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[Philip Streeting]

Thanks for the compliments. Can I also say why I am not contributing to other threads - expressing my forthright views have got me into hot water elsewhere. so please accept my aplogies if I appear to be a bit stand offish, I intend to stay quiet here.

I know this thread is not the usual form of woodturning as most traditional turners would like to see presented. I am therefore unsure of how much detail to put into this thread to make it interesting.

Here are a few more part finished components produced during the last week with various materials being experiment with. Some from moulds, some pressed textures. All have to be sanded and polished and drilled, some will be spray painted. I have also had a go a making some basic beads.

Next step is to try out a small metal casting kit I have had for some time and not used yet. I will be trying aluminium. I have cast pewter in both silicone moulds and cuttle fish moulds a while back, these were successful so it will be interesting to see the results from this new method and be able to compare them.

I am also waiting for another form of semi fibreglass type casting material to be delivered to try out. I have a braiding kit also on order so I will have to try and learn yet another new skill. The components I am creating will eventually hang from braids or macrame attached to the main piece.

Other experiments I am including in this piece will include image transfers onto wood and possibly trying out a milling system I devised to apply textures/linear patterns to wood.





The next pic shows a casts taken from the carving on the lid

 

[Bodrighy]

Hi Philip,

I wouldn't say that we are all 'traditionalists.' I suspect it is more that many of us have only been turning for a short time so we are still learning where our main interests lie. There are others on here who do similar sort of things incorporating carving, other materials, and texturing including some professionals.

Learning to turn and finish things well is our main priority. The sort of thing that you do is well appreciated and givers us something to aim for. Even if the style is too 'arty' for some, the techniques and quality is always appreciated so please don't worry about posting your work. There is plenty of room for all types of turning on here. I for one am interested in the more aesthetic turning and would value any tips etc on method and technique

Pete

 

[gary foxton]

hi flip , love your pieces 1, 7 , and the last 1. do u turn for fun? or do u sell your items ?

 

[Philip Streeting]

Gary,

Currently I do everything for fun - or at least to keep myself occupied and my brain functioning after being retired early on health grounds. So far I give my work away but I have recently approached a couple of galleries and may (if the current series I am working on are ok) begin exhibiting again. I say 'again' because a long way in the past I was an exhibiting sculptor/artist.
My working background was in graphic design, photography and teaching. I also have some experience in ceramics. This may help to explain my approach to my work. I am largely self-taught and only had the opportunity to study late in life. University of Life is the main learning tool, it's all there if you look for it! I've become Google eyed!

Philip

 

[The Shark]

Hi Philip, and congratulations on some excellent work.
I am a real newbie at woodturning, with some real cheap kit and lathe to work with, but I enjoy it, and to me at the moment that is what matters.
I wouldn't worry about using the kit in the correct manner. I have recently joined a woodturning club, and it has immediately struck me that if you have 6 members critiquing your methods, you'll get 6 different opinions. All I'm sure meant with the best of intentions, but just going to show that there is not one correct way of doing things.
Please keep posting pictures of your work, because they ARE "different".

Malc

 

[gary foxton]

philip i am self taught also, i have had some success with exhibiting in galleries. as i said before love some of your work. and i think u were saying something about using wrong tools or tequnique? it dont matter as the results show if a tool does the job its the wright tool. i have also wanted to open a gallery dedicated to woodturning pieces, as u know it is quite difficult to get your work showcased to the right people. seeing some of the works on here as moved me more towards this goal and i might looking in to the arts council or lottery fund for grants, to try and bring this to fruition. at the moment i work at the cafe de paris in londons west end a very prestigious venue dates back to the 20,s, i might be able to use the venue at a reasonable cost to have a show of wood turning as a 1off at the moment. i will look into it. what do yourself and others reading this think and any comments welcome. u can see the interior of the venue if u go to cafe de paris website. and if there is any of my pieces u like maybe we can do an exchange? look forward to all your thoughts please

 

[Philip Streeting]

I am continuing to work on my piece and last week was mostly spent experimenting with a variety of casting and moulding techniques. With the sand casting method and aluminium I had problems with the flow quaility of the melted mix. My guess is I need some added elements to compensate for the losses during heating. I gave up with the aluminium using this method and cast the components in pewter instead. You can see the heads moulded from the wood carving pressed into the sand mix and the cast results below. I used the aluminium with a different method. The next entry will show some of the finished items.

