 24. To keep from having to open the can many times over I have gone to filling a saved soy sauce bottle. I ground the end of a small funnel to fit in the tiny hole in the top. Pour a some into the bottom of a plastic shot glass from the dollar store as needed. Seems to keep the finish fresh a lot longer. The big plus is the convenience of use. I use needle nose pliers and one of the shot glasses to dip and pour the finish into the funnel.
