Maple Burl hollowform (work in progress)

[John Spitters]

I started this piece yesterday at about 3pm and finished turned it by 9pm with a break for dinner in between. 8 1/4" x 6"
This was definitely a nasty piece to turn as it is heavily spalted plus it had a large bark inclusion that was full of very fine sand, needed to sharpen my tools many times while turning it.

Not too sure yet as to how I will finish it but the wife says to finish with a clear coat and no coloring, still needs some finish sanding etc.

John

[Dick Wilson]

John, whatever way you go on finish, it will be striking......people will notice it a mile away. I personally like color in certain pieces and I tend to go that direction on this one. I think of a video I have by Chris Stott on his process of coloring burl. Black stain sanded back to light wood and dyed with a couple of different colors. I have done this a number of times with dramatic effect. Dyed with one color is certainly a good way to go or finished clear. You have a real head scratcher. Can't wait to see what you decide. Great form by the way.

[charlie knighton]

John, very nice

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

John,
I can't tell you how to color and finish. Personally I would use something oil based to push the visual impact of the grain then finish with your favorite top coat with the sheen you desire. The oil may darken the wood a bit but not look artificial in any way. That's all personal preference. However, I can tell you you did marvelous job on the hollow form. Great classic shape.
faust

[John Keeton]

John, great work on the form, and a drop dead gorgeous piece of burl!!! I would not be able to contain myself - it would get some color!!! Probably a deep red, though Ms. Keeton likes turquoise, too. I have used the black undertone, and one needs to be careful with burl as it can penetrate so deeply as to obscure the figure. Sounds like this piece is soft anyway, and I would avoid the black. Perhaps add a drop of black in the color you use would be plenty. Do you have a piece of this wood you could test on?

[Dennis Ford]

It is very nice wood and you did a great job on the form. Looking forward to seeing how you finish it.

[Bill Wyko]

WOW, can't wait to see this one done. Absolutely beautiful.

[Tim Rinehart]

Very nice work John...I too look forward to seeing what you decide. Color would really set it off nicely...but I certainly understand the hesitation. As mentioned, if you have a test piece, that would help. Remember, the finish always looks darker after putting a top coat of poly or WTF on, so be sure to take the test piece thru a couple of your finish top coats to be sure it's what you want.
Lovely piece already!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Great form! Too bad you already got your marching orders when it came to a finish.... cause I think a little color would do wonders to pop that grain! If you do reconsider - take John's advice - skip the black on this one!

Looking forward to seeing the piece once finished!

[Donny Lawson]

Excellent piece. Whatever you decide it will look awesome.

[Curt Fuller]

Great form! Too bad you already got your marching orders when it came to a finish.... cause I think a little color would do wonders to pop that grain! If you do reconsider - take John's advice - skip the black on this one!

Looking forward to seeing the piece once finished!

John, remember in the Saturday morning cartoons when the guy would have a little angel on one shoulder whispering the right thing to do in his ear and a little devil on the other shoulder whispering the opposite in the other ear? Well, in this case Steve and John are the devils and your wife is the angel!. When nature creates wood this pretty, it's always better to let it shine through with it's natural colors. Trust me, and if you don't trust me always trust your wife!.

And BTW, that is an incredibly nice piece of work!

[Jamie Donaldson]

A beautiful form John, but that burl is crying out for some added color to set it off! I would do a light wash of black, well diluted and wiped off immediately to reduce the need to sand. Then apply a more saturated color of choice, and it will sing when the finish is applied.

[John Spitters]

Thanks for the input everyone.
I leave tomorrow morning for holidays and returning on June 1st so I will have lots of time to debate on this one.
I still have another 5 pieces cut from the same burl of the same size as this one, so I'll have lots of opportunities to maybe try coloring a few pieces.
This piece however was the nastiest of them all with the largest void.


John

[Baxter Smith]

Beautiful wood and form John. Having more pieces of the same burl will make your agonizing over what to do a lot easier!

[Bernie Weishapl]

John that is a fine looking piece. No matter what you do John it will be a beauty.