I could sure use some opinions

[Richard Madden]

A few days ago I showed some pictures of a spiral finial made of walnut. This one is ebony and threaded. I would greatly appreciate opinions on some things before I go any further.
1. Is the ball inside a dumb idea?
2. If the ball stays, should it be dyed black, or left natural? Right now it's
unfinished cherry. I could do one in maple which would match the
vessel closer if it was to stay natural.
3. How are the proportions on this vessel? (It's covered with Anchor Seal
and drying, just roughed so the bottom won't remain like it is.







One other question; would this vessel be a good candidate for dying? Not much going on with the grain. If I was to dye it I guess the ball could be dyed to match???
Any and all opinions would be welcome. Thanks for looking.

[patrick michael stein]

hi richard
very cool idea if you dye the vessel you should dye the ball the same .imho




patrick

[David E Keller]

I really, really like the captured sphere. I think it's a good idea to match it to the main vessel. Whether you dye it or not is entirely up to you, but I'm leaning toward dye. Another option would be to bleach it.

I like the proportions of the vessel in it's rough form, and I think the finial looks good with it... It doesn't really follow the "rules" for height, but it has such visual weight that I'm afraid if it were too much taller it would overwhelm the vessel.

I'm not proud, so I'll ask... How'd you get that ball in that there twisty part?

[Jeff Luedloff]

your captured sphere is awesome idea, I think it should match your vessel also. just my opinion.

[Dave Carey]

I think it's way cool and agree that having the same finish on the ball and the vessel pulls the whole piece together.

[Richard Madden]

David,
Thanks for the comments. The ball started off with two pieces of cherry glued together with a piece of newspaper between, and after turning the sphere they were split apart. The halves would barely fit in the "spokes". For now they are joined with rubber cement until I decide what to do next.

[David DeCristoforo]

This is going to get really repetitious but the idea is beyond cool and the ball "should" match the color of the vessel.

[John Keeton]

Richard, I kinda like the captured ball!! Here are my thoughts.

I would want the ball the same wood as the form. The cherry will age differently regardless of whether you dye the piece and/or the ball.

I would prefer to have the ball glued on the bottom so it doesn't rattle around.

When you finish the vase, are you going to transition the shoulder up to the finial? I would probably slim the waist some and taper to the bottom a little more than you have it now. I think that would keep the finial in better proportion to the form. Right now, the form has a lot of mass, and the finial doesn't "lift" it much.

Personally, I only like dyed pieces when they have fairly heavy figure or burl. That way, one gets some contrast and interest. Otherwise, you just go from one color form to another (unnatural color usually.) But, that is just me. There have been several dyed pieces of very plain maple that get rave reviews.

All of this from a guy that has never done a vase!! So, take it for what it is worth.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Very nice. My $0.02 would be natural finish. I just personally do not like dyes or stains. Seems like I'm way in the minority.

[Don Alexander]

i tend to prefer natural wood as opposed to dye

so +1 for natural

and i too think this piece is way cool

[Jerry Lawrence]

I, too, having never made a vase, am no expert but here is what my eye thinks: I like the captured ball a lot, but think it seems just a little large. Maybe a ball made of stone of some sort, like soapstone, would look nice if it has some veins or color in it. I was thinking a nice hand-blown glass marble or large teardrop shaped bead would look cool, but after reading your method of inserting the ball, I guess that's out. I also think the bottom of the finial and the top of the vase look like they're not quite in relation with each other size-wise. As for staining the woods, I have always been a fan of natural wood. Just my $.02, if it's worth that much

[John Hart]

Richard,
How much wall thickness do you have to work with?

[Richard Madden]

John,
This vessel is almost 8" in dia. wall thickness is around 1".

[John Hart]

Ok..well, that's quite a bit. It seems to me that you might want to slender it down a bit, so that the shoulder follows the slope of the finial base. At least a little while, then take the shoulder down through a nicely feminine curve throughout the body to a fairly narrow foot.
This is all to compliment a finial which is the star attraction of this piece.

And for whatever my opinion might be worth...I think that dye would upstage the star. And that finial is a STAR.

I think you have jewel to uncover. I'm anxious to see it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow - that's pretty cool!

I agree with John K - use the same wood for both the main form and the ball. Whether you dye of not - having both from the same wood would help tie the piece together.

For me - to dye the piece or not would depend on it's function. If it is intended to be used as a display or piece of art - then I would dye it. You can always sand portions of the form back to expose the natural wood - so it doesn't have to be monochromatic.

If the completed piece is to be used as an urn - for example - then a more formal look would be appropriate and I would leave it in it's natural color.

Good luck with completing the piece! Looking forward to seeing it!