The evening’s demonstrator was Martin Sabin-Smith from “Hampshire Sheen & The Woodturning Shop.”

Who will demonstrate a bowl with a textured and colored band to include Hot wax technique and a demonstration of Hampshire Sheen products.

Martin welcome everybody and started the demo, with prerecorded videos on how Zoom meetings run and how to use it, which was followed by additional information about health and safety and the requirements of PPE to be used within the workshop for the various aspects of woodturning.

Wood blanks for the project was Maple sized to 10 inches by 3 inches. Martin started off by producing the outside of the bowl to a set curve, following the rule of 3rds and the golden ratio, producing a shape that is pleasing to the eye.

At the same time as producing the outside of the bowl, Martin was describing the three-point contact for the tools, During this process, Martin suggested that we should always try using each cut as a final cut to get a good finish without tear-out of the wood, in this way we are always practicing a final cut. A tenon was produced on the base of the bowl ready for mounting into Axminster gripper jaws,

When satisfied with the shape Martin decided where the band would be placed, at this point he used an Arbotech carver which had a standard cutter disc attached, this was applied to the bowl at around the seven o’clock position, with the lathe running at 400rpm. The cutter produced a texture all around the bowl, it did take a couple of cuts to get the required texture

ready for coloring.

At this stage, a parting tool was used to put a line on either side of the band. A sanding sealer was applied over the band at this stage. This area was now sprayed with a black spray and allowed to dry prior to adding a gold embellishing wax over the raised texture, with a light touch, using a paper towel so that it only covered the top of the raised texture.

Martin then took questions from a number of participants and answered accordingly.

The area above and below the band was now cleaned up with cuts to remove the overspray leave an unpainted area ready for sanding, then for sanding sealer to be applied, and when dry a lacquer was used from the Hampshire Sheen range of products.

The bowl was now reversed and held in the gripper jaws, at this stage the center was hollowed out at the same time as describing how to manipulate the gouge and keeping the bevel rubbing when removing the waste wood. Martin gave good explanations all the way through the demonstration.

Sanding started from 180 grit using a drill & pad and then through to 240 grit, then to 400 grit, and sometimes 600 grit. Martin then applied the sanding sealer, when dry Hampshire Sheen finishing wax was applied, a very small amount was used and then buffed up by applying light pressure with the finger pads and continue to shine, a number of coats were applied.

The final application of wax was heated by a hot air gun to melt the wax to give a shine and then it was and buffed up as before with the pads of the fingers to give a high shine.

At the end of the demonstration, a number of people asked for Martin to be a demonstrator in the future, due to it being very well presented and enjoyable as it progressed in addition to being over the three-hour mark for the evening entertainment.

At the end of the night, Martin gave a discount code for his products which I would hope some people took up. In our opinion, the demonstration was to a very high standard and worth every penny that we paid for his expertise.

Hampshiresheen.com

The Wood Turning Shop

Sue started the demo by welcoming the members and explaining the project she would be demonstrating, an open segmented vase.

Sue started with the base and was faced off so that the segments can be positioned correctly.

Sue produced a segment jig which makes it easier to position and measure between the spokes at the outer edge of the project, 

Sue stated that we needed to use side grain and not end grain for these segments, (35mm x 7mm) the angle being 15⁰, whilst cutting you will need to flip the wood over whilst cutting the required amount of segment, 

These were then sanded and glued into position.

The glue used was Titebond Quick and Thick.

Sue explained how to position each segmented section and how to glue each one for the build-up and cut down on the glue where the openings will be.  A pipe cleaner and water being used to wipe the excess glue out of the holes.  A thick piece of paper was used between the top and bottom, prior to the complete glue-up process being undertaken.

At this point, it is time to shape the vase to your requirements.

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We now need to separate the two sections where the paper is holding the two parts together, these should be able to break apart where the paper is holding the two pieces together.  

At this point, we can hollow out the base to a depth as per the requirement.  You will need to be careful of the wall thickness at this point you will need a wall thickness of about 5 to 6mm.

