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A Demo Trip to Denmark

Back at the tail end of October, I had the pleasure of travelling to Denmark to meet Rene Normann who owns Traedrejerbutikken in Odense. Visit the website at www.traedrejerbutikken.dk.

Whilst in Denmark with Rene, we were exhibiting at the Kreative Dage event in Fredericia on one of the islands, not to far from Odense where Rene’s shop is located.

The flight to Copenhagen was comfortable, on time and packed solid with passengers. From there, I needed to catch a train from the airport to Odense which was delightful. The train was large, comfortable, on time and every passenger had a designated seat. The service was better than here in the UK, I think! We could learn something, I’m sure.

After arriving in Odense, there was a short walk to the comfy hotel that Rene had arranged for me to stay in. Later, we met up for dinner and a drink before retiring for an early start.

Scroll down below the gallery for more . . .

The journey from Odense to Fredericia was about an hour each way and with Rene and I comparing our cultures, the time passed quickly.

Once at the exhibition centre, I was astonished at the size of it. Later, I was told that this event is one of the biggest maker events in Scandinavia. Every craft you can think of had at least one representative attending. There was woodworking, ceramics, lots of fabrics, metal work, resins, beading, sewing, artist supplies and well, just everything!

Demonstrating on Rene’s stand, I was treated to his own brand of lathe which was superb to use. Solidly built with a powerful and quiet motor, I set to work turning and demonstrating woodturning and the use of the Hampshire Sheen finishes.

I spoke to many of the visitors who could speak superb English so communication was largely not a problem at all. There were so many questions asked about me, the products and turning in general that at times, there was more talking than turning being done. Everyone was extremely polite and perhaps a little surprised to have a foreigner demonstrating at the show.

One very special moment was when Frederick and Benny arrived at the stand wearing their Woodturning360 membership pins. They had travelled across the country to visit the show, meet me and pick up some Hampshire Sheen supplies from Rene.

It was such a pleasure to meet them both in person having seen them in our club Zoom meetings for the last few months.

Yes, that was very special indeed.

As a country with very little COVID-19 present in the community (and a relatively small population), masks indoors were not mandatory so that was a very pleasant relief from the restrictions we were (are!) under here in the UK. Hand sanitiser was everywhere to be seen. Most stall holders had some with them, it was at the entry and exit points, too. Plus, wherever we went in the evenings, sanitiser was readily available, and I am sure I also saw it on many street corners, too. Top work, Denmark!

All in all, it was an absolute treat and a pleasure to travel to Denmark to demonstrate for Denmark, meet some of the country’s turners and of course, spread the word about Hampshire Sheen.

There are plans for a return visit in 2022.

Here are some videos from the event . . .

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Wizardry in Wood 2021

Way back in 2019, I was invited to attend the 2020 Wizardry in Wood event as a ‘turner in residence’, meaning I would be present demonstrating turning – a bit of an honour to be invited if you ask me! But, we all know what happened in 2020 so I won’t dwell on that any further. This article includes photos I have taken, plus those of Matt Held from Kansas, USA.

But first, a bit about the event:

Some of the UK’s leading turners will be exhibiting including Jason BreachSally BurnettRon CaddyAngus ClyneMargaret GarrardPhil IronsTobias KayeCarlyn LindsayStuart MortimerGary RanceJoey RichardsonMark Sanger, Les Thorne and Colwin Way.

In addition there will be exhibitions of 400 years of turning in music, turning in magic and pre-historic turning, as well as curated talks on specialist turning subjects. There will be almost continuous demonstrations of plain turning by Paul HannabyMartin Saban-Smith and Pete Moncrieff-Jury, ornamental turning by Jean Claude Charpignon, Bob Wade and Tony Cliffe, and pole lathe turning by a team from the pole lathe turners. All entries to the Company’s 2021 Competitions will be displayed. The AWGB will display its travelling exhibition, and the Register of Professional Turners‘ stand will include a retrospective of the work of Master Turner Ray Key.

(from the Turners Company website)

Wizardry in Wood 2021, the quadrennial exhibition of the finest contemporary woodturning, returns with its fifth showcase in October 2021. Presented by the Worshipful Company of Turners, the 2021 exhibition (postponed from 2020) will feature some of the most skilled leading UK and international contemporary turners.

from the Craft Council website

Fast forward to 2021 and the event was rescheduled for this week.

Carpenters Hall on Wednesday 13th October

Arriving at Carpenters Hall on Tuesday 12th in good time to settle down before the evening opening by the Lord Mayor of London and other dignitaries, I took some time to look around the exhibition. Some of the best turners in the country are invited to exhibit and sell their work at the prestigious event every four years. You’ll see from the gallery below that the quality and excellence of the work by these turners is beyond exemplary.

