Finishing a Root Ball

[Alan Gan]

I am working on a bowl from some wood I found a couple months ago. It will be my 1st Root.

It may come out very cool but I need suggestions on the final finish.

There are some defects at several areas some pretty deep voids. Picture this as a bowl that will not hold water very far from the bottom because of the voids. The area is darker and rough, how will I finish these voids, Brush or Spray or what?

[charlie knighton]

picture helps....also what type of wood???????????

[Alan Gan]

picture helps....also what type of wood???????????

That may help, Thanks.

It is Mesquite and hard as a rock. The blank is sound and I did add a little CA into some deeper areas for support.

[charlie knighton]

for me Danish oil or Mahoney's walnut oil......either would do for finish.......before hollowing I would wrap the outside with duck tape or seran wrap or something......looks like a nice piece......jerry sent me a piece from the Arizona desert once....mesquite really does get hard, it almost is like learning to turn all over again....good luck

[charlie knighton]

that first picture is dangerous........I think Scott H sometimes uses some epoxy......not a fan of what it would look like with this piece, but that first picture is scary.....maybe put on catchers mask and vest before turning any further

[Alan Gan]

that first picture is dangerous........

I hear ya but it is not as fragile as it appears in the Picture. The one point at bottom of bowl is solid but if to come apart that would be the place, got some worm holes going on that I cleaned out and may fill .

[Alan Gan]

How would you finish it to get the finish down into the crevices? Spray?

[charlie knighton]

I would use a foam paint brush, you may have to cut one up so it will go in the crevices , maybe a ear cotton swab,

go to harbor freight and buy a bag of foam paint brushes, take you list for harbor freight....duct tape, masking tape, foam brushes, air brush gun and extra bottles, compressor, check the ad.......

[Thomas Canfield]

I use a section of Bounty paper towel to apply a Danish oil type finish on most pieces including ones with worm holes, bark, cracks, whatever. I apply a heavy coat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then wipe off with dry Bounty towel. I try to remove any excess from voids or cracks, and very seldom have any run out during the drying process which is 24+ hours depending on temperature and moisture. Soaking is about the only way to get finish down in recess areas.

[Alan Gan]

I would use a foam paint brush, you may have to cut one up so it will go in the crevices

Thanks Charlie,

I do not think I asked the correct question.

If I wanted a Satin or even Gloss finish how could I get that shine into the recesses where it cannot be buffed? That is why I asked about spraying, and by that just using a can of Polyurethane. I am new to turning but that even seems like a cheap way to complete a project like this. I think this turning will have some very nice grain pattern.

I have looked around but have not found a buffer that would work on these very uneven areas of the bowl.

[Paul Williams]

I have done two small root balls with similar voids. I used wipe on poly for the main part and used a small (1/2 inch wide) paint brush to get WOP into the crevices. WOP is thin enough to run into almost anything.

That is going to be a beautiful piece if it holds together. Remember that there is no reason to go thin on a piece with voids. leave enough wood to support the area around those voids. Be careful.

[charlie knighton]

maybe use oil and then some rattle can lacquer......never have tried any poly on mesquite.....maybe some others will chime in, Thomas just uses the oil....he lives in texas and sees lots of mesquite I reckon......maybe Bill or Wally have some thoughts

[Pat Scott]

That first picture scares me. The tenon is too deep and will bottom out in your jaws. Also it looks like there is a big pie-shaped chunk just waiting to break out.

As for finish, I would use a small paint brush to apply oil in the recess. The cheaper foam brushes can leave little bits of foam stuck to the bark or other rough areas, so I would use a regular brush instead. I wouldn't try to buff the recess and I wouldn't worry about the recess not being as shiny as the rest. You'll likely have a shadow line from the recess and different texture of bark/wood, so not having the same sheen in the recess is expected. I'd be careful about using rattle can lacquer because I have a tendency to apply too much lacquer while trying to get every nook and cranny.

[Steve Doerr]

Alan, I have a 5 gal lidded bucket that I keep my blend of oils in and just dip my pieces in it. That way you get good coverage through all voids, cracks, etc. Once dipped, I let it drip all of the excess oil off back into the bucket and then use a paper towel to remove any left over oil. I have also used my air compressor to blow out some of the oil that collects in the voids or inclusions. This helps to keep a consistent finish level in those area as compared to the rest of the turning.
HTH and am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[Eric Gourieux]

Alan, I do a lot of glossy finishes on pieces with voids, and I don't worry too much about getting the gloss finish into the crevices. I usually apply an oil to the piece first and make sure to get the oil into the crevice, though.

I agree with Pat that your tenon APPEARS to be too long. It should not bottom out in the chuck.

You have a nice piece of wood there. Good luck