Sue then hollowed out the top section being careful with the segments as there are gaps between the wood shapes.

Sue then put the two parts back together by using CA glue ( CA for the demo quickness, Titebond is usually used) and only apply on the segmented ends, pressure can be put on the two parts by the lathe as the CA glue dries.  When dry the final shape and sanding can take place to the required standard.  

The entrance to the vase now needs to be cut, as the top was drilled out we know that there is a reference point within the vase that will be close to the top opening.  By taking it carefully we can meet up with the drilled hole and shape the inlet part of the vase.

The complete vase can now be parted off from the waste wood.  We now need to consider the process of removing the parting tool marks, therefore we will need to produce a type of jam chuck that the vase can be mounted on and held in place by the tailstock drive center.  This jam chuck is not a tight fit as you will need to use a gripped mat to help with the holding.  The base can now be turned off. The nub will now need to be removed and sanded.

A finishing oil of hard wax oil is used to cover the vase but you need to remember to also fill the gaps between the segments for full coverage.

As the evening progressed, I think that we all should have been able to take something from the demonstration as Sue explained everything as she went along.

On behalf of the club, We would like to thank Sue Harker for this months demonstration. Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett

This month’s demonstration via Zoom was hosted by Rob and Steve Hackett in a role reversal from last month. With Rob being the turner and Steve the cameraman.

The evening’s demonstration is a Basket Weave Illusion on Hollow Forms and Boxes.

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Sycamore is the chosen wood for the evening, and Rob emphasized the health and safety aspects of using the lathe prior to starting. The blank was turned around and a 50mm Tenon produced on the end.

Rob introduced his shop-made beading tools, one made from an old bowl gouge, and one from an old carving gouge.

And another made from a bolt.

Rob shaped the blank ready for the beading process.

At this point, Rob used his beading tool made from a bolt,  to apply three beads at a point where the blank was to be parted. 

The central one was then removed for the parting to take place, at which point a depth of 5 to 6mm on the rim was cut for when the blank would become one piece again, 

After parting the blank both ends were then hollowed out to the required depth, the shape of the lid part was taken down prior to parting with a small 18 or 19mm tenon for holding.

At this point, Rob introduced a Collet Chuck which can be found on Amazon’s website. 2MT ER32 Collet Chuck or 2MT ER25 Collet Chuck

After both parts had been hollowed out they were then glued back together with some CA glue in this instance for quickness, epoxy would be better. Being careful not to run the glue to the edge of the item as it could cause fumes when banding the item when dry, the beading then starts to take shape along the length of the hollow form.

At this point, Rob explained how he made a beading tool out of a normal bolt which worked very well, a slower speed was required for the beading of the hollow form with the tool being moved from side to side but it must be remembered not to go all the way to the bottom of the tool as tear-out could happen and spoil the artistic flair of the item.

At each point where the beads meet a wire was inserted with the lathe running to get a burnt line around the item, where the wire could not be used a small piece of Formica was used.

Drill out the top of the hollow form at this point with a 12mm drill to form the opening.

At this point, the complete project is sanded down ready for the decoration to be applied.

As Rob stated the basketweave required could be applied either by eye or by measurement depending on what you require the outcome to be, the upright lines are now burnt into the form being very careful not to touch the beads, work from both sides to aid in this aspect. 

When you are satisfied with the pattern you can start to think about the colors that will be applied and in what shape. The paint used was acrylic with a high pigment content, this will mean that you only need to color twice to get the depth of color that you would require.

All questions were answered throughout the session with good positive answers by Rob with additional information added also.

On behalf of the club, I would like to thank Rob and Steve for this month’s demonstration and for the bumping car announcement partway through. 

Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett

This is the first demonstration carried out by a club member whilst on zoom, this is a bit nerve-racking as there is no audience in front of you whilst you are explaining what is happening throughout the process and also a different type of how to ask questions, therefore this will be a steep learning curve for all of us in the use of the cameras and sound and recording of the process.

