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Hybrid Turning Process
- "What is it ... is it glass? is it pottery? ...is it wood?"
- "How do you do it?"
- "How long does it take?"
I will attempt to answer these questions in the following section. If you click any photo an enlargement which includes additional text will be opened in a new browser window. Let me know if you want further information.
I choose burls like this with lots of undulations. These undulations, the way the burl is mounted for turning and the depth which I turn into the burl combine to produce the voids which will be filled. I chainsaw and then bandsaw a chunk of burl of the desired size and attach a face plate to the area that will become the base of the bowl. |
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For ease of cutting, the initial turning is completed with green wood. While the lathe spins the burl, I use a gouge to cut away most of the wood leaving a thick walled, rough vessel form. The drying process takes one to two months in a 115°F kiln.
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When dry, the distorted form is remounted on the lathe and turned back to round. Before beginning the inlay, the void edges must be thoroughly cleaned of bark and other loose material to assure a secure bond with the epoxy resin. |
I construct a temporary support wall of duct tape on the 'inside' of the voids to support the inlay during its catalytic cure. I use a two part, paste type epoxy resin and mix it with powdered pigments, mica and metals. |
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I allow each inlay layer to cure for 24 hours at room temperature and then return to the lathe to shave off high points of resin. The inlay proces is repeated as often as necessary to complete the vessel form, usually changing the pigment mix from layer to layer to create the surface design. Although the vessel form is now complete, there are still low areas in the inlay.
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I apply gold leaf over the inlaid area, paying special attention to pressing the leaf into the depressions. The next turning removes leaf on the surface while leaving leaf in the depressions. The gold leaf is capped with a clear resin, creating a smooth, uniform and continuous surface. |
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The vessel is sanded and sealed with a thin wipe of clear resin. A final sanding removes irregularities in the seal and the piece is waxed and polished with a high speed buff. The vessel is then parted from the waste block and face plate leaving the completed vessel.
Scarlet O'Hara
Black cherry burl
1998
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