Using a lathe and accessories supplied by Axminster Tools and Machinery, the resident turners were challenged by having to keep the shavings and dust to a minimum, so I opted to turn some of my delicate sea urchin ornaments.

To smarten up for the evening, I donned a shirt and tie but made sure it was all neatly tucked into my ‘trademark’ leather waistcoat. Safety first and all that!

The opening event on Tuesday was attended by the Masters, Clerks and members of the other livery companies of London. I had the pleasure of talking to the Master of the Fletchers Company and (I think) the Clerk of the Company of Needle Makers.

The standard of work in the competitions (the gallery above) was superb. The variety of items turned, techniques employed and sheer imagination of the turners who entered was very inspirational indeed.

Below are more of my own photos of the competition entries plus some taken by Matt Held who travelled from Kansas to the event and then had lessons with myself, Les Thorne, Mick Hanbury and Phil Irons whilst he was here.

After such an inspirational few days, meeting up with guests and exhibitors some of whom I had never met, I am now back at the workshop and work has returned to normal.

With all this inspiration flying around my head, it is difficult to decide where to go and what to try without blatantly copying something – but that’s one of the great things about the turning I do – coming up with something new or a personal twist on a theme seen elsewhere.

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Learn Excellent Finishing Techniques on a Free Online Course

The last time I presented a Hampshire Sheen Excellence in Finishing Course was during the Covid lockdown in mid 2020 after the in-person courses had to be cancelled. A newly revised and improved course is back for two free online presentations this October.

These two Zoom events will be the most comprehensive Hampshire Sheen finishing courses I’ve ever presented. There will be a lot more detail on each of the products used than before using on screen illustrations and I will share with you my tips and tricks for getting the best of out of the products on different species of wood.

Primarily, we will be looking at the recommended (and in some cases, advanced) methods of using the core products in the Hampshire Sheen Range: Gloss Finishing Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Cellulose Sanding Sealer, Embellishing Waxes as well as the Danish Oil and brand new Citrus Burnishing Oil and where and when to use each of them.

We will also look at finishing techniques over the Intrinsic Colour Collection which will also include applying and polishing the Hampshire Sheen lacquers.

By the time the course finishes, you will be equipped with the knowledge to apply the finishes to bring the best out of your turned items, and be in the perfect position to get fanatical about finishing!

Those who stay for the whole course will receive a personal Certificate of Excellence different to the Extraordinary Course on YouTube last year, and different again from the in-person ones from before that!

The are two online courses to choose from that will be hosted in a Zoom meeting:

Saturday 9th October 10am – 2pm (UK);
Tuesday 19th October 6pm – 10pm (UK).

Please allow 4 hours to complete the course and there are a maximum of 500 seats available on each (though it is unlikely to sell out).

If you have any queries about the course, please contact me and I will get back to you as soon as possible, and if you want to how others have enjoyed my online presentations, see below. All times are UK.

Sorry. Bookings are now closed.

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Simple Lightbox Product Photography with a Smartphone

Good photography is an important part of sales and marketing. In this article and video, you will see the simple set-up I use for photographing of my woodturning. The same techniques can be used to photograph virtually anything, though.

Top Tips from the video:

1: Control Over Lighting: Using adjustable lights with a dimmer switch give you better control over the illumination of the photo subject.
2: Plain Background: the use of a neutral coloured, plain background ensures your product is the only thing in the image your viewer can see – it focuses the eye on what you want.
3: Shadow: Make sure you have a shadow beneath the piece to stop if from ‘floating’ around the image. A shadow will anchor the piece to image.
4: Tripod: Use a tripod with phone mount to keep the phone still whilst taking the shot. This is also helpful when photographing a run of products that require the same set-up.
5: Trust the Phone: White balance can be a problem sometimes. Trust your phone’s white balance and other settings, particularly if you are not familiar with how they function.
6: Take Multiple Shots: Take several shots of the piece by turning it round. This ensures you will have a shot of the piece from the best angle. It’s also helpful from a sales perspective to show a piece from say, 4 different angles.
7: Bottom-Heavy Image: Have a look at the photos below and you will notice that the pieces are largely in the bottom two thirds of the image. This keeps the image more natural looking to the eye.
8: In-Camera Cropping: Decide which format you want the pictures to be in – Square, rectangle etc and if your phone allows it and frame the piece as nicely as you can. Cropping afterwards in editing software can reduce the quality of the image. It is often best to upload the full resolution image and let the website (and particularly a social media platform) resize the image for you.


Here is the lightbox I use. It is 60cm x 60cm x 60cm and is ideal for the majority of photography I need.

