Some recent brushes...

Interesting... the ebony turned almost like plastic, very little splintering- in fact I was surprised. It does have a slightly grey/brown tint to it in very bright light, luckily I ordered if from the same wood supplier that Neil used to re-scale the matching razor, so it should be the same stuff!

Re Laburnum, I'm not sure if that brush is or not, I applied a medium/dark woodstain to the turned handle so that isn't a true colour. I'll try to remember to take a photo of the rest of the branch tonight so you can see. I also 'liberated' a chunk of holly that had been cut down a few months back, so that might end up being used for a brush or two.

I have a chunk of cocobolo sitting on the shelf, waiting for that special brush! I've heard how bad it can be so I'm waiting for the soon-to-be fitted extraction system before attempting it. I'm currently working on a wooden longbow made from hickory/ipe - now that's a wood that's fun: the ipe dust is bright yellow (the colour of tumeric) and turns red when it hits any alkaline. Couple that with the fact that it has a natural additive that causes any splinters to almost instantly become infected, and rather a lot of patience is required!

Chris
 
neocaligatio said:
Interesting... the ebony turned almost like plastic, very little splintering- in fact I was surprised. It does have a slightly grey/brown tint to it in very bright light, luckily I ordered if from the same wood supplier that Neil used to re-scale the matching razor, so it should be the same stuff!
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Doesn't sound like ebony to me. Some woodsellers are known to call any dense, black wood ebony -- or maybe this was on purpose, to 'evade' restrictions on Brazilian rosewood ;-) I take it that it turned like boxwood or maple, two other woods that take well to the lathe?

Re Laburnum, I'm not sure if that brush is or not, I applied a medium/dark woodstain to the turned handle so that isn't a true colour. I'll try to remember to take a photo of the rest of the branch tonight so you can see. I also 'liberated' a chunk of holly that had been cut down a few months back, so that might end up being used for a brush or two.
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It's not only the colour that hints of laburnum, but also the figure. However, a look at the cross section of the branch should answer that question in a jiffy.

I have a chunk of cocobolo sitting on the shelf, waiting for that special brush! I've heard how bad it can be so I'm waiting for the soon-to-be fitted extraction system before attempting it.
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Or a good respirator / spray painting mask. Should suffice....

I'm currently working on a wooden longbow made from hickory/ipe - now that's a wood that's fun: the ipe dust is bright yellow (the colour of tumeric) and turns red when it hits any alkaline. Couple that with the fact that it has a natural additive that causes any splinters to almost instantly become infected, and rather a lot of patience is required!

Chris
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Different Ipe than what I'm familiar with. I make walking sticks out of Surinam greenheart (Tabebuia serratofolia), also called Ipe -- but I know there are a number of related species that are all sold as Ipe. This one does turn yellowish, turning to brown upon exposure to air, but I'm not aware of any inflammatory action of its splinters. I know that the same is said of e.g. wenge, but I haven't experienced it yet, and I have on occasion had wenge splinters in my fingers. I bet that most woods that do that have allergenic oils, just like cocobolo. However, the structure of cocobolo makes it quite unlikely that you'd get splinters in your fingers while turning, since it doesn't splinter...

Cheers

Henk
 
henkverhaar said:
Audiolab said:
I have a cocobolo brush and it is a very nice looking piece, having just read about it on the web I didn't know it could induce reactions like that when cut. I learn something every day.
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Cocobolo is notorious, but really only 'dangerous' when being worked. It's the dust that is the carrier. The actual allergen is in the wood's oils (like any Dalbergia, or actually any dense wood, it is quite oily), but the exposure to those oils from intact pieces of wood is negligible. Plus, a brush handle should be surface-treated anyway, so no exposure to the wood's oils would be possible. For practical purposes, brush handles should be varnished, although they look better when treated with oils and buffed -- unfortunately, it is almost impossible to make a wooden handle impervious to water without resorting to varnishes. Well you could try Japanese lacquer techniques but that would probably bump the cost of the brush with a factor of 10.

Henk
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Understand, I realised it was the sawdust that can cause the irritation but handy to know, thanks for that.
 
What about using a modern water based 2 part floor lacquer. I quite recently renovated my hardwood floors and this stuff is as tough as nails and gives nice satin water resistant finish without being over glossy. I'll try and find it...

Something like this...

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Well I've been using my teak brush for a year - all that gets is a coat of oil once every couple of months. For the brushes I've made here I use likewise or a suitable hard-finish lacquer.

I did consider a two part plastic coating, but getting the coats even and smooth is a pain. I'm shortly going to give CA a try (superglue) which is obviously very hard and can be polished up to a really nice gloss.
 
neocaligatio said:
Well I've been using my teak brush for a year - all that gets is a coat of oil once every couple of months.
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Sure, but teak is an oily, naturally reasonably water-resistant wood to start with.

I did consider a two part plastic coating, but getting the coats even and smooth is a pain. I'm shortly going to give CA a try (superglue) which is obviously very hard and can be polished up to a really nice gloss.
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Yep, 2 part epoxies are finicky. Especially on woods. More so on oily woods. Know that from (fly) rod finishing. CA, or CA/BLO is a great finish, easily applied on the lathe, and almost instant. However, it doesn't work too well when you have intricate details on your turnings, such as narrow recesses. Don't ask how I know...

Henk
 
Veering off topic for a moment, sorry.
Chris: am I to take it that you're another archer then? I can't remember the address exactly (it's on the other machine), but if you google Green Man Longbows, you'll find a lot to interest you, I should think. I know Varin quite well, and his bows are something special.
For what it's worth, I think your ebony is just that, of one sort or another, not African blackwood.
 
neocaligatio said:
Thanks for the comments :D

Fozz- given enough time I can get most woods, although some are restrictive, e.g. the ebony for Fatboy's brush above is only (at a reasonable price) available in thin sections due to export laws etc. Knots I can get most sizes and grades, but prices vary of course!

Here's another that I've just got round to photographing:
3948061008_199dff027f.jpg


Still not polished up, but the stain is still drying. It's taken from a branch (oak I think) which means it has really distinct late/early growth patterns to it. The knot is a 24mm Best Badger, but as this knot is already allocated to an ordered brush this handle use any 24mm knot.

Chris
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like the one in this picture very nice indeed!
 
neocaligatio said:
I'll be investigating imitation ivory (hopefully) this weekend, but I could replicate the design in a wood of your choosing...
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FYI, the faux ivory Axminster sells, is nice, but I doubt one would be able to finish it to resemble this thing. Not without a varnish or other surface coat anyway. Too white and not shiny enough.

Nice knot on that brush though...

Oh, and that design would look gorgeous in olive too (don't ask how I know...)

Henk
 
Interesting point - do you think most timber supply stores sell the same grade of imitation products? I've seen a couple of differing options but only over web/catalogues.

That knot is fairly stunning :shock:
 
neocaligatio said:
Interesting point - do you think most timber supply stores sell the same grade of imitation products? I've seen a couple of differing options but only over web/catalogues.
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I honestly have no idea. The only faux ivory I've handled is Axminster's. I have turned acrylics, and delrin, and none give a sheen like the material in that picture. How about mammoth ivory -- at least that's not regulated.

Henk
 
Bone? Horn?

Sorry I'm well out of my depth now.

(And I can't believe I've posted "bone" and "horn" on a forum thread. Up there with "I used to cork Swedes".)
 
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