I bought a 3x3x12" piece from woodcraft(normally $60 on sale for $30.) I skimmed a few 1/8" pieces off of the sides to use for scales.Quote:
Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY
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I bought a 3x3x12" piece from woodcraft(normally $60 on sale for $30.) I skimmed a few 1/8" pieces off of the sides to use for scales.Quote:
Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY
Attachment 249019
I'm still waiting on my next shavemac knot to arrive, which is ironic because my Chinese one got here in less than a week this time. This is the stabilized buckeye burl.
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Nice !
Shavemac in buckeye burl should be a sweet brush!
Ok I decided to take a break from studying and get this next shavemac finished up. Ironically this time around my Chinese knot showed up in less than a week, and the shavemac took almost a month. Stabilized buckeye burl, 30mm d01 two band fan shape. Thanks for the finishing tips Andrew, this one turned out stellar!
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Oh yea, if any fellow brush makers are interested in buckeye burl, I have a lot right now!
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Ok, help please. When I went to bed last night, this brush was flawless. Now, this. And it's all glued up already. This learning curve is doing numbers on me!
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It's called crazing. What did you finish it with?
Beautiful brush by the way...
Good looking brush.
When you say stabilized, do you mean really stabalized like from K&G , or do you mean soaked under vac at home?
I assume you are talking about the crackle finish... Looks like finish on top of the wood, before the wood/vac finish was dry to me .. not sure. Interested to hear whats going on there.
Thanks, I'm very pleased minus the crazing. I used Ca glue. The little research I've done on some pen turning forums may have shed light on the issue. Extreme cold. It was barely above freezing yesterday when I finished it... does this mean I can't make brushes all winter? I could use an alternative finish, but I love the way ca looks when it's done right...Quote:
Originally Posted by Panama60
The stabilizer was done by me in a home vacuum chamber. I used cactus juice, which gets baked in the oven for several hours. It was done several weeks ago, so I don't think that was the issue. From what I've read, it is likely from being applied outside at near freezing temps.Quote:
Originally Posted by AKmik
Crazing can be a desired finish. I actually kinda like it, but I know what you're going for. You might start thinking about a way
to create a temperature controlled environment.
Honestly I don't really mind it, but it was a surprise so I was kinda bummed. My biggest fear is whether or not it will still protect wood from water during use. As far as a temperature controlled environment, I won't be able to do that until I buy my own house, which is at least a year out. Thanks for the input guys, maybe I'll do danish oil next time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Panama60
CA does make a nice glass like finish on pens, and scales. Never used it on a brush though personally. That's a good looking turn sir, nice handle.
Did you use an accelerator to speed the cure?
Acetone wiped while spinning will blend that out again, but will necessitate more coats being applied. Can wrap the knot in masking tape to protect it, and the brush while you rechuck.
Maybe a heat lamp in the shop aimed at the lathe will allow you to work into the colder temps?
Had to move my wood working stuff into the basement from the garage for the same reasons.
Love winter, hate the cold though, lol.
Because I'm a college student my options are limited. My lathe is on the front porch, so I don't really have optimal conditions. I might try the acetone to blend and refinish, but maybe when this cold snap passes. Thanks for the encouragement guys, it means a lot to know that some of you more experienced guys like my stuff. Mike what finish do you normally do on brushes. I'll be at woodcraft tomorrow for a bowl turning class and could try something new. I currently only have ca and danish oil.
Crazing will allow moisture to get to the wood, darkening it in the same pattern as the craze, but not evenly.
I once lost a job at a tile shop for explaining this very thing to the home owner. I can't look at a crazed finish
without thinking of that tile shop...oh well. Best of luck, buddy!
For me, urethane's, tru oil, and friction pastes have been my preferred finish choices.
Tru oil on the non oily woods, urethane's or pastes on the oily ones.
Danish oils always a good finish as well.
Seems the oils take longest, but are the longest lasting as well.
