Club Night Report

Wednesday 13th December 2023

Club Night Photos for Wednesday 13th December 2023 - Club Christmas Party

Photos by Martin Barrett and Tim Mortimer with observations by Tim Mortimer

Our Christmas function on December the 13th saw 24 members plus 6 guests so a total of 30 attending. There were three demonstrations available this year for people to wander around, ask questions, and take part if they so wished. Georgina Brown was demonstrating some of the pyrography techniques she uses, Bob Wells was demonstrating his wood piercing techniques which he has used to great effect on several bowls that he has turned and our resident Club Demonstrator, Dave Branscombe, who was live turning some seasonal themed items. All of the demonstrations were very popular and many people, including guests, participated which was nice to see and a big part of what they were all about.

There were also four display tables, one for items that members had turned throughout the year, one for tools and jigs, one for the Christmas Theme items competition and one for Your Best Item Made in 2023 competition. All of which drew much attention and interest during the course of the evening. Part way through the function after everyone had eaten, those that brought in items for display were invited to come to the table and give a short talk about each of their submissions. This included the wood species, any difficulties encountered and the finishing techniques used, etc. A format that was felt to be a little more inclusive and one that people enjoyed with each participant being deservedly applauded for their efforts.

Of course, George Gansbuehler ensured that the annual Secret Santa raffle was also a great success with surprises for all.

The food choice on offer, in the form of a buffet, was once again exceptional, very well presented and most certainly enjoyed by everyone. Mulled wine was also served, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, both warming and reaching those parts that others..........well you know the rest! So once again another massive thank you to David and Louise who, in the Chairman's final few words of the evening, received by far the loudest applause. Hope you enjoyed the flowers Louise!

Finally, after a ballot style vote, the competition entrants discussed their individual pieces after which the winner of both were announced. The Christmas Theme winner was Martin Barrett with his beautifully presented silver multi branched array decorated with different coloured hanging sea urchins. Some were painted and others covered in metal leaf and each with a finely turned black finial attached both top and bottom. Well done Martin!

Your Best Item Made in 2023 was also a close decision between another of Roger Hoare's wonderful segmented vases, comprising over 600 patiently cut and glued individual pieces, and Tim Mortimer's natural 'holey' vase made of elm with a turned finial in the centre. The winner of the trophy for 2023 was Tim Mortimer with his interesting and aesthetically pleasing hollow form.

The Chairman ended the evening by thanking everyone who helped make it a great success. In particular, Georgina Brown, Bob Wells and Dave Branscombe who gave up the majority of their time during the evening to demonstrate and David and Louise for the preparation, presentation and delightfully tasty buffet. He concluded by wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and importantly a very healthy 2024.

Tim Mortimer was the winner of the Ian Hooker Memorial Trophy for Your Best Item Made in 2023. The hollow form was turned from a dead elm trunk found in a hedge in the field at the rear of Tim's garden. It sits on a small, turned, walnut foot to give it some 'lift'. The overall height is approximately 12 inches and it's some 6 inches in diameter. The two 'holes' were formed by natural inclusions and the hollowing process. A small finial was turned from an old rock maple draining board and stained with black leather dye. A tenon was turned on the end and the finial fitted inside the form. Both the finished form and finial were given 6 coats of Danish oil and buffed to a lustre.
Martin Barrett was the winner of the Best Christmas Decoration 2023. Unfortunately, there isn't a photo of the Winner! The Christmas tree with hanging urchin style baubles was made from 2 mm silver coated aluminium wire, of which there were multiple strands twisted together, and then inserted into a pre drilled hole in the top of a piece of yew. The yew base was turned from a branch which was rather flaky in places, but turned out quite well and was just burnished for the finish. The hanging ornaments were made from Green, Alphonso and Sputnik urchins. The shells were pre-treated with a pva coating on the inside surface. This was to help in strengthening the shell, especially the very thin Green urchins. One urchin (red style), was painted with acrylic paints to get the desired effect. Another was silver leaf applied after a pre-coat to aid the leaf sticking to the surface. Gold leaf was applied to the Sputnik urchin (identified by the horn effect on the shell surface - spikes). The finials were turned in oak to make a strong stable piece. There is a difficulty in that each shell has different size openings, and these present a problem in making the finial in one piece. The larger Alphonso urchin was also hand painted, and the lower finial was made in two pieces, due to the very large opening in the base of the urchin. The finials were stained using a water based black dye before applying black lacquer and then polished and finished in embellishing waxes, each to complement the different shell colour finishes.