The Demo

The Black Country Wood Turners Club had one of their own, Roger Cheshire, to demonstrate how to use pewter within a wood-turned project for this evening. The pewter can be turned into cabochons, finials and rings, all of which can be decorated.

PPE requirements

Gloves – Mask – Glasses or goggles – enclosed shoes

Also, have a fire extinguisher on hand just in case you did not clean the area sufficiently first.

Tools

Scraping chisel – Parting tool – could also use carbide tools – patterning tools.

Roger started by explaining how to obtain pewter from various sources and demonstrated how to cut the pewter down and melt it. The melting pot was a standard milk pan to contain the pewter and then a camping gas single hob canister heater which is more than sufficient to melt the pewter, Roger has found over the years to melt the pewter and let it cool for a while and then reheat to melted prior to pouring. There is also the possibility of getting slag on top of the pewter which can be removed with a fork or spoon, at this point don’t tell the wife you have just used the best pan and utensils for this work. You will also need a level surface before you pour the pewter to get it level within the former.

Whilst waiting for the pewter to melt Roger mounted some wood onto the lathe to form a former for the pewter to be poured into, a steady hand is required whilst pouring, you need to take it steady but not too slowly for when the two ends of the molten pewter in the former a tenon was also turned into the former so that the solid pewter could be inserted into a chuck with gripper jaws ready for shaping. This was then turned to the required size ready to be inserted into the turned wooden item.

Prior to pouring the melted pewter, the former itself was warmed up to remove any moisture that might be present as this could cause the pewter to bubble and splash out of the former. Roger also warned against using oily wood as this would also react against the melted pewter.

During the session, there were various aspects of turning the pewter and inlaying a pattern which was explained along with the type of tools used for shaping the project.

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The turned pewter is then polished down to 2000 grit with some wet and dry and then with the addition of T-cut to finish the polishing process. It was also stated that the use of Yorkshire Grit could be used (the White container type).

Our thanks go to Roger for being the first turner to be captured digitally by the new set-up.

I for one thought that the event went very well for a first-time event and was also a steep learning curve for both Rob and Ian to get to grips with the audio and video side of things, there is room for improvement to give a better viewing aspect and enjoyable experience. It is hoped that we will have learned a little more about the computer system for future demonstrations and be able to record them and use them on the club website for everyone to see again. At the same time, now we have the full complement of the Zoom facilities we are still getting to grips with the added aspect of what can be used.

Hopefully, by next month we will have enticed another club member who is willing to undergo the inspection of the lens and get used to talking through a mike and camera.

We will also be maintaining our chin wag sessions on a regular basis, so we can still discuss things as to what may be accomplished with the Zoom demonstrations.

Additional Information for Pewter.

Pewter can be beautifully crafted and is relatively easy to work with but!

********* Warning *********

Melt pewter in a well-ventilated area with access to incoming fresh air. Some pewter contains a high concentration of lead, which when melted can be toxic to inhale.
Never allow water to splash into your melting pewter.
A splash of water can cause a burst of steam to fly up onto your face or hands, potentially causing serious injury.

Step 1

Place your pewter pieces into a stove-safe pot or pan.

Step 2

Turn the heat on your stove up to its highest setting. Temperatures allowed by stoves vary depending on the make and source of heat; your goal is to reach the pewter’s melting point, Depending on the exact mix of metals, pewter has a melting point of 225 to 240 C (437 to 464 degrees F).

Step 3

Allow the metal to melt slowly. Remember that, unlike ice, pewter does not melt gradually. The pewter will not begin to liquefy until the full piece has reached its melting point. Be patient during the melting process. Melting times will vary depending on how much pewter you melt and the temperature of your stove.

Step 4

Gently stir the melting pewter with a wooden utensil. This will help the heat to distribute more evenly.

The cuttlefish bone can also be used to form a mould.

Tip

Pewter can also easily be melted over a fire, or by using a blow torch.