With the moveable. dimmable light bars, it gives plenty of options for adjusting the lighting for simple product pictures.

(This is an affiliate link, and I may receive a commission on any sales made from this link.)


Here is a link to a very similar product on Amazon in the USA. It is not an affiliate link.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BYJHZJL/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4RWSVER1A91BP9KKC8WK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


The Pictures

And here are the pictures from the shoot in the video. They are straight out of the phone. No editing at all apart from making the resolution lower for internet use.

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Using Self Adhesive Stencils

Recently, I’ve been using the range of stencils I designed for my Hampshire Sheen business. They are a range of precision cut professional quality paint masking vinyl designs for woodturners and other artists.

Here are my top tips on using the range (and others available).

Using stencils is great fun and very rewarding. Getting to grips with them is easy with our Level 1 sets as they peel off very easily and are applied just as easily. To help you further, here are some things to consider.

Take Your Time: Although the stencils peel on and off easily, if it sticks to itself, it is tricky to prise it apart without stretching or tearing it. Likewise, avoid applying too much colour in one go. Multiple light coats are preferable to one heavy one. This helps prevent bleeding beneath the stencil and encourages a gradual build-up of colour.

Surface Choice: Stencils work best with plain, tight grained woods like maple, sycamore and beech. Their close grain structure can be sanded very smooth with little chance of your colour bleeding into the grain beneath the vinyl. You can also use these stencils on many other hard smooth surfaces such as metal, glass, paint etc.

Safety:Take precautions to look after your skin, lungs and eyes by using personal protection equipment appropriate for the job.

Below are application and usage guides for our stencils.

The Stencil on the Sheet

Each stencil comes looking similar to this Tree symbol from our Kanji set. The green square is the Negative part of the stencil whilst inside the dark green cut line is the Positive part.

Both can be used to create images in your design on your work.


The Negative Part

Here is the same stencil with the centre (the Positive) removed leaving white space. This is where you apply colour in your method of choice. Round the outside in yellow is masking tape to ensure your colour is only applied in the white space.

When colour is applied inside the Negative part, it produces a Positive image!


The Positive Part

This is the central part of the stencil. It has been removed from the Negative part and applied to the wood allowing you to apply colour around the image. Correctly, this part is called a Mask.

When colour is applied around the Positive part, it produces a Negative image!


Comparison

Take a look at the images to the right (above on mobile devices). The colours have been applied with (A) the Negative stencil and (B) the Positive mask.

In (A), the colour was applied inside the Negative stencil resulting in a Positive image of the individual letters with bare wood around each element.

In (B), the colour was applied around the Positive mask to colour the wood, but leave the wood showing inside the letters. This is a Negative image.


Medium Application

Airbrush and Compressor: Airbrushes are the most common application method for stencils, although not absolutely necessary.

An airbrush and compressor set will open up a whole new world of creative possibilities if you don’t already have one and an entry level set-up can be purchased relatively inexpensively from many vendors.

A compressor with a 5ltr tank is a good choice for its small size. Set-ups with a tank are preferable as they produce a constant airflow for the attached brush.


Of course, you don’t have to use an airbrush with these stencils. Here are some other ideas for you to try:

Use Metal Leaf

Apply a negative stencil to your work surface and press down firmly. Apply gilders size inside the stencil and leave to become tacky. Lay the metal leaf on the size and press firmly into the stencil. Then, after about 15 minutes, remove the metal leaf and the stencil from the work, leaving behind the leaf. Finally, apply suitable sealer and finishing products to the piece.


Outlining for Pyrography

After the stencil is applied, carefully and lightly draw round the design in pencil, remove the stencil and use the outline for pyrography work.

Outlining for Piercing

Some of our designs can be used for piercing. Outline the stencil as above but pierce the wood with a suitable tool instead.

Daubing

Use a sea sponge, bubble wrap, hessian, leather or other texture lightly covered in paint and lightly apply it over the stencil to create interesting texture effects.

Splattering!

Try using a toothbrush dipped in paint or dye and splatter the surface to produce random effects. Make sure your piece is well masked first though!

Stippling

Use a fine pointed permanent ink pen and add hundreds of tiny dots creating light and shade with differing intensities of dots


Surface Prepartion (Wood)

1: Sand your piece perfectly down to (we recommend) 600 grit ensuring you remove all tool and sanding marks.

Check between each grit to prevent having to go back up the grits if you find a mark when you think you’ve finished.

When you’re done, remove the dust with a paper towel so you have a clean surface.


2: We suggest burnishing the surface of the work with a paper towel until a dull shine begins to appear.

The burnishing process introduces heat to the wood which lightly seals the grain (we find) more evenly than applying sealer first.

