Club Night Report
Wednesday 9th October 2024
Club Night Photos for Wednesday 9th October 2024 - Guest Demonstrator: Stewart Furini
The demonstrator for the October 2024 meeting was a first-time visit by Stewart Furini (see website: www.stewartfurini.co.uk). We have had a good number of woodturners who have shown colouring and texturing as a small part of their demonstration. However, Stewart is a colouring expert who spent the entire evening showing his use of colouring techniques with a little bit of texturing. His website has a link to his YouTube channel where he says he has over 200 videos on turning and colouring wood available. Even if you are only remotely interested in applying colour to your work - it has to be worth a visit, just to see what can be done…Stewart started his demonstration by recommending that plain woods be used for colouring, namely, maple, sycamore and beech - being amongst the best for this purpose. He explained that he was going to show a range of different colouring techniques - with the advice that you could use the back of your (bowl) blank as a free colouring test area. He started with a 9 in diameter by 2 in thick sycamore blank mounted on a screw chuck. The face and outside diameter were trued up to get the part balanced. It was pointed out that colouring the wood does not hide tool marks, grooves, ridges or torn grain - it only highlights them!
Stewart strongly recommended that you protect yourself - hands and eyes, and use a vapour rated mask (not a dust mask) - also, your lathe and the floor against over-spray. He began with an explanation of the different types of airbrushes that were available - gravity or bottle fed, single or dual action. Then, off we went with the use of spirit stains. The distance of the airbrush from the wood determines the width of the line or spray area produced. He showed a number of techniques using stencils (home-made cut-out shapes, or commercially created ones) and multiple layers of masking tape. Between the different techniques - the face of the timber was skimmed off (it needed less than a millimetre) to produce a new 'blank canvas.'
Folded kitchen roll paper was shown as another method for 'dabbing,' using the face or edges and even dipping a rolled sheet, end-on into the paint to produce a different 'dipping' effect.
Stewart used a box (attached to the lathe bed with magnets) to enclose the workpiece (to contain any over spray) - when he showed centrifugal colouring, where paint is applied prior to, or while the part is spinning. The paint was applied using a brush while the part was spinning and also in blobs when stationary. Various manufacturers produce acrylic, pearlescent, and metallic, artists paints (e.g. Jo Sonja's and Chestnut) and iridescent colours.
He next showed texturing - using a Proxon long-neck angle grinder with a mini Arbortech type cutter - on coloured wood, whilst the part was spinning - and then, as another technique, applied colour to the texture for another effect.
Throughout his demonstration Stewart handed around finished pieces, similar to the one he was demonstrating, to show the finish turned/ completed work - with lacquer applied, to 'pop' the colours. We were treated to an excellent evening of humour and audience interaction - full of techniques, tips and in-depth practical knowledge - delivered with superb confidence and skill, and always achieving the expected result.
Thank you, Stewart!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Display Table was reasonably well supported with some interesting items on display...
Bob Tidey showed a large bowl and a shallow platter in black walnut, both finished with acrylic lacquer.
Dave Branscombe displayed two bowls in ash -
one of them being a 'breakfast bowl' which he intended to use! And, a small bud vase in 'decaying' yew, with lovely grain patterns - too good to waste.
Martin Barrett presented a hanging Christmas decoration - coloured with Jo Sonja's iridescent paints, along with a small yew pot, that featured three
carved feet on the base. Ron Carter was inspired by last months demonstrator and made a Xullon.
Tim Mortimer showed a highly figured, acacia burr bowl,
that had received 6-coats of oil as a finish, and a large, thin-walled (3 mm) hollow form, stained a deep blue, with a lacquer finish.
Frans Brown displayed
a large, shallow, sycamore bowl, mounted on three spherical feet (walnut). The bowl had been sprayed black on the inside and fully textured with a ball
burr on the outside, and then coloured with blue iridescent paint.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |