December Meeting Highlights

Bill announced that the second AAW Oregon Woodturning Symposium would be held March 17-19 in Albany, Oregon. He attended the last Symposium and found it very worthwhile. More information can be found at: http:// oregonwoodturningsymposium.com

Brian suggested that the Guild build a Turning Shield to protect observers during turning demonstrations. It would need to be collapsible, both for storage and portability. Russ has an old blackboard stand that might be suitable for the base. He will check and report back next meeting.

Several turners from outside the area were suggested for possible demonstrations.

Bill showed the use of a stick and ruler that can be used to measure the thickness of a bowl bottom while being turned. The distance from the jaws of the chuck to the headstock determines the stick’s length. The top end of the stick is  place at the bowl’s lip against a ruler whose end is place against the headstock. When the ruler is placed in the bottom of the bowl, the difference from the lip of the bowl to the bottom end of the stick is the thickness of the bowl’s bottom.

Rod showed us his piccolo in progress for a lady in Prague with Standard 440 and Classical 430 tuned barrels. In Rod’s words: “The rings are fabricated from flat stock 16 gauge silver. After mounting onto the wood joints, the rings are ornamentally hand turned, polished and then gilded with a rich mixture of 24 K gold in a process called ‘pen plating’, which I have modified to my own needs. I do it all on the lathe. The gold is in a cyanide solution. I have very good fan extraction at the lathe. The silver is meticulously cleaned in three different stages, slightly etched with acid, and plating starts. About 6 volts dc are applied, the connection is made passing the -ve lead to a slip ring running against the silver rings on the slow revolving flute joint, the +ve lead ends in a platinum ended felt pen. The felt nib is generously loaded with the gold solution, which is then held against the revolving silver rings on the flute joints, one by one. Gold atoms flow electrically out of the solution onto the  negatively charged silver. About 10 minutes does the job nicely.”