The sealed grain will help (but not completely) stop colours bleeding beneath the vinyl stencil


Negative Stencil: Application

As you’ve read above, each stencil has two parts, a Positive part (the ‘mask’) and a Negative part (the stencil). For this section, we’ll look at using the Negative part of the stencil.

It is likely that you will mostly use the Negative parts of the stencils to begin with in order to create solid, positive impressions of the stencils. The negatives are shown in colour on the stencil diagrams provided in the pack, but not so obvious on the actual stencil sheet. Cross refer the stencil with the design to avoid confusion.

Note: If the stencil you are using has lots of fine lines and intricate detail, it is recommended you use the transfer tape to apply the stencil to the work. See the sections below for two methods of using tape. Also review the sections on ‘Weeding’


Decide which stencils you would like to use and where on your piece they will look best.

The negative part of the stencil in your pack is shown in colour whilst the positive part is black or white.


Carefully remove the stencil from the backing paper ensuring you do not stretch it or tear it, or any part of the stencil not being peeled off.

For intricate designs, you may find it easier to use a weeding tool at this stage.


Evenly lay the stencil down onto your work. Make sure there are no creases or wrinkles.


Press the stencil down firmly.


Stick masking tape all round the stencil, overlapping the edges. Additional masking can be added such as scrap paper to help prevent accidental spillage and overspraying.


Negative Stencil: Spraying/Applying Colour

Load your applicator (in this case, an airbrush) with the colour for the stencil and do a test spray onto the masked area to clear the nozzle and check spray intensity and width.

See the section on ‘Medium Application Ideas’ for suggestions on other ways to use your stencils


Lightly spray around the stencil mask in light coats to build up the colour. Too heavy a coat may result in a little bleed beneath the stencil.


When the colour is dry, peel off the stencil. If you wish to use it again, take care not to stretch or rip it.

Not all of our stencils can be reused. The packaging of each set indicates if they can be reused or not. Generally, the more intricate the stencil, the less chance there is of reuse.


Stick the stencil back on its backing paper or a piece of plastic. Again, take care not to stretch or tear it. Any dust caught on the sticky side will prevent it from sticking back down properly!


Negative Stencil Finished – Next!

Now your first part is done, you can move on to repeating the above steps for any other stencils you need for your design.


Positive Stencil: Application

As you’ve read above about the Negative part of your stencils, now lets look at the Positive part.

The Positive part of the stencil is the bit inside the negative. This is shown in black or white on the stencil diagrams provided in the pack, but not so obvious on the actual stencil sheet. Cross refer the stencil with the design to avoid confusion.

Note: If the stencil you are using has lots of fine lines and intricate detail, it is recommended you use the transfer tape to apply the stencil to the work. See the sections below for two methods of using tape. Also review the sections on ‘Weeding’


Decide which stencils you would like to use and where on your piece they will look best.

The Positive part of your stencil is shown in black or white on your stencil diagram sheet.


Carefully remove the stencil from the backing paper ensuring you do not stretch it or tear it, or any part of the stencil not being peeled off.

You may find it easier to use a weeding tool such as a craft knife to help peel it off.


Evenly lay the stencil down onto your work. Make sure there are no creases or wrinkles.

There is no need to put masking tape round this Positive stencil.


Press the stencil down firmly.


Positive Stencil: Spraying/Applying Colour

Load your applicator (in this case, an airbrush) with the colour you want and do a test spray onto a piece of paper to test the spray.

See the section on ‘Medium Application Ideas’ for suggestions on other ways to use your stencils


Lightly spray the space around the stencil in light coats to build up the colour. Too heavy a coat may result in a little bleed beneath the stencil.


When the colour is dry, peel off the stencil. If you wish to use it again, take care not to stretch or rip it.

Not all of our stencils can be reused. The packaging of each set indicates if they can be reused or not. Generally, the more intricate the stencil, the less chance there is of reuse.


Stick the stencil back on its backing paper or a piece of plastic. Again, take care not to stretch or tear it. Any dust caught on the sticky side will prevent it from sticking back down properly!


Now your first part is done, you can move on to repeating the above steps for any other stencils you need for your design.


What is ‘Weeding’ and The Tools Needed?

What is Weeding?

Weeding is the process of removing individual elements of a stencil design that are not joined together. For example, removing the middle of the letter ‘O’ or ‘d’.

Weeding Tools

Weeding tools can be anything small and thin enough to carefully and accurately lift small or delicate parts of a vinyl stencil off a surface.

You can use anything with a very thin edge or point such as a craft knife or dental pick. You can use tweezers if you wish to, but there is a risk of folding the stencil onto itself and sticking it together – not a good idea unless you are exceedingly careful.

