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Are you sure its mulberry? Looks like flame box elder
Wait till you put an oil finish on it. Really stands out then.Excellent! I’m in the middle of rough-turning a bowl now. It’s sad that the red will fade, but still, it’s spectacular.
Wow, I see what you mean. Thanks for that tip.I don't like oil on box elder. It can muddy the light color. Spray lacquer is much better, water based imparts little color at all. This piece has Krylon Fixatif
Have you ever turned green box elder to finish instead of twice-turning? How does it hold up in drying? Is it prone to cracking, or mainly just moving in shape?The wood will turn beautifully, but over time the red figure will fade a bit to a brownish.
Good to know. I rough-turned the first piece, but I think I'll fully turn the next one and see how it turns out.Box elder turns very easily, is soft, and not prone to cracking. It can be a little stringy when turned wet, so a shearing cut is required. That little hollow form I posted just weighs ounces, wall thickness of 3/32, turned from green to finished in one session.
Bleach in box Elder will Take out the yellow and turn it white which makes the red pop.
These were bleached and then finished with a water based poly with uv inhibited added.
When you say bleached, how do I go about that? I want the red to pop and the rest like your examples, white. Full strength or diluted, soak it, how long?
Wow, those are gorgeous. I haven’t tried bleaching yet, but maybe that’s in my near future.Bleach in box Elder will Take out the yellow and turn it white which makes the red pop.
These were bleached and then finished with a water based poly with uv inhibited added.View attachment 34468
I went back for one piece of box elder that was left. What would be the best way to process this for bowls and/or platters, given the shape? I've really only processed much rounder stuff so far.
(Human added for scale.)
Thanks a lot, Al. I need to get tools for hollowing so I can advance to vases and hollow forms. For now, I’m making NE bowls from this box elder and it’s lovely.Darrel , these buttresses/ lobes offer some excellent natural edge opportunities. The oval ness of the one at the top will give really high end wings for a dramatic rim.
piece A on the right will have a really cool lookin rim on the end facing. If the indent goes to the other end that would be extra if not you will have terrific NE Rim with a more regular rim on the other end sort of a heart shape.
all the other lobes offer similar rims. These are rims you rarely get from logs.
View attachment 34520
This bowl about 12” diameter came from a beech tree with a similar base to you box elder.
Something like piece “A” but a deeper notch than yours appears to have. This piece looks so much better without the bark.
View attachment 34521