The "Lathest" News
February 2013                   
Issue #37
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In This Issue  

In this newletter Brian provides a detailed description of marbling, building on our first marbling article in Issue #5 from way back in September 2010.  Marbling is a great way to add interesting psychedelic colours to your work.  While a considerable effort, the spectacular results are well received by customers and friends alike and will take you back to the tie-dyed days of old. 

 

Just a reminder of the airbrush course that will be geared specifically to woodturners.  We understand that there may still a couple of spots available for the early April week-long class and would encourage you to register for this once in a lifetime opportunity to study with Dru Blair.  He is arguably the finest airbrush artist there is. You may visit the Blair School of Art website at: http://airbrushworkshops.com .  Melanie, one of Dru's long time staff, is organizing the details of this workshop for us.  They are keeping it exclusively for turners and have not listed the course on their website. You can contact Melanie at info@airbrushworkshops.com or call her at (803) 635-8060.  If you need any information or have questions don't hesitate to phone Brian at (780) 476-7989.  We have reprinted our first Dru Blair experience at the end of this newletter to help get your creative juices flowing!  Hope to see you in South Carolina in April.

  

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Marbling 

By Brian McEvoy

 

Back by popular demand!  A few years back I wrote an article covering the basics of marbling and was surprised at the popularity amongst woodturners.  I received dozens of inquiries regarding different aspects of the process.  This time around I'll try to cover everything you'll need to know to get you started.  Marbling takes me back to my childhood and reminds me a little of finger painting where you'll have an incredible amount of fun, make a big mess but end up with some startling results.

 

To begin with I want you to understand I'm not an expert but have always enjoyed experimenting, so after spending an hour or two with Mary Thouin, who wrote a fine article in the Fall 2002 issue of American Woodturner, I sourced out the necessary supplies and gave marbling a go.  Since the first attempt I've probably marbled 100 or so pieces with varying degrees of success.  I would strongly advise Googling 'Marbling' where you'll find a number of resources that can help you get started. One very helpful site is www.dharmatrading.com/marbling and they have all of the supplies and helpful hints to get you going, including a starter kit.  I'm fortunate here in Edmonton to have a great art supply outlet called Colours Art that carries most everything I need for all of my embellishing endeavours, including marbling.  www.artistsupplies.com 

 

One fact that astonishes me is that watercolour marbling dates back to the 15th century and there are examples in Turkey from 1447.  Marbling was widely used on paper and textiles and I have discovered that there isn't much variance between marbling a three dimensional turning rather than a flat surface.  Just so you understand the direction we're going I should mention that essentially marbling is as simple as creating a colourful pattern on the surface of a liquid and then dipping your item to transfer the image.  
Material Needs:

Distilled Water (I buy it in 10 litre jugs at Safeway)

Carrageenan (Carrageenan and distilled water are mixed to create what is called size)

Alum (an Alum mixture is used to coat your item so the paint will adhere)

Acrylic Paint (I use Golden Fluid Acrylic)

Photo-Flo 200 (used for developing photographs and available at most camera outlets)

 

 

Equipment Needs:

 

Containers for mixing paint

 

Pointy tool for manipulating the pattern (I sharpened a number of ½" x 6" dowels on the lathe)

 

Combs, also for manipulating the paint (I sank 2 inch brad nails in a 12 inch stick equally spaced and then cut off the heads.  I made three of these with the brads spaced 1, 1 ½ and 2 inches apart.  Fabricate your combs to suit the size of the basin you will use.)

Eye droppers or bottles for dripping the paint one drop at a time.  You'll need one for each colour.

 

A basin or pan that is a few inches deeper than the largest item you are planning on marbling. 

Newspaper for skimming the excess paint from the size (the Carrageenan/distilled water mixture)

 

 

A large garbage can and lots of paper towels.  Marbling can be very messy.

A large pail of water to wash off the excess paint immediately after dipping your item.

A blender for mixing the Carrageenan and distilled water.

