playing around with kaleidoscope egg kits

[TellicoTurning]

Getting ready for a show next month and last year these sold really well... hopefully, I didn't saturate the market.

Decided to add little egg cups/stands to complement them.

First is Thuya Burl, Second is Spalted Maple, Third is Paduak, fourth is Colorwood "Grey Shadows" and the last is Colorwood "Flaming Ash"

 

[fiferb]

Very Nice! I really like the matching cups.

 

[kirkfranks]

If I was walking past your booth I would snatch up the paduak set in a heartbeat.
The rest are real nice too. The stands are a great idea and well executed.

 

[dntrost]

Very nice and will add color to your booth!

 

[GoodTurns]

Kirk, you're going to have to fight me for the padauk one!

Cool idea with the cups, Chuck! Let us know if they sell as good as they look! (grammar police may ignore the previous sentence)

 

[VisExp]

Very cool. You nailed the shape on the paduak.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Thanks guys for the comments... We won't really need to go to fisticuffs over the paduak.. I actually made two of them. The blanks on the maple and paduak were a little bigger than on the Thuya and colorwood... I started with smaller blanks so I got skinnier eggs.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Neat. What price did you sell them for?

 

[ed4copies]

Hey Chuck!!

Love the egg cup!!

The k-scopes are neat too. That design has the advantage of being "idiot proof" - no moving parts for "walkers-by" to screw with.

I stopped displaying my wand k-scopes since the wands were forever getting scratched by those who INSIST you should ROTATE the wand while looking.

(They are always so amazed when I show them what GRAVITY will do to objects, when held vertically!!)

 

[TellicoTurning]

Neat. What price did you sell them for?

Frank,
I generally get $25 for just the egg... with the cup added I'll price them at $35.. it takes as much or more work to make the cup as it does the egg.

 

[angelofdeath]

Those are awesome looking....keep up the great work.

 

[Skye]

The cup takes more work? Seems like it would be the opposite.

So long as the egg fits snugly, the side walls inside the cup can be straight with a small amount of smoothing at the bottom. Hit it with a forstner bit to get the lion's share of wood out of the way, then smooth the bottom out all cuppish like. Part the sucker off and call it done. It's not got quite the smooth look, but it'll work if it's paining you to do it.

 

[ed4copies]

Sorry, Skye

The cup takes more work? Seems like it would be the opposite.

So long as the egg fits snugly, the side walls inside the cup can be straight with a small amount of smoothing at the bottom. Hit it with a forstner bit to get the lion's share of wood out of the way, then smooth the bottom out all cuppish like. Part the sucker off and call it done. It's not got quite the smooth look, but it'll work if it's paining you to do it.

Something you HAVE to learn if you do shows: Shortcuts will get you "off the shortlist".

At the beginning of the show, women walk by and finger LOTS of stuff. They determine which booths they want to return to (they have to tour the WHOLE show, in case someone else has the SAME product, cheaper). But, if they touch your stuff and like it, they will ask or look for your booth number (You have MADE their "short list".)

IF you display ANYTHING that is done in a mediocre manner, ANYONE who touches it will not buy ANYTHING from you. So, a quickly made "egg cup" that isn't fully sanded will put you "out of the running" for the $150 fountain pen.

If you don't have the time or the inclination to make a product to your own standards, don't make it at all. You'll gain sales.

 

[Skye]

I wasn't suggesting not finishing it. I was saying that rather than use a gouge to remove the material for the egg to sit in, use a forstner bit. The downside is that the sidewalls inside will not be 100% concave (that kind of "smooth"). Rather, it would be straight walled the first inch, with a concave bottom for the eggs to sit in. I'm talking about simplifying the removal of material, not the finishing.

If anyone is a stickler for finishes, it's me.

 

[ed4copies]

Sorry, Skye, that was not the way I read it.

I imagine Chuck is using a forstner - but I do NOT know. And your suggestion is logical.

You still got those radial lines on your pens???

(Yes, this IS an LOL - you gotta know Skye's history)

 

[KenV]

#3 has the best shape and lines for my taste. The combination of the lines and the height of the cup work really well for me. Look at that as the best of the lot for repeating your work in the future. The cup and egg combination work especially well with that combination.

You might also think about a thin rim of contrasting wood at the cup to highlight the change to the eye for the movement to the egg shape.

Good ideas and a lot of fun.

P.S. My wife ended up with a few tiny gems that I used instead of the plastic pieces in the eggs. Much nicer effect --

 

[TellicoTurning]

The cup takes more work? Seems like it would be the opposite.

So long as the egg fits snugly, the side walls inside the cup can be straight with a small amount of smoothing at the bottom. Hit it with a forstner bit to get the lion's share of wood out of the way, then smooth the bottom out all cuppish like. Part the sucker off and call it done. It's not got quite the smooth look, but it'll work if it's paining you to do it.

What's the fun of drilling... I said I was playing with the egg cups... anyway, it takes about 10 minutes give/take to do the egg, then another 10 or so to do the cup... the hollowing really does need to fit the contour of the egg and since my eggs aren't all that consistent in contour, I fit each one individually. it's fun and no pain, but does take about same amount of time.

In all actuality, the pain is putting the kaleidoscope together... between getting older and having both vanity and failing eyesight, it's hard to see to put that little spring clip in the viewing lens end of the KS.

 

[Jim in Oakville]

Cool!