I recently noticed one of my spirit varnish pad-polish bottles that had been sitting undisturbed for many months. I thought it was an interesting image of how the lemon shellac solution I started with begins to stratify of its own accord into its component fractions when sitting in a container for a long time. I once put some lemon shellac varnish into a centrifuge and was able to easily count 17 distinct layers of material.
A couple months ago I received a note from the wife of an enthusiastic follower of the Studley project, indicating that her husband had a great desire for a pair of the Studleyesque suspenders I was wearing at the exhibit. Where could she find a pair to surprise her husband with, she asked. Since the Studleyesque suspenders are hand painted by me, and the hand in question was encased in a cast, I could offer no words of encouragement.
Then the cast came off, and as the days went by my hand began to regain some functionality I wrote her back and promised to try the undertaking.
Beginning with a pair of standard black suspenders I traced the pattern, using a template my pal Spider Johnson made for me on his CNC laser cutter.
Next came the base coat of titanium white acrylic artists’ paint, followed by a final application of pearlescent acrylic.
And viola’, they were done and should arrive in the mail today. I’m told the husband follows this blog, so in a few days one of you will be joining me at the vanguard of fashion.
I am trying to figure out a way to get a friend to produce these for me to sell alongside polissoirs and hand processed beeswax. Stay tuned.
Reprising my favoritest topic I will be teaching a weekend workshop “traditional Finishing” at The Barn this coming year, August 11-13, 2017.
Last year only one person showed up for the class, and if it happens again next year they will get a private tutorial and go home with a pile of sample boards.
The tuition for this workshop is $375. If this event interests you drop me a note here.
Over the past year I’ve been tinkering with a fine old lathe my pal MikeM gave me some time ago, most recently giving it some workouts in preparation for turning a bunch of spindles, work I was supposed to do the afternoon I broke my arm. In the past fortnight or so I’ve been able to return to the shop and when Daughter the Younger mentioned that she would like to learn to turn a bowl during her brief visit last weekend I was thrilled. It turned out to be a wondrous time for us working together, and I hope it will be the foundation for a lot more projects together.
I had just the right piece of wood for her to use, a section of a plum tree from our old house where she grew up and still lives. I made a small face plate for the project and mounted the chunk of log to it, and standing just over her shoulder gave instructions on the art form.
Although the lathe is set up for someone my height she settled in comfortably, and took to turning like a natural. As expected she was very cautious but found her groove early on. The only real downside to the session was that the lathe is in an unheated part of the barn, and the temperatures were in the mid-teens.
As soon as she was done shaping the outside we flipped it around so that the foot was in the bowl-turning chuck and she knocked out the inside as well.
I’ll show her how to fill the natural cracks in the bowl with pewter when we resume the project at some point in the future. But for now she’ll have it at home, probably holding nuts. Plus, I’ve got another nearly identical piece of the same plum log for her to turn another one.
It was a very chilly time but my heart was warmed clear through.
It might seem like I am posting a lot of blogs about my teaching schedule next year, but that is only because I am posting a lot of blogs about my teaching schedule next year. I think I have almost everything nailed down for 2017 and being the coquette that I am, mentioning them one at a time.
Next October I’ll be teaching a couple of three-day workshops at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin IN. The first one is making an 18th Century parquetry panel. I hope to see you there.
We had so much fun with this year’s workbench-building workshop I’ve decided to do it again, September 4-8, 2017. If you have ever wanted a week of great fellowship and leave with a complete Roubo-style workbench, this is the event for you. As before the benches will be constructed from laminated excellent southern yellow pine. Here are a few pictures to remind you of the good times being had by all.
The tuition/materials fee for this class is $850. If this interests you, contact me here.
This week I submitted the final version of the text (and dozens of images) for my next Popular Woodworking article, “Faux Urushi.” I cannot recall having ever been more excited about an article. Not only has this undertaking occupied a prominent space in my consciousness and artistic exploration for a long time, but it is pretty far afield for PopWood, and I am sincerely appreciative of Megan Fitzpatrick’s willingness to go out on the limb and let me persuade her to run this piece. I’m working with editor Rodney Wilson who has been a joy to collaborate with.
No sooner had I basked in the newest Popular Woodworking article about my shop-made binding clamps then comes the layout PDF from Joshua Klein on my contribution, “A Furniture Conservation Primer” for the second iteration of Mortise & Tenon.
It was an honor to be asked, and it obviously comports with my driving professional interests for the past four decades.
When I got home after some recent extended Thanksgiving travels I found the new Popular Woodworking, in which was this article. It’s always fun to see your work in print.
These simple little clamps have become treasured assets in the studio.
As I finally move forward with a strategy for monthly summer workshops at The Barn it should come as no surprise that they will increasingly reflect my growing interest in toolmaking and hence metal working. I expect to host at least one toolmaking/metalworking event each summer from now on (2018’s schedule will include dovetail saw making). Certainly this will be the case for the gathering of like-minded souls when we try to make a ripple molding cutter next May wherein virtually all of the work will be in metal or HDPA. The theme continues with the workshop “Make a Nested Set of Brass Roubo Squares” June 16-18, 2017.
Not only are these tools elegantly beautiful, they are particularly functional as the shoe at the base of the beam increases their utility immensely in my experience. Here are two of these style squares I made many years ago. The fact that they can be stood up on the flat or “catch” the edge of something being measured is very appealing to me.
The set we will be making in this workshop will be more similar to Roubo’s representation in the engraving above than the ivory or walnut versions in my photo. With each student fabricating a set of squares from a 12″ x 8″ piece of brass stock, I expect that we can derive five or six nestled squares.
The main point of the workshop will be about sawing and silver soldering of heavy brass stock (.100″ or thereabouts) and in this I will be joined by my long time family friend Lydia Fast who will be showing and demonstrating and teaching silver soldering of the beam to the shoe. She will be using torches commonly found in the workshop (and local hardware stores) and I will be leading the exercise to fabricate for each of you a fireproof bench-top brazing station which you will take with you at the end of the weekend.
The tuition for the workshop will be $400, and I’m working out the materials-and-supplies fee but that will reflect the direct costs of the brass, the silver solder, and the torches (you will take the torches home with you).
If this workshop interest you, contact me here.
© 2024 Don Williams
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