Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
....REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

"A Lurker" wrote in message
...
Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the
breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox
and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and
a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting
lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other
bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

If people want useful, they should purchase useful, or you should have told
them when they were gifted. I have care and feeding cards of various sorts
to go along with the appropriate wooden objects when selling.

As to why people think you can put wood into a microwave or dishwasher, I'm
stumped. Got a daughter who does her spoons that way, but she knows someone
who makes a couple hundred a year, so she suffers no consequences.

A Lurker wrote:

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family
Yes. (although I wasn't aware that you and I are closely related until
just now)

or do
people say things like this to you also?
And yes.

To your list of questions I also get "Can you make up a 6 piece set of
these all alike? My friend is giving a baby shower next week."

To which I answer, in deadpan earnest, something along the lines of
"Probably can't get them completed by then, but for a 50% deposit I'll
drop everything else and give it the old college try."

"How much would that be?"

(Without blinking, flinching or hesitating any longer than it takes to
multiply $150 by 2 (it's a rush order) and then $300 by 6 and divide
that by 2) "$900.00"

If anybody at any time is willing to give me $1,800 for 6 small bowls to
fill with salsa, I'll certainly try to have them ready sometime next week.

But I need to see the cash, all of it, before delivery.


"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

I have begun applying price stickers to everything as soon as it is
completed. FAT price stickers. All but the pens and dinkiest bowls have
3 significant digits. I explain that I was getting them ready for sale
(true) ... but I'd like them to have them instead. That seems to have
ended the 'can you turn six more of these by Wednesday?' sort of
questions. At the same time, it also seems to have raised the awareness
level regarding the value of the gift. It's tacky, tacky, tacky. But
it's not as if they are expected to pay for it, just be aware that they
have been given something of considerable value that did NOT come from
the dumpster behind eBay.

My friends and relatives are not, generally speaking, art collectors
(unless you count baseball cards, bumper stickers, printed tee-shirts
and Elvis on Velvet as art) so that price sticker serves as an education
for them.

As a hint, I also tend to give mine out filled with wrapped hard candy
or M&M's.

And, if they ask, I tell them that they can do all the things you
listed, but that if they treat my gift like that, I'm not going to
replace it for free.


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A Lurker wrote:
Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry
Better that they ask you and get the appropiate answer that go ahead and
complain to you after they damage it. Especially if these were items
you sold.

And yes, all the time.

Ralph

If the recipients of your work can't see the beauty of a
bowl that started out as maybe a piece of firewood and can't
appreciate the effort and creative talent you put in your
work, then they should go to walmart and buy plastic bowls
that are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Lem Bledsoe


A Lurker wrote:

Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making
some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

Consider, if you will, that these people simply have never held a bowl, or
any eating or cooking vessel or utensil outside of the big soup-stirring
spoon, made of wood... and they have no idea what it can be used for or how
to care for it. Remember, people these days are familiar with mostly
ceramic or steel or plastic plates and "glasses" and utensils, and have been
taught that highest forms of these are both microwavable and
dishwasher-safe.

Yes, I get these questions all the time too, from customers and friends and
family. Use the questions to discuss the history of eating and cooking
utensils, or just simply answer the questions in the spirit in which they
were asked - as a search for knowledge.

If you want them to use the bowls like I do, explain how to do that and how
to care for them. If you want them seen as pieces of art, make that clear
in your explanations. But don't ridicule your friends and family because
they don't know what you know. Teach them, explain to them what they hold
in their hands and they'll appreciate your work... and they'll come back for
more.

Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI


So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other
bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

I consider every wood turner to ba an educator. We teach each other how to
turn and we teach the public, including our relatives, how to care for our
product. Remember, the bowl may be art to you but to others it may be just a
bowl. You do not put plastic bowls in a hot oven, but a metal one might be
fine. Wood is different yet. Teach them how to treat it. If you are really
good, you might even teach them how to look at it and feel it.


--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com

"Michael Latcha" wrote in message
...
Consider, if you will, that these people simply have never held a bowl, or
any eating or cooking vessel or utensil outside of the big soup-stirring
spoon, made of wood... and they have no idea what it can be used for or
how to care for it. Remember, people these days are familiar with mostly
ceramic or steel or plastic plates and "glasses" and utensils, and have
been taught that highest forms of these are both microwavable and
dishwasher-safe.

Yes, I get these questions all the time too, from customers and friends
and family. Use the questions to discuss the history of eating and
cooking utensils, or just simply answer the questions in the spirit in
which they were asked - as a search for knowledge.

If you want them to use the bowls like I do, explain how to do that and
how to care for them. If you want them seen as pieces of art, make that
clear in your explanations. But don't ridicule your friends and family
because they don't know what you know. Teach them, explain to them what
they hold in their hands and they'll appreciate your work... and they'll
come back for more.

Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI


So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice
finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other
bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

It is my thought that wooden bowls have been around for thousands of
years, and during those few millenia, bowls have been considered to be
something that you put stuff in, and use. It is not until recently
that bowls are considered to be anything but utilitarian, so I think
it's natural that someone would like to put their popcorn, or salad, or
ice cream in the bowl. The price would certainly convince them to take
good care of the bowl...or just go to walmart if they need something
for their stir-fry.
There are plenty of ways to finish your work to accomodate some of the
rigorous uses that people choose for their bowl. But also, dishwashers
are too, a recently created device that cause havoc with wood during
the intense heat of the dry cycle. Microwaves play havoc with the
moisture content of the wood.
I think the questions are natural, and as a turner, you have a bit of
an obligation to educate your friends and family about the nature of
wood, the recommended care for their new dish and the probable
ramifications if they don't abide by your care instructions.


A Lurker wrote:
Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

I made a Large (16" dia. X 10" deep) salad bowl for my sister out of
Mesquete, she loved it and so did everybody else. I made note of the tree
rings (maybe 150+) and during the conversation of how beautiful this bowl
was, it was brought out that I could make some of these and sell at the swap
meet; I just said "people that go to swap meets can't afford things like
this" and left it at that. I also told my sister that this was to be used
and not just looked at. So it will indeed get used and not abused because
she knows now how to care for it.

Mike

"A Lurker" wrote in message
...
Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the
breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox
and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and
a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting
lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other
bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

On 27 Dec 2006 17:20:47 GMT, A Lurker wrote:

Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Of course. Even if it's very artistic, it's still a bowl, and that's
what most folks see when they look at it. If it's a really special
bowl (and that sure isn't all of them, at least in my shop) then I
make a point of making a little stand so that it can be displayed
where a person can easily see the inside. That seems to make it stand
out more as "art" to the layperson, anyhow.

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

One way that I've found to avoid this to some extent is to give vases
as gifts instead of bowls- they may not be your cup of tea for
whatever reason, but there is a natural tendancy of most people to
view a vase as a display object, where they might just think of a
bowl, however attractive, as dinnerware. Even *I'm* inclined to make
a nice bowl, look at it for a few days or weeks, and then start using
it as a change dish or for some other utilitarian purpose. Making a
vase is a different story, though.

Jerry