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Leon[_7_]

On 12/11/2017 11:18 AM, wrote:
On Friday, December 8, 2017 at 8:29:38 AM UTC-6, Leon wrote:

If you and "you know who" can make it to Houston "you know who" might
get another. Bait tossed. Waiting on nibble. ;~)

BTW, what wood do yo use to turn the ornaments? Balsa, Bass wood, or.....

Still awaiting word on the plans myself. Kathy had some personnel rearranging at her office and she is now leading another team (along with her own)for a short time until they hire a replacement. There is more damn drama in that business than you could ever describe.

No bait needed, though. I am pushing her just so we can all get together! Hopefully, we will have some answers pretty quick. Hate to go without her....!!!

No BOX! with out the Kathy! ;~) Whenever ;~), after Christmas and you
get to see my new toy. I took the bait.

As far as suitable work goes, I do like most turners. Whatever looks interesting gets chucked up. I hit firewood piles for mesquite, huisache, spalted pecan, etc. Since you just need small pieces, sometimes it's a treasure trove. Knotty pieces, crotch wood (like the mesquite crotch lamps I showed you) are best turned green, so I keep an eye out when folks are tree trimming. Arizona Ash, Silver Maple, etc. are soft and turn like butter when they are green. When I was in full production mode I used to rough out ornaments a few months before Christmas, let them dry out in a paper grocery bag, and the finish turn them before
Christmas.

I was wondering if a lite weight wood would be needed, I guess they are
small enough that it probably foes not matter.

Since they are supposed to be colorful, I sometimes paint them, stain them, or add little pieces of contrasting wood to them. One year I made an ornament for a relative (from Ohio!) to give to his brother. I put a Lone Star made out of silver that I bought from a leather working site on it because he thought being in Texas was like being in the wild west. (Right, just because we don't eat casseroles 5 times a week..).
I was using the lone star concho's for wine bottle stoppers. They were
handsome. I did learn a valuable lesson way too late on wine bottle
stoppers. Don get the chrome, it reacts with the wine. And don't turn
a long/tall stopper. It will not fit in the refrigerator. ;~(

Those little leather conchos are easy to use and can be bought in just about any shape and size. I think Kathy has one I made her years ago that has a small gold angel I purchased at Tandy.

Are you talking about the metal conchos or are there actually leather ones?

Personally, I like the ornaments to have featured natural defects like broken knots, spalting/staining, different color of sap wood, or anything else that is natural that catches the eye.

Robert

That way they don't look like they are from Ikea. ;!)