Worthless Lilac Bowl Experiment

[MarkD]

I had some Lilac wood drying for the past year or so. Even though I sealed the ends the wood, it still cracked to the point where it wasn't much good for pen blanks. The wood was so beautiful that I was determined to find a way to use. I used a wire bush to remove any loose bark and then randomly stood as much of the Lilac as I could get into a small plastic bucket ( once the frozen Margaritas was gone ). I then mixed up some Alumilite, filled all the empty space and put it all in the pressure pot to cure.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the outcome except for the areas along the edge of the bark.

Your thoughts and opinions are welcome.

 

[Deadhead]

Nice

 

[Mack C.]

It looks pretty worthless to me! In a GOOD WAY, that is!:biggrin:

 

[joefrog]

Not worthless anymore! Nice!

 

[johns486]

beautiful

 

[Fishinbo]

It's a lovely bowl, like the shape and the pretty colors and figures. Has a lot of character. Well done!

 

[Jim15]

That's awesome.

 

[JohnU]

Great save on that lilac. Nice color combination with wood and resin. I have several lilac trees that I trim once in a while, as they get too wild and large. I've seen that stuff crack in a spiral down the limbs and gave up waxing the ends after I found I didn't help. Now I just leave it as large as possible and cut in between the cracks after it dries.

 

[mokol]

i love it.

 

[Ambidex]

That thar is purty..and I mean dern purty:wink:

 

[MikeL]

I think it looks very interesting. One of those pieces that cause folks to study how it was done and how well it was done. Nice job!

 

[MarkD]

Thanks for your comments.
I took the bowl to a show I did yesterday and although I was not interested in selling it yet it was well received. So much so that I had to put a "not for sale" sign on it. Maybe I'll change my mind by the time the next show rolls around :biggrin:.
I may attempt to make some more or these but I need to come up with a different shape, or a way to reduce the amount of Alumilite required to fill the empty space in the mold, since a lot of it gets turned away.

 

[redneckmedic]

What is the height and diameter?... very nice!....well done capturing the essence of its beauty in your photography skills also!

 

[MarkD]

What is the height and diameter?... very nice!....well done capturing the essence of its beauty in your photography skills also!

The finished bowl is 5 1/2" in diameter and 3 1/2" high.

 

[Band Saw Box]

Really awesome bowl, I like the way the wood and resin pair so well. Worthless wood into a masterpiece.

 

[Phillip Kelley]

Very well done! Great save. I am having reservations about selling my stuff too!

 

[MarkD]

Thanks for all your comments and encouragement.
I was thinking about using the same process to make a large platter, then it occurred to be that I am limited by the 9.5" diameter of my pressure pot!

 

[johncrane]

Very neat well done.

 

[Russianwolf]

Next time.... blue resin..... continental drift.

Nice

 

[gingerwood]

Beautiful!

 

[triw51]

Very nice. One question the areas along the edge of the bark is that bark that peeped out or air bubbles?

 

[MarkD]

Very nice. One question the areas along the edge of the bark is that bark that peeped out or air bubbles?

I suspect it's a little of both. I left the bark on and it was heavier in some places than others and it was definitely softer than the rest of the wood so I suspect may have had some minor tear out. When if I look closely it does appears to have some small air bubble pockets along the bark area also. I wonder if there is a small of sanding dust that got into the the tiny pockets and crevices that I have not been able to remove with cleaning.

The spots seem to show up alot more in the pictures than in person. I suspect that's because of the lights I used when I took the pictures.

 

[Cindylee]

Awesome! Great Job!

I have only gotten my hands on lilac once and fell in love with it. So pretty!