# Worthless Lilac Bowl Experiment



## MarkD (Oct 11, 2013)

I had some Lilac wood drying for the past year or so. Even though I sealed the ends the wood, it still cracked to the point where it wasn't much good for pen blanks. The wood was so beautiful that I was determined to find a way to use. I used a wire bush to remove any loose bark and then randomly stood as much of the Lilac as I could get into a small plastic bucket ( once the frozen Margaritas was gone ). I then mixed up some Alumilite, filled all the empty space and put it all in the pressure pot to cure.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the outcome except for the areas along the edge of the bark.  

Your thoughts and opinions are welcome.


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## Deadhead (Oct 11, 2013)

Nice


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## Mack C. (Oct 11, 2013)

It looks pretty worthless to me! In a GOOD WAY, that is!:biggrin:


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## joefrog (Oct 11, 2013)

Not worthless anymore!  Nice!


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## johns486 (Oct 11, 2013)

beautiful


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## Fishinbo (Oct 11, 2013)

It's a lovely bowl, like the shape and the pretty colors and figures. Has a lot of character. Well done!


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## Jim15 (Oct 11, 2013)

That's awesome.


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## JohnU (Oct 11, 2013)

Great save on that lilac. Nice color combination with wood and resin.  I have several lilac trees that I trim once in a while, as they get too wild and large.  I've seen that stuff crack in a spiral down the limbs and gave up waxing the ends after I found I didn't help.  Now I just leave it as large as possible and cut in between the cracks after it dries.


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## mokol (Oct 12, 2013)

i love it.


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## Ambidex (Oct 12, 2013)

That thar is purty..and I mean dern purty:wink:


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## MikeL (Oct 12, 2013)

I think it looks very interesting. One of those pieces that cause folks to study how it was done and how well it was done. Nice job!


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## MarkD (Oct 13, 2013)

Thanks for your comments. 
I took the bowl to a show I did yesterday and although I was not interested in selling it yet it was well received. So much so that I had to put a "not for sale" sign on it. Maybe I'll change my mind by the time the next show rolls around :biggrin:.
I may attempt to make some more or these but I need to come up with a different shape, or a way to reduce the amount of Alumilite required to fill the empty space in the mold, since a lot of it gets turned away.


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## redneckmedic (Oct 13, 2013)

What is the height and diameter?... very nice!....well done capturing the essence of its beauty in your photography skills also!


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## MarkD (Oct 13, 2013)

redneckmedic said:


> What is the height and diameter?... very nice!....well done capturing the essence of its beauty in your photography skills also!



The finished bowl is 5 1/2" in diameter and 3 1/2" high.


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## Band Saw Box (Oct 13, 2013)

Really awesome bowl, I like the way the wood and resin pair so well. Worthless wood into a masterpiece.


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## Phillip Kelley (Oct 13, 2013)

Very well done! Great save.  I am having reservations about selling my stuff too!


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## MarkD (Oct 16, 2013)

Thanks for all your comments and encouragement. 
I was thinking about using the same process to make a large platter, then it occurred to be that I am limited by the 9.5" diameter of my pressure pot!


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## johncrane (Oct 16, 2013)

Very neat well done.


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## Russianwolf (Oct 17, 2013)

Next time.... blue resin..... continental drift.

Nice


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## gingerwood (Oct 17, 2013)

Beautiful!


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## triw51 (Oct 17, 2013)

Very nice.  One question the areas along the edge of the bark is that bark that peeped out or air bubbles?


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## MarkD (Oct 17, 2013)

triw51 said:


> Very nice.  One question the areas along the edge of the bark is that bark that peeped out or air bubbles?



I suspect it's a little of both. I left the bark on and it was heavier in some places than others and it was definitely softer than the rest of the wood so I suspect may have had some minor tear out.  When if I look closely it does appears to have some small air bubble  pockets along the bark area also. I wonder if there is a small of sanding dust that got into the the tiny  pockets and crevices that I have not been able to remove with cleaning.

 The spots seem to show up alot more in the pictures than in person. I suspect that's because of the lights I used when I took the pictures.


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## Cindylee (Oct 21, 2013)

Awesome!  Great Job!  

I have only gotten my hands on lilac once and fell in love with it.  So pretty!


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