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Finish

Bob Beaupre

Administrator
Staff member
For those who have built open segment vessels, what is your favorite finish, for open segment? Besides rattle can lacquer?
 
I like Walnut oil. It has a UV inhibit so hopefully the colors won't fade over the years. 2 or 3 coats to seal. Walnut oil will dry to a hard durable finish. Once the last coat is dry I buff it and use a food safe carnauba wax buffed to a satiny shine.
 
carnauba wax is applied with a buffing wheel.
I would not suggest using it on a open segment bowel as it will tend to fill the openings between segements
 
I use a walnut finish that has carnauba wax in it. I typically do the majority of the finishing while the piece is on the lathe. Doctor's Woodshop make several finishes with walnut oil.
I apply it in small amounts until the piece is covered. Since it is applied with the piece turning the wax melts. The wax does settle to the bottom of the container so it has to be shaken frequently. For this product I shake the container a little before applying it to an application pad.
 
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So it’s like a friction polish. That makes sense. Do you find that you can apply it to the outside or the piece and buff it to a gloss without worrying about the open spaces “scooping” up wax?

I’d still be concerned about the voids getting dirtied up.

Brett
 
Yes. I haven't done a lot of open segmented projects though. I did several of the tornado bowls posted on the forum. I believe I applied it with the with the lathe running at ~ 1000rpms to the inside and out. I used regular walnut oil on the open segment parts to seal everything. I didn't notice any finish in the open sections after finishing the inside and outside surfaces on the first one and had to coat the open segments. The other bowls were covered with plain walnut oil first and set aside for about 10 minutes to let it soak in. The excess was wiped off so it would end up on me! Then I used the mixed oil/wax finish to do the inside and out.
 
I am just turning my first open segment bowl as a learning exercise, and there is lots to learn! Any tips on type of finish and method of application would be much appreciated, eg. on the segment surface between segments. Also, method for keeping glue from spoiling finish in between segments.
 
I am just turning my first open segment bowl as a learning exercise, and there is lots to learn! Any tips on type of finish and method of application would be much appreciated, eg. on the segment surface between segments. Also, method for keeping glue from spoiling finish in between segments.

First, I have not build an open segment vessel yet. I have watched experience builders in the wood club build open segment bowls.

- Gluing.
* Some only applied glue away from the segment edges and used glue sparingly.
* While the segment is still setting from glue up they used pipe cleaners to clean out excess glue
* Some have an assortment of dental picks used to scrape away the dried glue that seeped out from the joint edges.

- Finishing
* Some have used a spray finish to get between the openings.

Hopefully some of the more experienced builders will post a reply.
 
Thanks for your reply. I did manage to complete the bowl despite some pieces taking flight around the shop. By some miracle I found all of the pieces and glued it back together complete with obvious flaws to a keen eye. The smart brain in me kept saying "stop now and sand" but the guy with the 2 horns kept saying "no you can turn a little more". For future reference I now who was correct. As I had hoped it was a good learning exercise! Just to put some kind of finish on it I used shellac. I used a qtip to get between the pieces but it sure was slow and frustrating. Next time I will try the pipe cleaners to try and eliminate the glue and a spray finish.
 
Thanks for your reply. I did manage to complete the bowl despite some pieces taking flight around the shop. By some miracle I found all of the pieces and glued it back together complete with obvious flaws to a keen eye. The smart brain in me kept saying "stop now and sand" but the guy with the 2 horns kept saying "no you can turn a little more". For future reference I now who was correct. As I had hoped it was a good learning exercise! Just to put some kind of finish on it I used shellac. I used a qtip to get between the pieces but it sure was slow and frustrating. Next time I will try the pipe cleaners to try and eliminate the glue and a spray finish.
If pieces go flying it is probably because you are turning the top ring. It is best if you don’t touch an open segment ring until it is locked in place the next ring. At that time, it will turn as if it was a closed segment ring.

Fear not, though - we’ve all been in the same place as you are. It’s all part of the process and it does get simpler.

Have fun!
 
My second open segment bowl actually stayed in one piece - so there is progress but I am still having challenges finishing to a good standard between the segments. I tried spray shellac. What other spray finishes does anyone suggest or different approaches to finishing? It occurred to me that if you could dip the bowl into a finish that might work but that is not very practical. When I get to a decent standard I might pluck up the courage to post here. However, considering the quality of the posted material that might very doubtful!
 
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