Incorporating fordite to a bowl: design options please.

[Alpha-Dave]

Hi all,

I’m making a retirement gift for someone at work, the wood is from some trees with sentimental value, and we have bought sime ‘fordite’ (multi-layer paint from a car body shop) because they have spent many years formulating paints during their career. I have turned some bowls so I have a few to work with, but I now need to add the fordite in some way. Unfortunately the piece is an odd shape, and full of fissures that I have been dribbling thin super glue in, in the hope that it won’t fall apart when I cut it.

Any design suggestions please of how to incorporate it into one of the bowls?

I have a CNC, so my main thought is to try slicing it with a hacksaw, then cutting shapes into the bowl, and then shape the fordite to match, and inlay the fordite.

I have left the walls chunky at ~20 mm, so I have plenty of thickness to play with.

Any comments or suggestions welcome!

 

[Sachakins]

You could try putting a square groove in the rim, cut shavings of the fordite, add into groove and fill with resin?
Other option if your base is thick enough, is to turn a circular recess into the bottom of the bowl, turn section of fording and glue into the bowl?

 

[Richard_C]

I've no idea what fordite is like to work with. 2 ideas. Cut plugs of fordite, drill holes, maybe 10 or 12mm dia 6mm deep, in a straight line across a centre line of the inside or in a circle, glue plugs in, finish and polish on the lathe

Or, if you really doubt the integrity of the material, make a plinth with the fordite as an insert on front or top edge, present bowl on plinth.

 

[Adam Pinson]

Maybe cut the Fordite into a butterfly.....inlay and turn......

 

[Alpha-Dave]

Thank you all for the input, having put off doing anything through not wanting to mess it up, and dribbling thin super glue into the fissures & cracks over a week I could delay no more.

So I cut the small end off:

Then marked 6mm in on the flattest side and cut a slice off.

It looks pretty good!

Then I needed to work out how to incorporate it.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

I filed the joining edge smooth, then mixed up some black epoxy and glued the sheets together.

I hot glued it to a block:

Then added a hot-glue border, I think the bits flying off would hurt a lot.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

Initial shaping with a point-tool:

Then a bowl gouge to smooth the surface:

Then a bowl-gouge in a shearing cut gave a remarkable finish:

 

[Alpha-Dave]

Then choosing the largest, flattest bowl I just had to cut a flat area in the bottom:

Then I glued the disc in with 5 min epoxy, then put back on the lathe and sanded the epoxy overflow off:

Now it needs many coats of Danish oil over the next few days, then perhaps a carnuba wax polish.

 

[Sachakins]

Excellent result, you should be very proud.

 

[Adam Pinson]

Superb job, very psychedelic, a great solution..... looks lovely

 

[gregmcateer]

Love your work, sir. I'm sure the recipient will, too

 

[bobblezard]

Stunning, very well executed and a really pleasing finish. A worthy gift.
I'd never even heard of Fordite, now, like so many things I see on this forum, I want some

 

[scooby]

Finished product looks great. Well done.
I'd certainly appreciate that as a gift.

 

[Adam Pinson]

Stunning, very well executed and a really pleasing finish. A worthy gift.
I'd never even heard of Fordite, now, like so many things I see on this forum, I want some

I create my own cheapskate version by soaking post-it notes in epoxy......
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=MTl5cUFBLUNEVGo5QUNxWFJIWGc2bWVTVm1jMmhB