Glue gun and sticks/dowels to fasten to the item to be painted on an inconspicuous spot that doesn't require coverage.

 

It's a good idea to get together with one or two buddies and make a day of marbling.  Gord and I have done this as a team on a few occasions and had an absolute blast.  You'll want to have lots of items prepared for the day, small and large.  Carrageenan is quite expensive ($60.00 or so per pound) so sharing this cost doesn't hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alum (aluminum sulfate) the piece to be marbled: the turning needs to be coated with the Alum solution in order for your paint to adhere.  For wood mix 4 tablespoons of Alum to ½ gallon of water. Use hot water to dissolve the Alum.  Let this cool before applying.  If you mix enough of the solution you can dip your piece, but I usually just brush it on. Be careful air bubbles are not forming.  Allow the Alum solution to dry on the piece before marbling.

 

Mix up a batch of size: 2 tablespoons of Carrageenan to 1 gallon of the distilled water (warm-ish water works best).  Using a blender, mix four or five cups at a time and pour into your dipping container until you have mixed enough to dip your largest piece without hitting the bottom of the basin.  The size, Carrageenan and distilled water mixture, will have to rest for at least 12 hours to set up properly.  The shelf life is limited so I mix the day before I'm going to marble and plan on getting all of the marbling completed the following day.  If I don't finish, then I mix up another batch of size for the next day.
 
Photo-Flo:  I mix up three different strengths with water 1-10, 1-25 and 1-50.  Each colour of paint has different pigments and will react to the size differently when dropped on the surface.  Ideally the drop of paint will spread slowly forming a nice circle.  If the drop sinks you'll need to add Photo-Flo.  If it spreads very quickly you'll have to add more paint to your Photo-Flo/paint mixture to slow it down.  Not being an expert I don't totally understand this issue so you'll just have to experiment as I did. 
 
  
 
 
 
 
I've found that if I pre-paint the item before I marble, I end up with a more vibrant finished piece.  I personally use an airbrush but brushing the base coat on will provide similar results.  Any acrylic paint will suffice; I use golden opaque airbrush paint.

 

 

Glue gun the dipping sticks on to the pieces to be dipped; don't be shy with the glue, particularly on large items, otherwise when you dip, the piece could break off and things become quite messy.

 
 Just a few examples of items we are going to marble in this session.

 

Prepare your paint.  I usually mix up a number of strengths Photo-Flo/Paint for each color.  I really like these little squeeze bottles to drop the paint onto the size.  I buy them from the local art supply retailer I mentioned earlier.  Eye droppers work fine as well but need a little more mussing around particularly with large volume where you'll be using a lot of paint.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the paint I use which works well.

  

Okay, now we're ready for the fun part but before you get started fill up a large bucket with tap water and have it handy to your dipping container.  Choose the colours you prefer (I usually try to keep to a colour scheme similar to the base colour that I coated the piece with). 


Using one drop at a time, form a pattern over the total surface of the size.  Keep repeating this sequence with the colours of your choice until you're pleased with the layout.  At least for me there isn't a scientific method to my madness and so I just keep dropping paint until I'm happy.  If some of your paint sinks, use a stronger Photo-Flo/Paint mixture or if it's spreading too quickly, a weaker one.  Sometimes the perfect solution is just paint with no Photo-Flo.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Using the comb or a pointy stick create a pattern that suits your fancy.  These pictures don't do justice to the process; I'm always amazed at the beautiful patterns that appear.
 
Gently dip your piece into the basin.  Depending on the shape of your piece, be cautious not to leave any airspace that won't be coated, even if you have to change the angle so the handle is submerged. Rubber gloves are recommended unless you want very colourful fingers, though you will see I'm not heeding my own advice!

 

 

 

 

 

 
Quickly shake the excess off your piece and rinse it quite vigorously in the fresh water bucket you have on standby. 
My basin is quite large so I can usually marble quite a number of items on one colored surface.  In this case I've marbled some compact mirror disks as well as pens.
 
