I recently got some pieces of 1.5" diameter acrylic rod from a friend and played a bit on the lathe. I love the look of this stuff! Different from wood but not unreasonable to turn.
The Hunter Osprey and Hercules tools in a bevel-rubbing cutting mode leave an almost polished surface. The Hunter Clewes Mate used as intended with wood is a disaster waiting to happen. Spindle gouges work fine as do skews and small scrapers.
The biggest issue in turning is the long thin strands of plastic wrapped around and obscuring the cut - hard to make a blind finish cut! These must be cleared after almost every cut.
I wet sanded these with 400-1000 then polished with some kind of metal polish. The type of polish doesn't seem to matter.
It is tricky trying to get a good photo of these - it's almost like photographing a lens with lighting issues and compromise on the multiple focal points. I think the translucent yellow ornament looks like honey.
The finials are holly and red heart. Thanks to Jake Niedling for the stainless steel wires for the ornament stand - direct from the Walmart kitchen tool section (from a large whisk). A piece of manzanita root burl made the base.
JKJ
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Originally Posted by Keith Outten