‘Weeding’ Multi-Part Stencils

Generally, in our level 2 and 3 stencil packs, some of the designs are in multiple parts, ie you need to apply the one stencil in two or more separate pieces to the work to complete the design. This is where a ‘weeding’ tool comes in very helpful.


Illustration of a Multi-Part Stencil

To the top left, you will see how the symbol should look when finished. The larger green image shows how the stencil looks on the sheet.

In order for the stencil to look right when it is applied, the ‘windows’ in the top section need to ‘weeded’ out and applied to the work separately from the rest as they are not attached to the main part of the stencil.


To achieve the symbol, we need to remove the Negative part of the stencil shown here in blue so the colour is applied into the white space. However, just removing the blue part will leave behind the ‘windows’ shown in purple as they are not attached to the main part of the stencil.

The windows will need to be ‘weeded’ off the sheet and applied independently to the work in the correct position.


When the Dream symbol stencil is applied correctly to your piece and masked around the edges, and the windows have been stuck into their correct positions, you can then apply the colour into the white space.


Here’s the Kanji symbol for Happiness. You can see just above the centre, there is a white ‘window’ similar to those described above.

In order to achieve this stencil, the negative part needs to be removed first, applied, and then the ‘window’ applied after. Here’s how to do it . . .


For ease, slide the blade of a craft knife, or other weeding tool under the corner of the stencil and carefully peel it off.

Lay the stencil down evenly on your work piece.


Looking back at the stencil sheet, you will notice that after the stencil has been removed and applied to the work, the window mentioned above is still on the backing paper.


Using your weeding tool, tease the missing piece off the backing paper. Make sure it is stuck to the tool.


Lay the window down in the correct position within the stencil and press into place.


Here’s the completed stencil on the piece with the masking tape securely in place.

You are now ready to fill in the stencil with your medium of choice.

Some stencils have more than one element to it that need weeding out, such as the Mandalas. Make sure you cross refer the stencil to your reference sheet when weeding the stencil.

What is ‘Transfer Tape’

Transfer tape is a method of picking up a stencil from its backing paper and applying it to the work surface.

It is normally used for transferring complex designs with intricate details (such as fine lines) safely from backing paper to the work.


Transfer Tape Method 1

Choose the stencil you wish to use from the reference sheet.

As you can see from this one, from our Flourishes set, there are some fine lines in the stencil so it is best to use transfer tape to ensure the stencil is applied safely to our work surface.


Cut a piece of the supplied transfer tape large enough to cover the stencil you want to use.


Peel the backing paper off the transfer tape and stick it firmly over the stencil. make sure the tape doesn’t stick to other stencils.


Carefully peel the transfer tape off the stencil backing paper. The stencil will come off too, stuck to the tape.


Lay the tape and stencil down onto the work piece making sure it is evenly applied with no creases or wrinkles. Press the stencil firmly into place.

Be very careful applying to concave surfaces like the inside of bowls – the tighter the curve, the trickier it will be to successfully apply.


Peel the transfer tape off the surface. This will leave the stencil in position. Do it slowly, checking that the stencil remains on the surface. If any fine detail comes up with the tape, press it back down then continue to peel the tape off.

Once clear of the stencil, the tape can be stuck back onto its backing paper.


Use your weeding tool to prise the parts of the stencil off the work surface, then carefully remove the rest of the (in this case) stencil.


Remember: Not all of our stencils can be reused. Fine lines and intricate detail parts curl up when removed. This is perfectly normal and to be expected with paint mask vinyl.


After masking round the outside of the stencil on the work piece, it is ready for completion.


Transfer Tape Method 2

As usual, decide which stencil you would like to use. For this example, we want to use just the white (positive mask) part of this stencil.

It will be difficult to remove by itself because of the fine lines in the design. Time to use transfer tape.


For this method, we will remove the negative part of the stencil from around the part we want to use. It may be possible to reposition this piece on a piece of backing paper for use later. This will depending on how fine the lines in the design are.


Now the negative stencil has been removed, we are left with a very fine design that will be very difficult to remove and place on our work piece.


As in the previous tape method described, cut a piece of transfer tape (or reuse a piece) press it down onto the vinyl and carefully peel it off the backing paper.

Make sure none of the fine lines are left behind.


Press the tape firmly down onto the work piece and peel the transfer paper back to leave the vinyl stencil behind.


Once the tape is removed, the stencil (mask) is ready for its colour, or the application of more masks.

When the colour has been added, remove it as previously described.

Remember too, that not all our stencils can be reused.


Writing Words with Negative Stencils and Transfer Tape

Take a look at your font reference sheet and you will see that each letter (the same as the other stencils) has a positive and negative stencil. For this example, we will look at writing letters with the Negative part of each to produce solid coloured writing.