Go figure,,
What pastes should I look for? I will be doing a lot of cocobolo and lignum vitae.
I use Shellawax cream, and General turners finish, both with good results. I get them at LeeValley. General's seemed slightly easier to get good at. Shellawax is a bit trickier to get the right technique between application and removal.
I also use a 2 bar type polish wax (hut PPP) designed for pens on handles without beads or grooves in their design with good results.
I always got great results from a 2 part epoxy finish, parks super glaze is the brand. I made a turning machine from an old water softener timer, mount the brush on the bottom of the knot hole. It turns at 1 rpm and works great. No runs on the finish, and usually 1 or 2 coats.Attachment 251710
Gotcha.. It seems figured out, cold temps applied CA and then once it warmed up it crazed. Yeah Im on the no CA train as well. I have it in the shop but I try to avoid it as a finish. I will try on a brush or two at some point. But I prefer waterlox or tru oil by far. Then for the oily exotic woods like coco, or African blackwood I soak in teak oil.Quote:
Originally Posted by prodigy
Yeah man cactus juice and the home stabilizing bit leaves much to be desired. I went down that rabbit hole years ago for my knife work, spent a bunch of cash on several different attempts and all were just mehh. I have stacks of cactus juice stabilized material as well from a pro who does it full time, and that is just alright as far as I'm concerned. still absorbs water, will still warp, and still needs a finish. I use waterlox over that and it turns out great.
Here's a piece coated w waterlox
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For the real deal try some stabilized wood from K&G, that you can turn and polish up and leave it bare , polishes up like acrylic and it is truly stabilized.
The friction finishes all are magic! mylands, Hut crystal coat, the hard sticks from hut all awesome but hot water will trash them fast. I used them all on game calls, they look fantastic until they get wet and handled then dull quickly. Just got a sample of shellawax last week, looks great for pens and such.
Crap Kyle. I had a brush do this to me quite a while ago. It pissed me off royally, so I feel your pain. I sanded it all off and sprayed the whole thing with high gloss poly. That also makes for an excellent finish, but there's a learning curve with spraying poly without runs. I'd have to totally agree with everything Mike has said. CA is so frustrating. One reason I looked to another finish, like a good oil.
Thought I'd add this, I think I've blabbed about it before. I've been reading about what other wood turners have been using for finishes, and focusing on what the true professionals are using. Hardwax oil keeps being mentioned as their top choice. In the near future I'll be giving it a go.
HardWax-Oil : woodchuckers.com
This is the Canadian site I've been getting my stabilizing fluid from, and they also have tons of other great products that are always tempting me.
For you American boys, I'm sure you should have no problem finding someone down there carrying these products.
So as far as saving this one. What's the best way to rechuck it with the knot being on there?Quote:
Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY
Very interesting.
Thanks for the info, Im reading up on that stuff right meow.
INGREDIENTS
Based on natural plant oils and waxes (sunflower oil, soya oil, thistle oil, carnauba wax and candelilla wax), paraffin, lead-free siccatives (drying agents) and water-repellent additives. Dearomatized white spirit (benzene-free).
Pretty cryptic, list of ingredients, thats whats in it...but what is in it hahaa water repellant additives...Im reading up some more, I want to compare it to my old favorite waterlox.
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Oh the $%#@ing sideways pics are KILLING me!!
Good question......Quote:
Originally Posted by prodigy
Rubber bumpers for your chuck would be the ideal way, but you probably don't have those. Even if you did, I'm not sure you could reverse chuck it to finish the bottom......
wrapping the base with masking tape comes to mind, but we still have the same problem with reverse chucking it to finish the bottom....
I've tried wrapping the badger hair with masking tape, and grabbing onto that, but it just doesn't work.....
If it were me, I'd hand sand all that crackle off and give it 7-8 spray coats of high gloss poly.
If that's not your flavor, sand it down and do a good oil like Tru Oil.
