Very attractive. Tell us about the blank.
First, from PSI's web site:
"Made from the natural branches of harvested apple orchard trees, these imaginative blanks will create an exquisite appearance. In the ultimate re-cycling process, the tree branches are cut, compressed and resin impregnated to create a solid blank block - then cut to size and shape. Supplies are limited because these apples are harvested only once a year."
Instructions are included for turning these blanks. They recommend wiping them down with a thin coat of CA before doing anything with them, which I did. Before I started turning them, I replaced both carbide cutters on my tools (Ci2-SQ and Ci3). I set my lathe speed to its highest (3200 rpm).
Even with new carbide and a VERY light touch I found them to be very prone to chipout (which I expected), and there were a few small voids in the blank as well. Rather than soaking the entire blank, I used thin CA to touch up the smaller pinhead pits or thin cracks, and medium CA for the "larger" gaps of 1/16 to 1/8 inch or so. No major "craters", at least in this blank; even the larger gaps were only about 1/16 deep...
The key to this thing was patience, and more patience... and more patience. Oh, and lots of CA. It is
not a blank that you can burn through in a couple of minutes. I spent an hour or more turning it. I took it down close to finished size, sanded it to 1000 grit, and finished it with 9 coats of WTF (CA and I do
not get along very well).
Would I do it again? Now that I know what to expect - Yes. YMMV