Anyone using grapevine?

[timsickels]

I'm fairly new to turning and having a ball. I recently cut up a piece of grapevine I had laying in my landscape for years. It has beautiful grain and dark spots throughout, but is a bit splitty and checked. Any ideas? Also I'm using a friction polish on my pens and it does a nice job on the harder woods. What could I use to help fill the softer woods, and produce a harder shinier finish. Thanks.............Timmy from Denver

 

[Edgar]

You certainly can turn grape vine - it's a little different from turning tree wood.

Here's a recent thread on the subject
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f178/grape-vine-124824/

and a link to a great thread by George Valentine (Robutacion) regarding his experiences with grape vine -- definitely worth the read
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f66...ed-vine-pen-blanks-closing-31-8-2010-a-65501/

I haven't turned any grape vine myself, but I have a bunch drying that I'll be tackling this spring.

Have fun
Edgar

 

[1080Wayne]

I would use thin CA to harden soft spots and minimize problems from splits and checks , but many here prefer full stabilization with Cactus juice or other acrylic . CA is a do-it-yourself process , the others are commercial or semi-commercial businesses unless you want to set yourself up to do them . Someone here might offer to do it for you .

 

[lwalper]

Are you talking about real grapevine (that has grapes growing on it) or the wild stuff that grows to the treetops? The wild variety reminds me a bit of the black palm with a fairly open texture and tends to come apart while turning. It will benefit from a little drizzle of thin CA to help hold it together while turning.

 

[Karl_99]

I have only turned some Shiraz grape vine from Robutacion. It was stabilized.

 

[zig613]

I have turned several grapevine pens. They were from an old farmstead that the owner had wanted made for her sisters as a keepsake from the family farm. As someone noted above lots of thin CA was used to stabilize the soft and porous wood during turning. Topped off by a CA finish.

Wade

 

[SDB777]

Having cut a bunch of grapevine, my tip for the day....cut it larger then you think you should, it's going to shrink during drying!

The stuff is awesome!!! Especially the wild grapevine...




Scott (by all means, do it) B