Great Company as Always

[avbill]

Today was Northern Cal group chapter meeting, Many brought their eggs for show and tell. There were some beautiful pen also from all over the state. A little lunch and birthday cake too! A large group met as many as 14 +

The most important part of the day was companionship of other pen /wood-turners. Listening and learning new ideas.

MY good friend Jay demonstrated casting - and all his wonderful tips in casting in aluminlite [sp] casting.

Thank you Gregg for opening your home for this group of turners and again Thank you Jay for your help too!:wink::wink::wink:

 

[ldubia]

Another fun filled group meeting of like minded individuals today. Jay and Greg did a fine job of instructing others on the ins and outs of Alumilite casting. Jay even went so far as to show how moisture can foam a casting (inadvertently). The practice session was fun to watch. Turners got to try their hand and imagination at pouring their own imaginative castings. I look forward to seeing the results in pics from their efforts soon. The food was delicious and filling as usual and the company fabulous. Ryan did a fine job of judging the best egg contest. Greg was presented with the winning Ostrich egg shell for his efforts.

Next meeting shall see ornaments as a challenge effort.

Thanks to Greg for opening his home to us and providing the space to make a huge mess. And to jay for teaching us all how to cast. Everyone for the food, libations, and camaraderie. Pictures to follow as soon as I get them on the 'puter.

 

[nava1uni]

Thank you Greg and Kim, once again for opening your home to all of us rowdy turners. It was nice to see everyone from all over Northern California. The casting was fun and expanded my knowledge base, made it less scary for sure. It was really fun to see everyone's work, the different eggs and to discuss how everyone did their eggs. People cast brass filings, Angela had the tiniest pine cones I have ever seen, Andy with his spacey creation and glitter, sparkle, iridescent,etc.
Jay, as always, was a good instructor and has so many tips and tricks so that casting makes sense. Thanks to all for the friendship, laughter and support.

 

[darcisowers]

We also had a great time. Thanks everyone for a good time. I don't know who had a better time, me or Andy. But I do know who had the better set of birthday events: ANDY! the bum. :biggrin:

Speaking of, he's out in the garage working on his casting project. it's HUGE, and very out of round, despite using the PVC tube as a mold. the segmenting was in there crooked, so there's a lot of acrylic to get out of the way (but we expected that!!) We'll post pictures once he gets it round, then more as it progresses. Unless he decides to be sneaky and only post the final.... his project, his rules. :tongue:

Thanks again to Greg for hosting, Jay for leading the casting demo, and everyone else for the incredible food and friendship. I really wish we could do this monthly!! I love getting together with ya'll.

Ornaments huh, I guess I've got to get moving. I also want to learn how to make eggs, since I haven't done that yet either!

 

[reefboy1]

Hi all,

I really enjoyed the meeting - just sorry I had to leave early and miss the casting. Loved Larry's big pterydactal egg - I think I'll try one as well since I have a spare 4x4 laying around.

Who brough the luncheon meat and what kind was it- I loved it?

See you all next meeting.

Art

 

[kenlicciardello]

It was a great weekend for me. My first BAWA meeting on Saturday with Cindy and Larry. Lots of free wood and great information.

Sunday at Greg's with a great group of people, quality time with my son Ryan, great company on the ride up and back, more great information and yes, more wood.

Thanks to everybody and especially Greg and Jay for setting up and running the casting demo. More sunk in this time than the last. Just think, in another 3 or 4 sessions, I may be able to do something without spilling or making a misteak.

When is the next meeting?
Ken

 

[turn4fun]

Great Meeting and Great People = A Great Time. Connie and I had a really enjoyed seeing everyone again and learning about casting alumilite was just what we needed. It was fun seeing everyones' eggs and hearing the stories about what people went through to turn those eggs. Thanks Greg for hosting the meeting at your home and thanks Jay for teaching the mini-workshop on casting with alumilite. Already looking forward to the next meeting.. Connie and Larry

 

[atsowers]

Thanks to Greg for hosting us once again, and we enjoyed seeing everyone again!!

Thanks to Jay and Greg for the excellent hands on casting session. It was a lot of fun, and now I have a whole new level of appreciation for the casting craft!!

By the way, I managed to turn down my tinkertoy which was embedded in the giant block of Alumilite down to roughly a 5/8" cylinder. There for awhile it looked like I was turning down a giant blue smurf in the garage.

But here's what was inside:



click for a larger image...

Unfortunately, it looks like when the resin boiled, it left behind a lot of sizeable bubbles! I'm already thinking of a workaround for next time. I might need a casting buddy to do the heavy lifting though...

Andy

 

[ldubia]

That came out really cool. Good job on the design. I can't wait for the finished product. Amazing.

You may be able to do a fill of the bubbles using CA. It usually blends right in. Good luck.

 

[gketell]

Thanks to everyone for coming down/up and visiting. It was a blast all around. Seeing everyones' creations is always fun; good food; great people!

Hi all,

Who brough the luncheon meat and what kind was it- I loved it?

