First bottle stopper

[bucephalus]

I bought Dodge's Coronet Elf from him about 18 months ago, and apart from some straight columns for a set of kiddie's building blocks I haven't got around to doing any turning since because I've not really sorted the workshop out to set the lathe up properly.

A friend of mine is retiring from teaching this week after 37 years at the chalkface and I wanted to make something to give him. I know he likes wine (like most teachers!) so I got one of these: https://www.turners-retreat.co.uk/p...-openers/combination-corkscrew-bottle-stopper

I found a design I liked and decided to incorporate a mint proof penny coin from 1976 into the stopper.

Dodge was kind enough to give me a load of blanks when he sold me the lathe - I've no idea what this wood is :roll: , but my friend will probably ask, so if anyone can identify it I'd be grateful. The photos against the white background show the colour more accurately than those on the black foam, but the black foam photos show the grain and variation in colour better...

Any advice and criticism welcome - overall I was really happy and rather ridiculously proud of it as my first real bit of turning, apart from the slight bits of what I think are tear out on the bead closest to the coin end (which I didn't see until I'd finished polishing it #-o ), and how the removable chrome part didn't sit flush to the wood - you couldn't see that on the pic when I bought it, and by the time I got to that point (not having a bottle stopper mandrel, and having to turn between centres and in a jacob's chuck) I was too terrified of screwing it all up to try and inset the larger thread so it would fit flush...

I sanded it to 600 and then finished it with two coats of friction polish. Then I did something I'd seen and read about online, which was to put two coats of clear wax paste polish on top - but that dulled it down considerably from the shine I'd got from the friction polish - should I have done that? I was worried about the durability of the finish but..?

Thanks for looking

Gavin

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Its a cracker...really well done. Considering that's your first it is actually blinkin marvellous.

You certainly can wax polish over friction polish because friction polish is essentially shellac ie a sanding sealer variety in its own right. The trick to getting the wax to shine is give it a really good buff. I do that with the lathe actually spinning using kitchen towel (which is the safest way because they snatch away if they get a catch). But you can certainly do it off the job....a really good buff is the key. You could even put it in a vice and buff with a drill held buffing wheel.

The wood...that's more tricky. It could be chestnut, maple, even ash or one of the pine species. But I doubt it would be pine. It looks too yellow to be ash and its definitely not oak. I've turned quite a bit of chestnut and it's also generally not that yellow/orange. I'm really not sure. It even has a look of beech in colour terms but not so much the grain. I would ask Dodge if he gave it you in the first place. Maybe it's a hedgerow species.

 

[marcros]

looks a bit like Yew to me.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Yeah I thought of yew too because of the colour but then thought not because there's no heartwood visible...but depends where it was cut from I guess?

 

[Sheptonphil]

Top picture certainly looks like Yew. Nice shape too.

Phil

 

[bucephalus]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys, much appreciated.

Random Orbital Bob - That explanation about polishing makes a lot of sense, thank you. I did very little buffing of the paste wax, that's clearly what cost my shine... I'll definitely follow your suggestion next time.

Is Yew quite light (in terms of weight)? This is obviously only a small piece but it is considerably lighter than some Ipe I have, or even some Beech... We'll say it's officially Yew, he won't know any better! :twisted:

Cheers

Gavin

 

[pip1954]

hi very nice if that is your first you have done well as for tear out advise i would give is have a good look before you polish then you can correct it .
i would say it is yew as it looks like some bits i have turned recently
pip

 

[nev]

=D> Nice shape, well defined edges and a delicate bit of insert work too, so well chuffed you should be

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Mmmm...its light you say....that makes me think it less likely its yew. Yew weighs an absolute ton, really dense.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

This is yew.....notice how striking the difference in colour between sap and heartwood.

 

[Bodrighy]

This is yew as well. If you just use the sap wood it can look quite plain and is, in my experience quite light when thoroughly dry. Whatever the wood, that is a really excellent first turning.

Pete

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Agreed, easy to get side tracked on spp when the main event was the excellent turning.

 

[KimG]

+1 for Yew.
Very well done on the piece too, nicely done.
I owned a Coronet Elf for 17 years before upgrading to a Jet lathe, good little lathe the Elf, I made lots of stuff on mine.