Kevin are you able to do silver? I have no clue about the properties of the metal and whether or not it's feasible.

Absolutely i an do silver. The regular stuff is kind of soft, so i would have to be careful.

There is some german silver that is drop forged, weighs about 30% more per unit volume

and that stuff is really hard. I have some of that, but the form factor is wrong.

If you don't coat the silver with something, then it is going to oxidize very fast, possibly

with a rainbow. Might look cool that way.

Denatured alcohol around these parts is sold in the drug stores, and is absolutely clear.

Edited February 18, 201214 yr by kevin gilmore

Shellac isn't used all that much over here anymore Craig. Polyurethanes and water based finishes have taken hold. I still like shellac as a sealer, and of coarse french polishing is an appreciated art form IMO. The Catalyzed Lacquer is very durable, non yellowing, has a beautiful depth, pretty good water resistance and is easy to use. Not to mention on a clear, warm day you can apply multiple coats in very little time.

Denatured alcohol around these parts is sold in the drug stores, and is absolutely clear.

That was stopped in the UK absolutely ages ago, because winos and alcoholics used to buy the stuff and die. So the only commonly available sort has a blue dye added to act as a kind of deterrent. Of course you can buy pure colourless methanol, usually from woodworking suppliers, but you can't just go into a high street store and get it.

I've used the water based finish before, and it is pretty impressive how this milky stuff goes clear and hard as it dries. I tend to use oil or wax finish on furniture. I'm a wannabe french polisher, and can make a fairly decent stab at smaller areas - but I wouldn't like to tackle a large area like a dining table and expect to get a mirror finish. The great stuff with shellac is if you make a mess of it, you just wipe it off with meths and start again. If a polyurethane or catalysed coat goes wonky it is a much bigger deal to get back to the wood and try again.

Swt61 you might be right. I'm not used to seeing it in such a large cross section and without varnish/French polish which darkens it to look more like the one I indicated. I see it as bows which are pencil thickness.

The grain structure of that Purple Heart knob is the dead giveaway.

Craig I like to use the catalyzed lacquer for small to medium projects that won't be subjected to really harsh conditions. For larger projects that may get more abuse (my tower of power stack) I like a modified tung oil. The one I use has added urethanes for durability...

http://www.generalfi...rethane-topcoat

It's still not as forgiving as shellac, but it is a wipe on finish, and quite durable and beautiful.

Edited February 18, 201214 yr by swt61

The grain structure of that Purple Heart knob is the dead giveaway.

Craig I like to use the catalyzed lacquer for small to medium projects that won't be subjected to really harsh conditions. For larger projects that may get more abuse (my tower of power stack) I like a modified tung oil. The one I use has added urethanes for durability...

http://www.generalfi...rethane-topcoat

It's still not as forgiving as shellac, but it is a wipe on finish, and quite durable and beautiful.

Heh! I use this stuff regularly. Luckily General Finishes is commonly available here in the UK. I've been through several tins of their Danish Oil and Oil and Urethane Satin.

Craig

You can get 100% pure Isopropyl Alcohol, but I don't know how it would go as a thinner.

The methylated spirits we get is 95% ethyl alcohol, 4.5% methyl alcohol (supposedly to make it undrinkeable) and 0.5% bitter agent to give it that bad taste to stop you from drinking it.

Edited February 19, 201214 yr by wink

http://gilmore.chem....du/woodies3.jpg

so i took some lacquer, dilluted it 5:1 then applied it with

the lathe running. Came out like glass.

And now the mounting thing for doing BHSE knobs

(not cleaned up yet) Justin is getting a cocobolo knob.

The smaller diameter goes inside the knob so everything

is flush.

http://gilmore.chem....u/bhsemount.jpg

Edited March 1, 201214 yr by kevin gilmore

Cool!

Thanks for the info on finishes Kevin, Steve, and Craig! I've often wondered what the differences between shellac, varnish, neither of which I see much, and the polyurethanes etc. that I am most familiar with were.

Craig, I had run across the denatured alcohol terminology before (can't remember for what), from a UK bike decals supplier advising me to use "meths" to clean the area before application. Having been watching "Breaking Bad" on TV (about a chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine producer), I wasn't quite sure what he was asking me to get

You have to crystallise the meth before it becomes dope

justin's knob and the tool i'm going to use to turn it to the final dimension

http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/justinknob.jpg

That is going to look outstanding on the BHSE! Excellent job.

I think they would look even better on the Aristaeus with the mini wood panels on either side of the faceplate.

I think they would look even better on the Aristaeus with the mini wood panels on either side of the faceplate.

True. I was thinking it would provide a nice contrast to all of the sharp edges and metal of the BHSE though.

The Aristaeus has mini wood panels?

i have 3 unmilled pieces of the Aristaeus wood left. Could they be milled flat, glued together, and machined into a knob?

The Aristaeus has mini wood panels?

Yeah, remember you volunteered to make them for the next run

Yeah, remember you volunteered to make them for the next run

I was being sarcastic. I've touched them personally. Well not in an Ari way, but I've had my mitts on them.

i have 3 unmilled pieces of the Aristaeus wood left. Could they be milled flat, glued together, and machined into a knob?

Yes, but if they're the same thickness as the trim pieces, the knob won't be very thick. Say 9/16" or so.

Would be cool to alternate similarly thick pieces of Gabon Ebony with the burl. So the face of the knob would be the Aristeus Burl, but the side would be striped.

Edited March 3, 201214 yr by swt61

just checked, stacked up the 3 pieces i have are almost exactly the same as the metal knob thickness

Justin wood glue won't work well with the stabilized wood. You'll need something really strong though, maybe a good epoxy.

I was thinking of doing something similar. Find some real good epoxy, and glue it together

and put it in a press overnight at say 1000 lbs. Then drill and attach the metal mount

with flat bottom wood screws and more epoxy. It will definitely hold together so that

i can machine it.

That will work great Kevin.

Now have a finished knob for my (under construction) DIY-T2

 

Material: tigers-eye

 

Edited January 20, 201610 yr by Milosz
Picture vanished! Re-added it

Wow!