Our message will be a simple one – ‘Thank You’.


Here’s the finished message.


On a piece of backing paper, or stiff plastic, draw a pencil line if you would like your letters written formally.


Taking each letter in turn, cut it to fit the next letter in the word. This will also help with attractive letter spacing, bringing them closer together.

Keep in mind that lowercase letters that follow an uppercase letter will often sit beneath part of the first letter.


Using a craft knife, cut round part of the uppercase ‘T’ so the next letter can sit under it slightly, and bring the letters closer together.

Use a weeding tool or the blade of the knife to lift it from its backing paper.


Lay the first letter down on the pencil line. Press it down.


For the next letter, cut it round and lay it, slightly overlapping the previous letter. This will help reduce fiddly masking when the words are complete.


For letters like ‘a’, b’, ‘p’, etc you will need to weed the middle of the letter off the backing paper and place it into position.

Complete all the letters for your word as detailed above.


If you are writing two lines, overlap the second line a little to avoid fiddly masking.


Grab your transfer tape and press it firmly down over your message.


As previously described in the Trasnfer Tape section, press the tape and vinyl down onto your work surface. Press firmly and carefully peel off the transfer tape.

Be careful not to pull off any small part of the detail such as the middle of letters. If you need, weed it off the transfer tape and place it down where it should be.


Mask your message making sure there are no gaps where you don’t want them and you’re ready to apply the colour or other media.


When you’re done, peel the masking tape and vinyl off to reveal your message rendered beautifully.

It is unlikely you will be able to use the vinyl again, but if you feel you can, lay it back onto its backing paper.


Internal and External Curves

Take care when applying stencils to curved surfaces as they can cause creases and wrinkles in the stencil.

Internal curves can be problematic with large stencils creasing and wrinkling during application. It is best to use smaller designs on internal curves, particularly if the the curves are tight.

Like the internal curves, External curves can also cause wrinkling and creasing.

For the most accurate way of applying stencils to your curvy work, we advise using the provided transfer tape. See this help section for advice using it correctly.

If the curve you are applying the stencil to has straight sides, the will be no problem – the stencil will apply perfectly.


Where to Buy The Stencils

United Kingdom

The Woodturning Shop – www.thewoodturningshop.com

United States

Wood World of Texas – www.woodworldtx.com

Denmark

Traedrejerbutikken – www.traedrejerbutikken.dk/

Norway

Tredreieutstyr – www.tredreieutstyr.no/

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Observations on My Remote Demos – One Year On

You can hardly believe that there were barely any pro UK turners presenting remote demonstrations before March 2020. And then COVID-19 and a strict national lockdown changed everything very quickly.

Within weeks, almost the entire year of demo and show bookings had been cancelled, evaporating thousands of pounds worth of work for jobbing demonstrators everywhere. The remaining work vanished a few weeks later. It was devastating – clubs had shut their doors, shows and all teaching was forced to be postponed.

UK pro turners looked to American turners for inspiration on how to continue demonstrating during what would become a very difficult time for everyone. Many US turners had been demonstrating remotely for years before COVID and were the ideal source for advice and inspiration for our own remote set-ups.

A month before my original thoughts in a blog post on 19th April ’20, I had already spent many hours on the phone to other turners talking about what they were planning on doing to keep going, and even more time on the internet investing in a remote demonstration set-up for the workshop. I joined the remote demonstrator group Lucid Woodturners and spoke to a few US remote demonstrators about ‘how they do it’ before embarking on my own take on doing it.

Diversifying the business to incorporate a remote capability was a no-brainer.
We couldn’t meet in person, so I would visit them remotely in their living rooms!

Within a month, a rudimentary streaming set-up was in place and tested. Click here to look over what that initial set-up consisted of and how it all connected together.

Reaching Out Remotely

A screenshot from my very first remote demonstration on YouTube. March 2020.

With so many people staying at home because of the lockdown, reaching out to people remotely was a sensible thing to do. From a personal perspective, I wanted to do something to help people out – cheer them up a bit and give them something to look forward to each week. After all, we had no idea how long lockdown would last!

And from a business point of view, I needed to put myself and the business in front of people to let them know the business was still operating when so many others had closed their doors!

Turners from all over the world tuned in with UK turners to share my first ever remote demonstrations that covered a range of subjects and skill levels. The image above is from my first ever remote demo on 17th March 2020. How time flies! You can watch this inaugural stream HERE.

After the first few demonstrations were streamed, I was asked by the then Chairman of the Register of Professional Turners John Boyne-Aitken if I would be prepared to host a discussion with members of the RPT. The idea was to encourage Register members to investigate streaming as a possible income stream throughout lockdown and continue it into the future to cast their demonstration net further afield.

