Back burner project

smallboat

smallboat
Corporate Member
A while back I was gifted a chunk of Cherry burl that was the definition of gnarly.
It was too big for my lathe so I shaved about 1" all around and set it up on a face plate.
As I cleaned it up it looked pretty interesting but I discovered that by mounting it by the most solid portion I created the problem of no secure rim to the bowl.
So I switched it around the other way and continued. We all know where that led, but that's the least of my problems right now.
The blank had lots of bark inclusions, seams and voids. In the interests of trying to stabilize things I thought I could fill them with pewter and highlight them.
I use enough epoxy in other projects to know it would have been perfect for this but I was up to try something new and had just seen the posts here about casting pewter on the stock of muzzle loaders.

The pouring process was pretty easy and I managed not to burn the house down or put a hole through my foot.
Turning the pewter was very easy, I believe its softer than the cherry!

Then the problems started. I wanted to get the pewter into the finest fissures so I thought - put the whole thing in the oven and heat it up then pour in more metal. It should stay molten longer and flow into the tiny cracks.

Maybe it was the fumes from the metal but I actually thought that was a good idea.
Needless to say, the stresses in the blank caused it to crack more and some of the pewter that had been secure was now like a loose filling in a tooth.
The main seam through the black essentially runs across the diameter and I could now move the sides.
At this point I put it on the back burner and moved on to other things.

Recently I decided the time had come to finish this up. I sealed the main crack and loose metal with CA and cleaned it up.
IMG_2056.jpg

IMG_2057.jpg

It's looking ok but I have two questions.

1) would it be possible/ advisable to go back and "reflow" the pewter using local heat from something like a jeweler's torch?
2) I'd like to get the metal to a shine rather than dull finish. As I get to the fine grits while sanding it ends up leaving "skid marks" coming off the trailing side of larger expanses of metal. I can keep after it with tack cloth and wiping down with solvent but thought there may be another approach I'm not considering. buffing wheel on die grinder?

Oh, And I cored out the inside to make a lid and finial. They are still in rough form. but it the wood was too interesting to turn into shavings.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
What do you use for coring? I have seen many but it seems they all make the same boring shape. You have a gift for design, that bowl looks great.
 

smallboat

smallboat
Corporate Member
Mike - Thanks for the kind comments. This is the cherry chunk you passed on to me a few years ago.

I used my regular tools that I use to do the undercut rims on bowls like this. Just went the other direction.
"Cored out" may have been an overstatement.
Here's the lid and handle. Final handle will be much finer finial shape (in my mind)
IMG_2058.jpg

Plan is to have the handle float in a ring of pewter where it meets the lid

But this project has a mind of its own, I'm along for the ride.
 

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