Camphor Calabash

Unfinished or did you put something on it? How high did you sand?

Its a lovely shape. We had Kirk Deheers do a demo for our local club at the beginning of the month and he turned a calabash. I need to figure out the base so that it runs true after removing the tenon.

Nathan Roper said:

Nathan Roper said:

Unfinished or did you put something on it? How high did you sand?

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Click to expand...

Thanks Nathan! I sanded the outside to 600 and then scuffed it with a purple scotchbrite pad. Finished it with Howard’s Feed N Wax, which is a mix of orange oil, beeswax, and carnauba wax. No buffing, aside from running with a cloth.

That’s cool about the demo by Kirk. Seems like a stand-up guy.

Nathan Roper said:

I need to figure out the base so that it runs true after removing the tenon.

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The most helpful thing (imo) is to keep a wide-ish shoulder above the tenon, so you get a bit of leeway when rounding the bottom at the end. Try to visualize the curve as it runs through the shoulder and just barely through the top of the tenon. That way your bottom doesn’t end up too flat or too round. Sort of like a squished curve, which gives you a lot of stability.

Beautiful calabash, Michael. I filed the oblique grain away mentally for future use - thanks for sharing.

Well, that’s just a little cutie! Really nicely done, Michael. Why did you scuff it before finishing?

Gene Pitstick said:

Beautiful calabash, Michael. I filed the oblique grain away mentally for future use - thanks for sharing.

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Thanks Gene! It does give the bowl a little move illusion movement.

Marc Banka said:

Well, that’s just a little cutie! Really nicely done, Michael. Why did you scuff it before finishing?

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Appreciate the Marc! I had put a couple of coats of shellac on it, but ended up not quite liking the glossier look. So I scuffed it afterward and then applied the oil/wax. May have not been an appreciable difference if I hadn’t sealed with shellac beforehand, but it definitely smoothed everything pretty nicely.