Olive Drop Pendant (spalted)

[arcos]

I turned this today from a piece of the shattered bowl... As someone said "Wood Turners Revenge"! 

Anyway, I wasn't too sure where to go with this as the spalting was incredibly black throughout, or at least I thought! As you can see I started losing the spalting a bit and decided to turn a very simple shape to highlight the grain.

Its about 5cm long and about 7mm wide finished with a slightly modified mix of varnish and linseed oil (it's now about 75/25 varnish).

To me, it reminds me of a piece of tigers eye!

There is a bit of dust on the top of the piece that I didnt notice when I too the photo and the tiny shards around the cord are no longer there!

[woodndesign]

Arcos, Your getting the hang of it, this turning ..  ..  shame with the spalting, nice plain, simple piece ..  10+ a minute when you get up to speed..    ..

Use up as you've done the one that got away or off cuts .. extra vino' money .. stand a'round at the Bar ..  ...

Keep on turning.

David

[Paul Disdle]

You varnish/oil finish comes up nice. I have been hold there is no such thing as scrap offcuts just small pieces of wood to work with.

[Bryan Milham]

Arcos,

For what it is, a small simple turning, nicely finished it looks good, but as a pendant it fails.

Let me explain - It is a small simple turning, no shape, no defining feature, so to most people it's a polished stick! So what to do to improve it.

It is this question that stopped me posting last night to give me time to thing about, so ideas (are you aware of the rule of thirds giving shapes that are being pleasing to the eye?);

1. Go buy a cheap pair of earrings with small bright crystals, add one of them to the Olive (1/3 down or 1/3 up) as a feature,

2. Turn 2 more, 2/3 the length, and put one either side, so it becomes a group of 3, and they will move independently of each other,

3. Wood is a natural resource, so anything natural will go with it. Put a slice of small sea shell (cowrie?) either side, or a turned wooden beads.

I've tried to keep the ideas simple so you can play with them and better yet, using these as a starting point discover your own ways to make it 'more than it is'.

[arcos]

A polished stick?? 

Yes, of course you are right!

It is a polished stick with a hole for some cord.  In my 'defense' the graining/colouring of he wood, in my opinion, would be detracted from with embellishments. (I like the ideas re the stick, particularly the group of 3!)

I turned two other pieces from the same piece of wood, both with shape. One e has a VERY dark patch from the spalting which looks ok but the graining just didnt do it for me.

I took about 15 to the bar last night for some 'constructive criticism'...

The first pendant to be picked was a rather bulbous piece of applewood with some very nice curvy graining.

The ONE thing that I did notice was that EVERYONE chose a pendant that was fitted (with a silver cap and ring) and not the 'natural' hole through the top. So it looks like I am off to Chinese shop for more findings and also earring hoops as there was a lot of interest in having matching earrings. Also a suggestion of some beads being added to the cord.




 

[Eric Harvey]

Axminster do the silver fittings for necklaces now,and fairly cheap to,regards,

Eric.

[Bryan Milham]

We've got to admire your sales technique, touting your wares around the local hostelry.

Maybe some of us ought to try that method!