Another rotten root....

[arcos]

This, I believe, is the root of a heather. I believe that it is a wood that is used for making smoking pipes, Brier was suggested here by one of you clever folks!

Anyway, what I have here is a completely rotten root that I was hoping to turn into a nice bowl. What I found, on examination, was that the root was infested with critters and was almost falling apart! I think that it was infested with 'termites' or something similar... Ugly looking white critters by the hundred!

Anyway, I managed to CAREFULLY turn this little piece from a section that had remained big enough to do anything with!

The wood is incredibly damaged by the critters and this really is about as far as I would like to risk turning before the thing literally falls to pieces! It is solid but has so many holes and cracks!

Anyway, I am loving the colour and the holes that are in this piece. I have finished this with my linseed oil/varnish mix and it has really bought out the amazing colour of the wood. I have also found that it takes forever to dry SO have painted the finish on, left it for a number of hours and then wiped the excess off. To the touch it feels incredibly silky and retains a nice shine!

I have quite a lot of small pieces that I really do not know what to do with due to the lack of depth... Any suggestions as I would HATE to put this onto the fire!!!

[woodndesign]

Hi Acros,  again an interesting piece, no doubt small, you've not given sizes to any of your pieces, option could have been going in for making a pipe bowl.

Stunning colour, maybe just the oil would have been best as a finish, as the mix looks on the heavy side, maybe cut/sand it back a bit.

Cheers  David

[arcos]

Damn I'm rubbish with sizes!

This piece is about 3" diameter, slightly more perhaps, and about 2.5" high.

I have to say that the photos do not do the finish justice! In real life, the finish works perfectly! It is not overly unnatural, has an incredibly deep colour with a 'natural' shine!

It is incredibly 'tactile' and has an 'organic' feel!

Making a pipe bowl with multiple holes? 

[Bryan Milham]

Arcos, as an ex-pipe smoker I will say it does look remarkably like the briar uses to make pipes.
Eh, if it had critters I recomend 30 seconds in a microwave, to make sure they and any lava or eggs are dead.
Put you little pieces carefully to one side. Eventually you will discover resin and be able to make really attractive blanks from them. Look you George Watkins one of the forum members to see what he does.