Tonight was a new twist on the 3 Musketeers format of demonstrations where instead of all 3 working at the same time they each did a 40 minute demo on a specific subject.
Mick Denton started with a demonstration on sharpening. He showed the setup that he uses and the jig to set the table angle. He had made a number of jigs that were free to take if you wished (or make a donation to club funds). He also showed the setup for fingernail profile gouge grinds. Mick also showed the use of a diamond card as a means of sharpening / quick touch up between grinds.
Roger Gilbert picked up on the art of finishing, from basic abrasive work to standard finishes that he uses. His main tip for the sanding process is not to skimp on the abrasive. Dull abrasives are a false economy as you need to apply more pressure making the finished surface inferior. It is important to get the absolutely best surface before you apply a finish, take your time to get it right. He demonstrated getting a good surface straight off the tool as this reduces the time spent on sanding.
Roger went on to demonstrate and explaining the application of sanding sealer, Ebonising Lacquer and gilt cream, friction polish, food safe oil and wax.
Gerald Hubbard showed that the basic turning of a Christmas decoration complete with finials could be done in a reasonably short space of time. The body was drilled and countersunk so that it could be mounted on a pen mandrel.
This was turned to a basic shape but when you make this you can make any shape, just let your imagination run riot. The top and bottom finials were turned at the same time from one pen blank.
It seemed that most of the audience picked up some snippets of useful information. It is difficult to incorporate all of these into this review, all of this just proves that you need to be at the meetings as there are so many tips that will only be valuable to you.
The December competition table was loaded with really excellent projects. First Prize went to Geoff Warr with an open barley twist table lamp. Second prize was Clive Bryant with a Taurus shaped vase and wooden flowers and third was Gerald Hubbard’s Christmas decorations.