To remove the excess paint off the surface of the size, gently lay a sheet of newsprint on top.  Most of the remaining paint will stick to the paper and you'll end up with a new canvas.  You may have to repeat this two or three times for satisfactory results.
   
A contrasting colour or two mixed with three of four shades of green in this case can lead to a pretty spectacular result.

 

 

  

Another beautiful combination of mostly different shades of blue with a little contrasting red.

 

 

Yellow and red is always a winner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Even items as simple as mini kaleidoscopes and pepper mills are totally transformed with this marbling process.  Gord had huge success at the Christmas shows he participated in with the marbled items selling out quickly.

I always finish my pieces with a number of coats of semi-gloss Deft spray lacquer.  Marbling is very durable so you'll find most any finish that you're comfortable with, works well.

 

 

A few things to note: 

- In my experience, marbling will not stick to lacquered or sealed surfaces, even after applying the Alum solution.   

- Light coloured, close grained wood such as maple or birch work well. 

- I've recently learned that Golden Paint sell a product called Flow Release that can be substituted for the Photo-Flo; I'm looking forward to trying it the next session. 

- You may want to mask off some areas; if so there are three options that I use: the simplest is regular masking tape, clear stretchable frisket or liquid mask as I use with my ribbon vases.  With liquid mask you normally have to seal the wood first otherwise it can't be removed.  As I mentioned marbling doesn't stick to sealed wood so I've found if I sand to about 1200 grit the liquid mask can be removed and the marbling adheres just fine.  Liquid mask is available through SPRAYLAT Corporation, Chicago, IL (773)646-5900 -  Mt. Vernon, NY (914) 699-3030 -  Los Angeles, CA (310) 559-2335 -  Gainesville, TX (940) 665-9590.  The product is called Sign Strip - Blue #Z5727 It can be applied with a brush or spray gun and works wonders on compound curves.  My embellishment DVD covers liquid mask to some degree.

- For 1st time marbelers using a smaller basin may help you achieve quite attractive patterns. 

 

 

 

 

 

 - If you are going to dip vases or do not want any colour on the interior, use a balloon to plug the top. I blow up the balloon inside the turning and this prevents the paint solution from coating that area.  If there is a lot of air to displace inside the turning when dipping just fill the balloon with water.  I did some experimenting with one of my two piece hollow forms and was very pleased with the final results.

 

 

 

 

  

With the information I've provided you should have a pretty good chance of success but if you really want to become an expert there are at least a half dozen good marbling books on the market as well as a great deal of information on the net.  I believe there are also courses available in some areas or if you are able to sit in on one of Mary Thouin's demos, you will find her knowledge invaluable. 

 

  

WOODTURNERS WORKSHOP

April 3rd - 7th, 2013

 

Though the plan for this newsletter was going to be my description on how I process burls to turn natural edge bowl nests, something has come up that may be of interest to many of our readers.

 

Back in the March 2011 issue (#12) of the newsletter, Gord and I published a story regarding our trip to South Carolina to take a week long airbrushing course with one of the best airbrush artists in the world, Dru Blair.  Subsequently we've had considerable requests for more information.  The main concern was what experience was necessary to tackle such an in-depth project.  The answer was clear: if Gord and I could have the amazing results that we did, then most anyone else could as well.  Though I'd been airbrushing for years and had spent many days working with Frank Sudol, Gord had very limited experience.  Other than one previous hands-on course and a small amount of practise at home, Gord was basically a greenhorn. Both he and I were astounded at the results after five days with Dru and his fine assistants.  As you may recall from that newsletter, the course covered the method to airbrush a photorealistic tiger.  The end result for both Gord and I was exactly that "a tiger that looked like a photograph".

 

 

To cut to the chase, while we were in South Carolina we discussed putting together an airbrush course just for woodturners.  We've finally made a plan and have a basic outline on what it will cover, as well as the date and fee.  In this newsletter we'll also republish a copy of Gord's story of our last adventure just to get you excited.

