17 May 2022 – Workshop Night

On a warm spring evening 23 members gathered round their computers for this month’s online wizardry from our resident turners and, in a first for the club, we were joined by a potential new member from Denver, Colorado. Our fame is spreading!

On another positive note, as the temperature was more than reasonable our two turners were able to inhabit their workshops without the need of several layers of warm clothing and woolly hats which meant there were no complaints from them about being cold. In the coming months however, be prepared for it being too hot!

This evening Chris did not set out to turn a specific item but to demonstrate firstly, the use of beading tools and secondly, the application of metal leaf to the outside of a goblet. Chris told us that he had two beading tools, a 5mm and an 8mm both with a grind angle of between 50 and 55 degrees. He stressed that they should not be sharpened on the grinder but by simply using a card hone. With a piece of wood mounted on the lathe, he then demonstrated the technique for forming the bead, present the tool to the wood, push in and as the bead forms, wiggle the tool from side to side. Chris formed beads with both tools, talking his audience through the procedure so as to give everyone a complete understanding of the process. He then mounted a bowl onto the lathe and demonstrated how beads can be formed on the curve of the bowl.

He also showed us a tool he had ground himself which looked like a spindle gouge but with no hollowed out flute. He used that to form coves, making the point that for less experienced turners this tool reduced the risk of a catch.  Then onto the application of metal foils. Chris used a pre prepared goblet that he had sprayed matt black but with masking tape over parts of the surface which, when removed exposed a random pattern of bare wood onto which the metal leaf would be applied. He comprehensively explained the technique required to successfully apply the leaf; cutting it on a leather pad with a thin flexible blunt knife, applying the special adhesive needed, having two brushes, one to pick the leaf up with and the other to apply it to the wood. He did go off at a tangent at one point in order to demonstrate the application of acrylic paint using soft bottles fitted with fine “nibs” that allow the paint to flow in the random way that typifies Chris’s work and which result in some stunning works of art. This was a Chris masterclass which will undoubtedly have inspired members to go into their own workshops and be creative in ways they may have not previously considered.

Zak, having been inspired by the recent Gary Lowe demonstration, opted to turn his version of a shield. With the sycamore blank on the lathe Zak trued up the face and created a recess complete with three decorative rings so that he could reverse mount it. Before doing that the wood was sanded and a coat of polish applied. Now with the blank held in the recess the work of shaping the shield began. At first the piece appeared to be out of true but Zak soon identified the problem, returned it to a state of equilibrium and created the basic shape. A central boss, surrounded by a bead was formed and a bead was created at the outside edge. Using a Dremel eight lines were carved into the wood so creating eight sections that would be textured and coloured. Again with the Dremel, Zak textured the sections in readiness for painting. As the evening drew to a close five out of the eight sections were painted so we will have to wait to see the finished item which will then beg the question, we have the shield where’s the sword to go with it?

During the evening we also saw some very interesting pieces from eight of our members in the Show and Tell section and a video submitted by Darren in which he was trying out different techniques that included a twisted stem for a goblet, colouring and scorching with a blow lamp (don’t try this without taking all necessary safety precautions).

Once again a very enjoyable evening which was very eloquently summed up by our visitor from the USA who said, “Thank you so much for inviting me to the club meeting today, I found it very educational and interactive! Thank you!”

Thanks Alan S for another great write up of the evening’s events.

All members should have received an email from our Club Secretary, Alan B earlier this week, informing us all that he is sadly having to step down for reasons that I won’t gone into on here.  This will unfortunately leave the Club without a Secretary, which for any Club to operate efficiently, we therefore urgently need to find a willing volunteer from you the members.  Alan is happy to advise anyone about the job and provide a handover.

What is involved? As you would expect, the role deals with any general enquiries received from the website, phone or in the post, calling of meetings, creating the agenda’s, taking of minutes at all Committee/Trustee/Sub Committee meetings plus the AGM.  We hold 4 full Committee and 2 Trustee meetings per year.  There may be the need for additional meetings as necessary.  We also have Sub Committee meetings that are called as and when necessary.  There will be the need to send out correspondence as required either by email or post (but mainly email).  The willing volunteer really does need to be confident in the use of IT and standard Office type programs.  All of those are standard duties that you would expect to do in the role of any Club Secretary.  Since Covid, all Committee meetings are now done on Zoom, which saves on travel, cost of hiring the hall, plus it enables the meetings to be easily recorded.  As they are recorded, it has enabled a simplified set of minutes to be produced and distributed.

Alan has also being doing the Programme Secretary job on top of the Club Secretary, because no one else from the 60+ members would volunteer to do it.  To share out the required work, we would like for another member to join a small group set up to do this role as a group rather than one individual.  What does this role do, well the clue is in the title, it sorts out the Club’s Programme for the year and working on future years, so that’s mainly for the demonstrators.  The suitable demonstrator’s need to identified, contacted, booked and liaised with as necessary.

We all lead busy lives, whether you are retired or still in work, but without volunteers stepping forward and finding the time, Club’s such as ours would not exist.  Alan has done a fantastic job over the years and it is without doubt his determination in keeping the Club going during covid has made the Club grow from strength to strength and really is something to be proud to be apart of.  So please have a serious think and if you feel you can help in taking on either roles as above or want any more details please get in contact ASAP.

Wolds Wildlife Park Event  – Unfortunately, we have had to decline the offer to attend the event due to insufficient interest, but a big thank you to those who had volunteered, but sadly it was still not enough.

*edited* sorry I said Mr Fisher had won as well which was incorrect. After last month’s post telling you about the Turners Retreat ‘Community Showcase’ I am really thrilled to announce that Chris Chance has won. If you are interested in having a go, check out all the details on their News article HERE.

Next online demo is by Cindy Drozda who will be making a Sphere Box next Tuesday, 24 May 22 starting promptly at 7pm.  You should have already received the invite in your inbox this morning.  Not received it for some reason, get in touch.  If you are a PAYG member, remember you need to purchase your ticket to watch this demo, go HERE to buy it.

Next Hands on Night is on the 14 June so will see you all there, hopefully.