Spalt and Stitch

[Les Symonds]

This was quite a lump when I started, weighing in at 64lb (25kg) and massively out of balance, so it was turned at a painfully slow speed and despite eventually getting it truly circular, it still wasn't balanced due to the differential in the spalted, punky wood on one side and the hard, dry stuff on the other. I managed to get a little over 16" diameter out of the blank, but it changed shape quite a bit before hollowing of the inside was under way - even though only an hour had gone by.

Its finished dimensions are 16" x 8" (40cm x 20cm) with an internal depth of 6.5" (16.5cm), the bottom of the bowl was left very thick because of all the cracks and the bad knot in the walls.....it needed a good strong bottom to keep it in one piece!





It was always my intention to do some stitching on this piece. cracks were evident from the outset and I wanted the bowl to look old and used. I settled for 1/10" (2.5mm) natural leather thong, cross-stitched on the inside, and in straight bars across the splits, on the outside, all set into pre-drilled holes and knotted at the end of each stitch-run, with a reef-knot dabbed with ca adhesive to keep it locked.






The finish is BLO, which took 8 coats before the punky grain filled and finally stopped sucking the oil in. Two further coats eventually gave a gentle sheen.

C&C always welcome....Les

[Bryan Milham]

Les,

I see you have a new hobby, Cross Stitch!

This is not your normal silver wire, natural leather you say, I assume that's coloured, not rawhide.

It's very organic and looks like a repaired Dough Bowl, from an old farmhouse.

[TWiG]

Quite a hefty looking bowl Les , I can see a degree of Celtic in this and perhaps with further drying some more warping  may add even more character / antiquity , I personally think darker "stitches " would suit it better though ...Terry

[Les Symonds]

...with further drying some more warping  may add even more character / antiquity , I personally think darker "stitches " would suit it better though ...Terry

Hi Terry...the wood was bone dry, but there clearly were some enormous stresses still held within it and turning the outside shape released enough of those stresses to start the timber moving.
I have used black leather on many of my pieces and find that it works with heavily spalted timber, but not so well on pieces like this. Also, there's problems associated with the dyes used, in that many finishes and adhesives release those dyes. A recent piece that I made needed the leather to be removed because the ca adhesive that I had used bonded to its outer surface of waxy dye, but then shed off a few days later. Furthermore, it was my intention to keep this piece as natural as possible, so timber, linseed oil and natural leather were all that was used. It will be my selling point and hopefully, it will pay off.

Les

[Bryan Milham]

Les,

you make an interesting point there. With the oils & solvents we use, I'd never though to consider that they might draw colour out of something they touched.