 

The dates we've decided on are April 3rd - 7th, 2013.  Wednesday, April 3rd will be the foundation course that I highly recommend for all skill levels.  If you've never airbrushed before this foundation course is an absolute must and you'll be amazed at how comfortable you'll become with the airbrush with just one day of training.  Please click on this link for a good overview of what the first day foundation course will cover. http://airbrushworkshops.com/guide.php . 

 

The four days following the foundation class of workshop are still up for debate with Dru; Gord and I are open for suggestions.  The plan to this point is to offer instruction on many small projects rather than just one large one like we did with the tiger.  A great jumping off point is similar to what Dru offers in his wildlife technique sampler including fur, feathers, eyes, scales, hair, and skin.  Flames, grass, and water drops are amongst many other possibilities.  The idea is to learn as many tricks and techniques as possible so we can all apply what we've learned to our own individual repertoire.  You may want to click on this link to discover what is offered in an average class. http://airbrushworkshops.com/wildkingdom.php . Another good link for a great overview of the classes is http://airbrushworkshops.com/workshops.php .

 

As you'll see on Dru's website as well as in Gord's past newsletter, the facility is fantastic.  You'll be picked up at the Charlotte, NC airport, chauffeured about an hour away to a beautiful country setting where you'll find a new state-of-the-art studio which features color corrected lighting, a modern air filtration system, first rate work stations each complete with all the material and equipment you'll need.  The audio visual equipment is as good as it gets.  Adjoining the studio is the sleeping quarters where you'll be housed in your own comfortable room complete with a private bath.  Meals are served in a beautiful dining room a short walk from the studio.

 

I probably sound like I'm writing a travel brochure but I can't emphasize enough how great a spot this is for learning.  It is a first class facility.

 

Another aspect of these workshops that I really appreciated was that most if not all of the equipment including airbrushes and airbrush colors were available to purchase at a discounted rate. For those of you that haven't made the investment yet or would like to upgrade, this is a great opportunity.

 

 I've only offered a brief overview as to what you can expect; I highly recommend that you take the time to peruse Dru's website for a better understanding of what is available.

 

If you think you might be interested in this workshop please contact myself at brian@onegoodturn.ca or Gord at gord@langercraftworks.com .  Once we have enough definite commitments, we'll let Mel (one of Dru's fine assistants) handle the final details.

 

This all inclusive Woodturners Workshop is available at a special discounted price of $1799.00 (total value of $2200.00).  This includes: The foundation class day, 4-day workshop, lodging, meals, and transportation to and from the Charlotte airport.  Most days for Gord and I ran from about 9:30 am - 11 pm with meal breaks, but you can work later if you'd like.   

  

  

TWO IN ONE SAFE DRIVE
AND FACEPLATE
ELIO DRIVES
Available in individual sizes or in a set of three.
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To see a live demon of the Elio Drive on You Tube click the link below:
 

  

  

   

  

Two Piece Hollow Form DVD
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Over 70 minutes of instructional footage.
 
Amateurs and professionals alike will learn Brian McEvoy's secrets to producing beautiful works of art using only basic woodturning tools.  Once you have mastered the two piece hollow form, you can let your imagination run wild and use this simple technique to turn out museum quality work.
 
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Embellish your work

You can pre-order this new
2 -Disk DVD Set with over 4 hours of instruction at the websites below for $44.99 USD plus shipping.
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Contact Us
 

Brian McEvoy
 Gordon Langer
gord@langercraftworks.com www.langercraftworks.com
Deep Vessel Boring DVD

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Over 90 minutes of instructional footage plus 20 minutes of bonus features.
 
Join master woodturner Brian McEvoy who will show the process from raw wood to sanded piece in easy to follow steps.  Create amazing pieces quickly with these never-before-seen secrets from a master woodturner.
 
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