# African Blackwood from Josh



## barry richardson (Oct 20, 2015)

@kazuma78 and I did a trade when he was in Kenya and I ended up with a sweet log section of ABW. I made this from part of it. 5"x9.5". Turned through the pith. The shape was somewhat dictated by the diameter of the log and cracks in the pith, which meant I could not go too small with the base without getting into major cracks, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Tired to work the sapwood into the theme. Finished with lacquer. BTW, the black CA was the ticket for this, most places I cant even find where I used it....

Reactions: Like 5 | EyeCandy! 14 | Way Cool 17


----------



## TimR (Oct 20, 2015)

Superb work Barry. You really did well with keeping the sapwood, and I like the natural area kept on the knob.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3


----------



## Fsyxxx (Oct 20, 2015)

That's a truly stunning piece...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## ripjack13 (Oct 20, 2015)

Wowzerz man......just ...wow...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## kazuma78 (Oct 20, 2015)

Holy crap! That looks awesome!!! Lacquer was definitely the right finish for that. You really did that piece justice.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## manbuckwal (Oct 20, 2015)

Another stunner Barry !!! That finish is immaculate

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## gman2431 (Oct 21, 2015)

Eye catcher for sure! In also agree the natural area is awesome on the knob

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## pinky (Oct 21, 2015)

Really,Really Stunning!!!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## duncsuss (Oct 21, 2015)

Gorgeous, simply gorgeous.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## GeorgeS (Oct 21, 2015)

Very nice! That is stunning!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## jmurray (Oct 21, 2015)

Your the man Barry

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## pinky (Oct 21, 2015)

Barry
I keep coming back and looking at it. So Cool!!!
How was moisture content on this log? Any concerns?


----------



## barry richardson (Oct 21, 2015)

pinky said:


> Barry
> I keep coming back and looking at it. So Cool!!!
> How was moisture content on this log? Any concerns?


Thanks John, the MC was pretty high, this piece that I hollowed did pretty well drying, just some minor checks, and hardly moved at all. The remainder however, which I failed to reseal properly, cracked pretty good, and I ended up cutting it into blocks. It is hard to see but the wood has a really nice figure, out in the sun it really pops.. One thing that was tricky was keeping the super fine dark sanding dust out of the pores of the sapwood, which makes it look dirty. I got it pretty smooth on the lathe (it responds great to a scraper) then sealed the sapwood with lacquer before I started sanding. This sealed the pores enough to keep the sapwood looking pretty clean.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1 | Informative 6


----------



## ClintW (Oct 21, 2015)

An amazing piece as usual! I can't believe it's handmade! It's incredible!


----------



## pinky (Oct 21, 2015)

Barry
Is this 3 separate turnings with the lid and knob mounted on the lathe perpendicular to the body?


----------



## Jim Beam (Oct 21, 2015)

Fantastic!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## DKMD (Oct 21, 2015)

Too cool! I like the ways you incorporated the sapwood into the lid and knob.


----------



## Kevin (Oct 21, 2015)

Eye-poppingly fantastic. I wouldn't be afraid to call it perfect!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## bench1holio (Oct 21, 2015)

Looks pretty cool Barry, Very shiny!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## barry richardson (Oct 21, 2015)

pinky said:


> Barry
> Is this 3 separate turnings with the lid and knob mounted on the perpendicular to the body?


Yea, it was the only way to get the Sap wood where I wanted it. It,s actually 4 separate turnings, I turned a small disc and inserted it in a recess in the bottom to cover the pith hole..

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


----------



## justallan (Oct 21, 2015)

Although I've never seen ABW in person, I've just never been impressed by the looks (or price) and couldn't imagine it gaining much in the looks department. WELL, you just blew that thinking all to hell!
That thing is phenomenal, Barry.
Great job.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## bench1holio (Oct 21, 2015)

barry richardson said:


> inserted it in a recess in the bottom to cover the pith hole..



Try saying that with a lisp!

Reactions: Funny 2


----------



## NYWoodturner (Oct 23, 2015)

We need a Wolf Whistle smilie. - Thats a head turner Barry! Well done.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## Molokai (Oct 24, 2015)

Amazing, just amazing piece of art !!!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## Tony (Oct 24, 2015)

As usual, incredible piece Barry!!!!!!! Tony

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## RandyB (Oct 31, 2015)

This is the kind of work that makes me think about selling my lathe :-)

Outstanding!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Nature Man (Nov 1, 2015)

Museum quality. Period. Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## sprucegum (Nov 1, 2015)

Beautiful , must be a Holstein pun intended.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


----------



## ironman123 (Nov 1, 2015)

Not bad at all Barry. OMG, what am I saying. It is a fabulous piece of art.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## barry richardson (Nov 1, 2015)

sprucegum said:


> Beautiful , must be a Holstein pun intended.


Thanks, It definitely has that look...


----------



## SENC (Nov 1, 2015)

sprucegum said:


> Beautiful , must be a Holstein pun intended.


Moo-tiful?

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


----------



## SENC (Nov 1, 2015)

Gorgeous, Barry!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## Strider (Nov 6, 2015)

Gorgeous! Simply gorgeous!


----------



## WoodLove (Nov 8, 2015)

Barry, now you are just showing off....lol
Absolutely beautiful work of art with a flawless finish. I'm gonna have to take a class on finishing apparently because your pieces are out of this world......

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## Graybeard (Nov 12, 2015)

Wow!


----------

