end grain blemish

[Peter Roan]

Finishing this bowl I'm finding it difficult to deal with this end grain blemish. Any suggestions? I've tried sanding sealer and sanding.

 

[Michael Anderson]

That looks like some tearout. Alternatively, it may be where some black walnut dust “contaminated” the lighter wood during sanding. Either way, it can be challenging to completely remove via sanding as sometimes it runs surprisingly deep. But it can be done eventually. If you can’t mount back on the Lathe and take some fine cuts, I’d say break out some course grit sandpaper and a drill and focus on that spot for a while. Then try to blend with the surrounding area. Good luck!

 

[Chris Lawrence]

If its still on the lathe the easiest ways are with a negative rake scraper or shear cuts with a gouge or round nose scraper. Both require a lite touch to eliminate tear out.

 

[Brian Gustin]

Yup, what Michael said - Tearout. I encountered it frequently on my first turnings, before I learned the value of *truly* sharp tools Vs. "it cuts, so it must be sharp" - I still get it now and then , but less frequently the more I practice at knowing when to sharpen (always resharpen before final cut, for one) and technique (learning to see/feel the difference between when tool is cutting and just scraping) - Usually only solution once it was "done" and the problem discovered during finishing was 80-120-150-180-220 grit gouges..

 

[Sam Fleisher]

Yup, what Michael said - Tearout. I encountered it frequently on my first turnings, before I learned the value of *truly* sharp tools Vs. "it cuts, so it must be sharp" - I still get it now and then , but less frequently the more I practice at knowing when to sharpen (always resharpen before final cut, for one) and technique (learning to see/feel the difference between when tool is cutting and just scraping) - Usually only solution once it was "done" and the problem discovered during finishing was 80-120-150-180-220 grit gouges..

And here I thought that was an every bowl thing with those gouges! lol

 

[Steve Chaplin]

As others said, sharp tools, then if there is still some tearout negative rake scrapers. Final cleanup if you still have minor tearout is spot sand those areas with the lathe off.

 

[Paul M. Kaplowitz]

I spent a weekend with David Ellsworth in1993 and I can still hear him say, " make your last pass with a freshly sharpened scraper".

 

[Michael Ogden]

I doubt that I can compete with the turning royalty here, but here is what I do.

If there is grain (and it looks like you have plenty) I start with 120 grit and hand-sand *with the grain* on that spot only. It's usually apparent if the sanding is working, as the blemish gets less noticeable. I hate using 80 grit, but have had to resort to it on occasion. Anyhow, when I think the blemish is "going away" nicely, I'll continue hand-sanding the spot through the grits, with the grain. It's a pain, but it works for me. When the blemish is worked out, I do the final sanding of the whole surface as normal. I have not ever seen a divot where I did the touch-up, but then I'm not sanding with a heavy hand.

Oh, and I use plenty of "FUEL" (denatured alcohol) and clean paper towels between each grit, whether I'm sanding as usual or fixing a blemish.

Just my two cents. Cheers!

 

[robo hippy]

Yup, tear out. Like Michael said, walnut dust may have made it stand out more. It is pretty much impossible to get all tear out gone since every bowl that is side grain will have you going against the grain 2 times each revolution. Generally you can feel it with your fingers before you start sanding. I use a shear scrape to remove it, and that is one video I did. My preference is for a burnished burr on a scraper, and the higher the shear/sheer scrape angle is, the cleaner the cut. The idea with a shear scrape is to reduce the tear out to where it will take minimal sanding to get rid of it. I am something of a scraper psycho, and use them more than most. I would never use a standard scraper on a bowl or a plater for finish cuts, other than for sweeping across the bottom of the bowl. In the transition and up the sides may work with some woods, but they still leave tear out because scrapers tend to pull on the wood fiber more than a gouge will. You can lightly spritz the area with water and that helps lubricate the fibers for a cleaner cut. Don't know about the sanding sealer. When all else fails, start with 80 grit. Big leaf maple never seems to cut clean, and a lot of the time, I have to start with 80 or 100 grit. Most other woods, I am starting at 120. As for a negative rake scraper, it is still a scraper, and it still pulls at the fibers. As always, it works better with some woods than with others. With end grain pieces, like boxes, I can get surfaces that look better before I try to sand.

robo hippy

 

[Peter Roan]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback!

 

[hughie]

If at the end of the day the problem persists try adding a little oil ie vegetable oil to the area, let it soak in then gently use the scraper