Buckeye Burl Stopper

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Dave_M

Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2005
Messages
769
Location
Clovis, CA, USA.
Another Buckeye Burl bottle stopper. I've been selling a lot of these lately. Good thing because I like ordering new tools. :biggrin:

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I hear you Paul. First time I made that shape people started coming back for more. I give them what they want. Interesting how a simple shape seems to draw people regardless of the material. It actually looks somewhat elegant sitting on a bottle.

The finish is Behlen's Qualalacq Lacquer that I apply with an airbrush. I started using the lacquer earlier this year and I really like the finish.

According to Behlen: It is highly resistant to the strongest of alcohols, water, moderate heat, and abrasion impact. It is highly scratch resistant after a week's cure time.

I have to agree. It's really tough stuff and polishes up very nice.
 
If you have compressed air available, HF had a cheep air brush for $15 last week. Better yet move up to a better one for about 35. If you are going to use it a lot, buy the Pachse (sp) air brush. More bling but quality all the way. that way you have the ability to apply many different finishes and it is not hard to learn how to use any good spray gun.
 
Lovin' the figure and color in that Buckeye. That finish is sweet, too. Personally, I really like the shape..... It looks elegant and allows the wood to be the star of the show.
 
Thank you for the comments. I made a similar piece for a friend using a dark piece of knotted up buckeye burl that looked just like black marble. He gave it to his dad as a 97th birthday gift. His family had nothing but the most complimentary comments on the workmanship. That one sale resulted in 5 more pen sales. Nice when people recognize the workmanship and it pays off.

Lupe. No micro mesh. I use sand paper from 320 grit up to 2000 grit. I thin the Qualalacq with 1/3 Qualalacq thinner & 2/3 Qualalacq lacquer. I tried using regular lacquer thinner but it didn't mix well with the Qualalacq. It gummed up my airbrush so using the Qualalacq thinner is a must for thinning. I apply three or four coats of lacquer then wet sand before buffing. I buff it out with Tripoli then White Diamond on the buffing wheel and finally polish with Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover.

Dave
 
This isn't the best pic but I finished this one using the same lacquer. This buckeye burl had a lot of depth and an amazing 3D quality to the wood grain. The most interesting piece of buckeye I've ever turned. It looked much better in person. Sorry for the dust. I should have cleaned it a lot better before taking the pic.

Dark colored wood always seems to magnify the slightest imperfections in the finish and this one was 100% flawless under every lighting condition I checked. Every reflection was razor sharp and no star bursts anywhere in the finish.

This lacquer is very easy to work with. It dries very quick for a lacquer finish. Polishes out to an amazing finish and it's extremely durable. Everyone has their favorite finish and finishing techniques and this happens to be the one that works best for me.

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