Project Information
Manzanita burl wine stopper with gold inclusions - this is solid wood with a unique method of stabilization that allows color, texture, and patterns to be included into the voids natural to manzanita. The cap is ebony for an additional color balance point.
Any combination of colors, inclusions such as crushed stone, pearl, or metallic flakes can be combined for an original appearance. Stay tuned - this is the first of many projects of this nature that are coming this year!
Manzanita is a very unique substance. This stuff turns like plastic once you're through the dirt, grime, and weird bark, rock, and other junk included in the mix. It's also known to explode and come to pieces at any random moment during the turning process given the entirely random and unstable growth patterns. Of course this is what makes it so cool in the end!
The stabilization process allows us to turn what would otherwise be a nightmare to work with. It also creates an opportunity to impart an assortment of colors and other textures.
This is one of Mike Pietras's projects - playing around in the shop. I just happened to be on a random burl buying spree in 2012, and we finally got around to starting to work with it. Other projects are in progress now with this material and some other cool exotic woods as well as common domestics used in non-standard ways.
Any combination of colors, inclusions such as crushed stone, pearl, or metallic flakes can be combined for an original appearance. Stay tuned - this is the first of many projects of this nature that are coming this year!
Manzanita is a very unique substance. This stuff turns like plastic once you're through the dirt, grime, and weird bark, rock, and other junk included in the mix. It's also known to explode and come to pieces at any random moment during the turning process given the entirely random and unstable growth patterns. Of course this is what makes it so cool in the end!
The stabilization process allows us to turn what would otherwise be a nightmare to work with. It also creates an opportunity to impart an assortment of colors and other textures.
This is one of Mike Pietras's projects - playing around in the shop. I just happened to be on a random burl buying spree in 2012, and we finally got around to starting to work with it. Other projects are in progress now with this material and some other cool exotic woods as well as common domestics used in non-standard ways.