 

[Philip Streeting]

Some of the aluminium casts are hollow, some solid



This week I am going to play with colour and image transfers onto wood and possibly metal.

 

[mrs. sliver]

How dare you come on here with this?? this isn't what people think of when you say 'I am a wood turner'!! they think we just make little bowls and round box's!! this is just pure art and I love it!!
=D> =D>

 

[PAC]

Hi, this is my first post. I've been reading several of the threads on here and I've been bitten by the bug. I've spent a reasonable amount of cash over the years on turned bowls, lamps etc. but what I really want to do is make them myself. I don't have a lathe but I do enjoy messing around with wood on a DIY level (shelves, architrave, skirting...). I would really like to make some natural edge bowls. I know I need some equipment and develop a huge amount of skill but any advice for getting started would be excellent. Also, if anyone in the Lancaster area could let me see their lathe in action, it would be much appreciated.

 

[davegw]

Paul,

Welcome to the Forum and the Slope

A small digest of a couple pieces of advice i've seen given out to beginners on this site:

1) Go along to a local club, you'll meet knowledgeable people and probably get to have a go.
2) By the best you can afford
3) Don't be dazzeled by gadgets and flashy kit - start with the basics
4) Have Fun
5) Have Fun
6) Have Fun!

 

[Philip Streeting]

Good advice Dave. Paul I hope you will receive an offer from someone in your area to go and see their setup and have some help in going forward.

There are several members here who can probably help you with the technical difficulties of natural edge bowl turning, unfortunately I'm not one of them. Never tried one yet and probably never will!

Best wishes with your journey into turning and it is great to see you have an objective in mind, stay determined and you will get there.

Philip

 

[Philip Streeting]

Thanks for the comment Mrs Silver. I must say my heart sank on seeing the start of you comment but I smiled again at the end of it!

Best wishes
Philip

 

[PAC]

Thanks, Dave and Philip, for your advice and encouragement. I'm going to start looking around for a suitable lathe and start collecting a few bits together.

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Paul and welcome

Also, if anyone in the Lancaster area could let me see their lathe in action, it would be much appreciated.

You can always come to the Brummie Bash

 

[CHJ]

Welcome to the forum Paul (PAC), Just take it steady on the 'Must Have' front though and keep your bits and pieces down to the basics until you have progressed enough to form your own opinion. Turning like a lot of other hobbies can get quite expensive to setup a basic kit and it is very easy to be lead along the 'all that glitters' road if you are not careful.

 

[Philip Streeting]

Here are a couple of image transfer experiments using different methods I have been trying this week. It took some time to perfect the colour versions which is a new material I have not tried before.


The trials included application on bare wood and over spirit and acrylic stains. It was a frustrating and time consuming exercise.

 

[TEP]

Hi PAC. I echo the welcome to our little bit of the web, and I agree with what Chas has just said. All too many of us have that 'fantastic' tool hanging on our rack which never gets used.

Ask questions, and don't buy anything until you have had a chat with a few turners. Also as PaulJ said, if you can make it down to the Brummie Bash, there should be a few people who can help, and it should be a good day out.

Also join a turning club, there should be some around your way.

 

[PAC]

Welcome to the forum Paul (PAC), Just take it steady on the 'Must Have' front though and keep your bits and pieces down to the basics until you have progressed enough to form your own opinion. Turning like a lot of other hobbies can get quite expensive to setup a basic kit and it is very easy to be lead along the 'all that glitters' road if you are not careful.

Thanks for the advice! I have another expensive hobby (photography) so I'm quite happy to hold back on the spending. My plan is to read a few books and have a go on a few lathes first. I would also like to try obtaining some timber so that it can be drying out before I need it. Might try contacting a local tree surgeon (they felled an entire horse chestnut near my house recently). I wonder if the National Trust would be happy for me to scavenge a few fallen logs from their forests? They may not agree to this! We have a lot of yew, maple and beech forests around here. Any advice on this front would be great.

 

[shedhead]

Nice work Philip, It's good to see all types of turning. I do like the idea of mixing woodturning, or the use of a lathe, and other tools. The mixture of technequies to mark, shape and colour wood facsinates me. I unfortunatly do not have the kind of mind that can see beyond a simple piece of wood. Well done your ideas will hopefuly help me broaden my "artistic mind".