Art

Dave Ratto and I brought it. It was Costco meats.
Columbus Peppered Turkey
Columbus Pastrami
Citterio Rosemary Ham (Rosmarino)

Thanks to Greg for hosting us once again, and we enjoyed seeing everyone again!!

Thanks to Jay and Greg for the excellent hands on casting session. It was a lot of fun, and now I have a whole new level of appreciation for the casting craft!!

By the way, I managed to turn down my tinkertoy which was embedded in the giant block of Alumilite down to roughly a 5/8" cylinder. There for awhile it looked like I was turning down a giant blue smurf in the garage.

But here's what was inside:

View attachment 59566

click for a larger image...

Unfortunately, it looks like when the resin boiled, it left behind a lot of sizeable bubbles! I'm already thinking of a workaround for next time. I might need a casting buddy to do the heavy lifting though...

Andy

That is really cool, Andy! I never thought about seeing the dowels on the outside after you turned it.

As Larry said, CA blends beautifully into Alumilite so if you clean the white "boiled" bits out you could then fill with CA and it would be nearly impossible to see the patches. But wait until your final turning, otherwise you may spend hours patching areas you later turn off. DAMHIKT

If you need/want help doing another feel free to call on me. But we will need more resin. All I have left is the "old stuff".

I can hardly wait until the next gathering.

 

[reefboy1]

Thanks Greg!

I can offer my place for the next meeting (depending on when it is).

Art

 

[ldubia]

Still haven't finished the pics yet. Busy turning and making stuff for an upcoming Harvest Festival in Boulder Creek October 1st and another one on November 12. I am also trying to keep up with the demand at the park, commissions, etc. All of a sudden really busy.

Sorry for the delay.

 

[ldubia]

FINALLY! The pics.

I finally managed to take a break and finish the pics. There were others but the chip had some issues and I lost them.

I can't wait to see the results of the casting people did. There was some pretty neat ideas going on.

Without further adieu...



Hope everyone enjoyed them.

 

[angboy]

What the HECK is Greg doing in that first picture???

And yep, Darci and I do seem to look alike- I saw one picture of her and thought "wait a minute, I wasn't wearing that color shirt!"

But then the picutre of Greg and me hovering over the pressure pot shows that our choice of clothes make for a very busy picture!

Thanks for sharing the pix Larry!

 

[ldubia]

What the HECK is Greg doing in that first picture???

And yep, Darci and I do seem to look alike- I saw one picture of her and thought "wait a minute, I wasn't wearing that color shirt!"

But then the picture of Greg and me hovering over the pressure pot shows that our choice of clothes make for a very busy picture!

Thanks for sharing the pix Larry!

Not sure about the first pic. Some of the first ones were taken by you looking into the EZ-Up.

How did the blanks turn out?

Glad you liked the pics.

 

[nava1uni]

None of my blanks hardened. I think that the two different types of Alumilite were mixed up and that is what I got. Thanks for the pictures, everyone looks like they are having a good time. I sure did.

 

[angboy]

Got two pens turned from my castings and wanted to share them here- they turned out very nice I think. These two pens are a special set that combines my two favorite hobbies- geocaching and turning. Last summer, when my mom and I went to Geowoodstock, we went to the APE cache, and my mom had seen a pen I'd made out of small pinecones, cast by Wood-of-1kind. Well, she noticed little tiny pincones along the path we were walking to to the APE cache and suggested we pick some up. So we used an empty water bottle and loaded it up with tiny pinecones. I cast them at the Bubbasville gathering, and the blanks turned out great. So I decided that this pen set belonged to my mom, since she was the first to even notice the little guys, and helped me pick them up, and it's a great memory of that fun trip we had last summer.

 

[kenlicciardello]

They look great Angela. I know these were in the pressure pot, was it with vacuum or pressure?

 

[ldubia]

Very nice work there. Those pens came out great. Are they both from the cast you made at the meeting?

 

[angboy]

Yes, these were both cast the other weekend at Greg's. They were done in the pressure pot under pressure alone, no vacuum. There were one or two very minute holes that easily filled with CA.

 

[Dave_M]

Thanks for hosting us all at your home Greg. I had a good time meeting everyone again. Good group of folks all the way around. You and Jay always do an outstanding job with the casting demo & education. I know it's a lot of prep time & planning not to mention herding us all in the right direction, but you both should know it's all very much appreciated.

I had a good time riding up with Ken and Angela. Glad Angela was able to join us this time around and her mini pinecone castings turned out amazing. Thanks for driving us up north Ken. Especially since you just made a trip to the Bay Area the day before. A long weekend for you but seriously much appreciated.

My castings turned out really nice... except for one thing. There are some micro tiny bubbles in the Alumilite and they have a white haze to them. I've tried cleaning & filling with CA but they seem to want to remain visible no matter what I try. Bummer because the black with black pearl is truly stunning. I have a copper cigar kit that would look amazing with those blanks. One thing I have learned is if you choose to go with the pure black look, your finish has to be flawless. The slightest, and I do mean slightest, imperfection stands out and screams "Loser!".