Through April and into early May, I hosted four or five evenings (I forget the precise number) for Register members. We ended up discussing streaming, social media presence, sales and marketing. But most of all, the discussion centered around the importance of having an online presence and engaging with people – to put themselves and their turning businesses out there to meet some of their existing customers and introduce themselves to a new audience with interesting and engaging content.

Past Experience

In a previous work life, I was involved in a small way in audio/visual work. Not so much presenting, but on the production side of things so I had a slightly outdated knowledge before I got into woodturning. This came in very useful when I started making videos for social media consumption in 2014.

This past experience proved invaluable when it came to getting set up for remote demos. I had some cameras already, but they needed inline capture cards to convert their signal into one that could be streamed – and they cost almost as much as the second hand cameras I was using. Before I could do that though, my original set-up used Logitech C920 webcams as they were much more affordable than inline capture capture cards, and were a good place to start.

Then there is the lighting – you must have good lighting for small camera sensors to work optimally, particularly webcams.

And then there is the audio. Clear audio is so important. I’m now on my third microphone in 12 months. The first one (a lavalier) was good for recorded and edited video, but not for live work. The second was a headset with a large, unsightly mic on the end that was sensitive to ‘plosives’ (the distorted sound, that results when an air blast from the mouth goes into the microphone). Now I use a mic that is more akin to those you find in use during stage performances. It is a very thin skin coloured mic that is very discreet. Even this isn’t perfect as I need to tape it into place. But, the sound is the best of the bunch. They have all been wireless.

Internet speed is important, too of course. From my workshop, I can muster a meager 3.6Mbps upload speed on a dedicated line which I have set my streaming software up to optimise. It’s not perfect, but it is the absolute best that can be achieved, and manages to kick out a stream close enough to HD to keep me happy.

I’ve even looked into satellite broadband, but it’s upstream speeds are only just comparable to what I already have. So at the moment, it is not worth the investment until the speeds increase considerably and it happens before fibre broadband is laid to our property out here in the countryside.

Amazing Proactive Clubs

As part of what I do is demonstrate for clubs, a lot of conversations were had with those clubs who understandably needed to cancel their bookings for 2020 (and a lot of 2021 as it transpires!). Some of the clubs didn’t cancel their bookings, but instead changed them to a remote demonstration! Their committees had met up in Zoom (as everyone else was doing) and decided to carry on regardless with their club meetings, but in a virtual environment. All credit to them for moving quickly to keep their clubs running! And even more credit to those clubs who spent the time and effort assisting their less tech-savvy members get online and able to enjoy the club events.

I know some clubs have just closed their doors until this all blows over which is a desperate shame for their members.

From a demonstrator perspective, being able to continue to present to clubs in a remote environment has been amazing, and a relief to have some of the lost income replaced in order to continue to provide and improve their streaming service. On top of that, as I think I mentioned in my original streaming article, clubs who would otherwise be unable to afford a turner to come and visit them in person can now have them demo remotely for them. It is a win-win situation.

Too Few Pro Remote Demonstrators

Despite the very clear indication that remote demonstrations were absolutely a way forward to keep demonstrations as a form of income during the pandemic, very few professional UK turners took it up.

The financial investment is a major factor of course, but so is the investment in time to put it all together into a working system. Practicing presentation skills and working the system on the fly is also time consuming. Demonstrating in person is one thing, but transferring that to a screen presence is quite another. Then there is the time required for marketing and selling your new product to people and clubs. This also takes time, effort and of course money – for something that may, or may not be taken up by the marketplace.

Within a couple of months of starting out and deciding that Yes! remote demonstrations are a good way forward for my business, I invested somewhere around £3000 in cameras, computer, lights, microphones, software licenses and other accessories to put together the absolute best that I could to support that side of the business. A proportion of this investment came from donations made by viewers on my free to view streams on my YouTube channel – donations that I am extremely grateful for.

So perhaps, with these things (and others) considered it is not surprising that comparatively few pro turners have taken up remote demonstrations as a source of income and business expansion. Perhaps they cannot find enough positives to justify the speculation of money and time for their own business. If this is the case, it is a shame, but I do hope to see more professionals take it up in the future.

Those that have gone all-out on remote demonstrations do so in different ways with different set-ups and methods of generating an income from it. Some sell tickets to regular presentations, others present to clubs, or a mixture of both and others do it largely free-to-view, like I do. There is still a reward in doing it that way, but it is not a certainty – perhaps I ought to alter the model a bit. But for now, it works.

A New Normal (Excuse the Cliche)

So much has happened in the last 12 months and so much progress made by those who have adopted remote demos as a way forward that progress has now largely slowed down – a bit like the universe after the big bang, I guess.