If none of that tickles your fancy, well, you might have to live with it.
Do you think hand applying another coat of CA, inside at room temperature, would fill in the cracks and give a uniform finish? I'm not sure what I'll do, but it will be well thought out. Shavemac 30mm d01 knots are not cheap!Quote:
Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY
Valuable lesson I learned from this. Wait at least 48 hours after finishing a handle to install the knot, just to see how it reacts during curing. And don't use CA glue below 70 degrees Fahrenheit!
Another bonus to the parks epoxy is that there is no or very little smell, so you can do it in the house.
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This brush is 4 years old and still shiney! A very durable finish.
I hear yuh! and I agree with yuh!Quote:
Originally Posted by prodigy
At this point you have nothing to loose..... except that knot, and gives me a thought that I'll mention at the end. :mace:
That's actually a good idea Kyle and would be worth a try. Worse case if it doesn't work, you're still no further up shit creek and resort back to plan B.
Now back to my thought....
If worse comes to worse, you trim that handle down, get that knot outta there and start at square 1. Obviously a last resort, but that knot is worth far more than a buckeye burl handle. Just sayin.....
Noted!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by prodigy
The guy that teaches the bowl turning class I'm taking at woodcraft tomorrow is probably the most knowledgeable Turner I've ever seen. Granted I don't know that many, but he knows his stuff. Maybe I'll bring it with me to ask what he'd do. I'm thinking I can wrap the knot up pretty tight in plastic or paper then tape it. Possibly the knot will fit through the center of the chuck, allowing me access to both sides? In the future I think I'll save ca glue for pens. I'm going to try osmo polyx #3011 and see how that does.
Just protect that knot when you start going mad scientist on the handle. I use green painters tape when I've had to do work like this in the past. It comes off the badger hair without hurting it at all.
Use it, buy it if you don't have it, don't use whatever you got laying around. I know you wouldn't, but I can just see you wanting to fix the problem ASAP.... Cause that's what I'd be like too.
Great idea. He's probably got a lot of experience which means he's probably run into crap situations like this in the past. I bet he's even got the fancy adaptor kit to hold it and might be willing to let you borrow it.Quote:
Originally Posted by prodigy
I was flashing back to your boar hair knot removal thread thinking the same thing. but ..ohhhhh the pucker factor working around that shavemac !Quote:
Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY
Wood is far easier than plastic. You can split the handle in half along the grain. That being said, I've never done it on stabilized wood.Quote:
Originally Posted by AKmik
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Well I'm going to start slow, and safe. I'm going to try my applying another coat of CA attempt, starting with just the bottom. I found that the plastic knot protectors that come on the Chinese knots works great. Here she is all suited up for battle!
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Ok. I used I nitrile glove to spread out the ca glue on the bottom only. I think this might just do the trick! Getting the rest of the handle may prove to be a little more difficult though.
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Ok all done with this approach. My main concern was water penetrating the cracks. Now that I've hand applied a coat I feel confident that all of the cracks are at least sealed up. The crazing can still be seen in some spots, but for the most part it blended out nicely. I'm not going to sand it. I'm just going to use a mildly abrasive paste to Polish on the buffer, then buff it to a shine. I guess eventually I'll make a brush that doesn't have issues! The Lignum one I made for Movember was actually really nice though, and go figure I used danish oil.
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That's a beautiful handle.
There's a saying in the food business that might have some relevance here. Any time you see a wedding cake with extra flowers or other decoration in seemingly random places, you know the baker tore the fondant covering. Yeah he or she messed it up on the first go, but sometimes the bandaids make it even prettier, and it still tastes the same. The final product is what matters, not the unexpected extra steps you ended up taking to get there.
Ok that method just didn't make me happy. I stripped off all the ca and am starting the process of a Danish oil finish. So far, so good. I just can't let that shavemac knot sit in anything less than perfection.
Good call my friend. Be patient with it too. Looking forward to seeing it done.
