| Turning
and Dying Burl Ornaments and other simple ornaments. |
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| Some
of the first items Brian made were Christmas ornaments. He started with
glued up solid wood ornaments.
Brian's turning of dyed burl ornaments was inspired by Gary Sanders. Brian saw Gary's demonstration at the AAW National Symposium in Providence and has been turning hollow burl ornaments and experimenting with inks and dyes ever since. |
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The most often used coloring is Higgins ink. Brian chose this colorant based upon Gary's testing of colorfastness. The ink is almost always diluted with water for use. The straight ink can be strong enough to hide some of the grain. | ||
| Start by gluing a 2 1/2" cube of buckeye burl to a waste block made of structural 2X4. Use Pro-BondŽ or Tight-BondŽ and lets the glue dry overnight. Alternatively, thick CA can be used but it is best not to use the accelerator. Just press the blocks together and let the glue harden naturally. |  |
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The outside of the burl ball is formed then it is drilled with a 1/2" drill all the way through. The ball is gently cleaned up and prepared for hollowing, remembering that there is now a hole through the center. One of the most important features of a Christmas ornament is that it must be light enough to hang from small branches on a tree. The burl is hollowed with a Sorby miniature hollowing tool to about 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick. Mark the tool with a marker to show how deep it will go. After hollowing, the outside of the burl is gently thinned on the side where it is still attached to the waste block to minimize the amount of wood to be parted off. Sand down to 220-320 grit.The burl is then dyed with the ink. Mix colors to give the desired results and apply generously. Being a water based ink, the grain will be raised slightly but the burl is sanded with 320 grit sandpaper after dying which smooths it out again. The same color or a contrasting color can be applied for a second coat. After the ink dries, part off. |
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The top and bottom finial are made from a 1" turning square 8" long. The square is turned round, then marked about 1 1/4" and 2" from the tailstock end. A parting tool is used to turn between the marks to 1/2" to fit the holes in the burl. The top is formed and a small hole for a 1/8" screw eye is drilled in the top. The tail stock is brought up again and the top parted off. The bottom finial is then mounted in the chuck holding onto the 1/2" tenon and turned as desired. |
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| The
ornament is then glued together with thick CA. It is finished with gloss
lacquer.
Click Here
for a copy of the handout with ornament plans. |
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