Everyone seems to have found their rhythm now. Remote demos have become ‘normal’. It is quite common to see advertising posts on social media for remote demo ticket sales and clubs to book us to present for them.

‘Normal’ is a good thing – it is indicative of stability and predictability.
We have been without ‘normal’ for such a long time and a return it may seem and bit . . . ummm . . . boring after such an unstable and unpredictable twelve months.

I’ve been involved with probably close to a hundred demonstrations to date, either as a presenter or a viewer and it has most certainly become part of what I now call ‘normal’.

It feels odd, to be honest. Things are so different now that it is difficult to get my head around it all. I have been so involved with it all from the beginning that looking back at the last twelve months is mind blowing.

So much has happened, so much has changed that I am sure there are things I have missed in this article that ought to be here.

And now lockdown is coming to an end in June (I think it unlikely that we will have to endure another one, but that is on us to obey the rules, of course), the turning world cannot switch back to how it was before. The turning world is not the same as it was before:

  • Clubs and their members now have the knowledge and access to remote demonstrators from around the world – yes, The WORLD.
  • Turners with remote capability can now reach more clubs around the world.
  • Those turners can create their own videos to support and promote their business and their products where they may not have been able to before.
  • Remote teaching is now a thing! It is relatively easy to connect two workshops to conduct some teaching online or offer technical support.
  • Turners are now more aware of the importance of the internet and its use to reach an existing audience for their work and reach new people.

There is more to it than those points above of course, but it should be plain to see that the world is a different place now.

Global Reach

The internet is such a powerful thing that I believe most of us take it for granted. In the last few months, I’ve demonstrated for US clubs and businesses as well as businesses in Norway, Denmark and Ireland. A remote set-up gives us an amazing global reach. It is difficult to explain the sense of amazement I feel when presenting to people all around the world IN REAL TIME!

I find it so fascinating that it seems to give me an extra boost of energy and enthusiasm for the presentation. Here I am, perhaps with the sun setting outside, and there are some of my viewers first thing in their morning. Mind boggling.

It’s a bit like the interest I have in aeroplanes and how hundreds of tons of metal manage to stay up in the air. I know how it works, but it never reduces the ‘WOW’ in my head when I think about it. The principles are simple, but never-the-less, they are wonderful.

A New Business

The dedicated permanent streaming set-up at The Woodturning Shop

In August 2020, Les Thorne and I teamed up, pooled our resources and started a brand new business called The Woodturning Shop (imaginative, I know!).

My old workshop is now a proper teaching room and in the rest of the building we have taken over, there is a small retail shop, Les’ production workshop and my office/studio that we share for videos and streaming.

Shopping is available online 24/7 and in-store Wednesday to Saturday 9.30am – 3pm.

We also offer our customers free remote demonstrations of suitable projects using the tools and products we use and stock.

Online Club

In June 2020, I founded one of the first online only UK based clubs called Woodturning360 as part of the Hampshire Sheen business. There are currently over 170 members primarily from the UK, Europe, US and Canada. We meet twice a month on a Monday. One Monday is for a remote demonstration, and the other is for a discussion meeting.

It works very well and membership is generally active in the club Facebook group. With monthly challenges, members get to stretch their creative wings and share their results with other members. It is a good, happy place to hang out with like-minded people.

Is the Bubble Going to Burst?

No, I very much doubt it. What was a tiny bubble encompassing very few turners in the UK has been inflated to include many more. Not enough in my opinion, but many more is a good start. The bubble may shrink with a drop in demand, but I am convinced it is here to stay now.

What started as an exciting prospect and new avenue to explore in the last 12 months for us professional turners, remote demos have become (excuse the cliche) a ‘new normal’. It’s part of our everyday life now the prospecting has been realised and the avenue largely explored.

That’s not to say that every nook and cranny of that avenue has been explored, though. There is more for me to do to continue to improve my remote demonstrations – there are new projects to develop, alternative presentation methods to explore and general tweaks to make before my personal remote bubble is stretched to the max.


Ultimately, I am very pleased with how the last year has panned out where my own demonstration capability is concerned. Some decisions that were made had to be made quickly to keep up with and (as some people have said) lead the way. They were largely the right decisions to make for the business. There were some that I now consider to be mistakes but they were of no lasting consequence.

Now though, I think it is time to take stock of what has been achieved and consolidate the lessons learned before moving forward again. But not for long though!

If there is one thing I have re-learned, and that is to never sit back on your laurels. Always keep moving forward to learn and improve on from what you leave behind.

Thanks for reading.

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Seeking Advice on Social Media

You’re new to turning, but where to get advice, inspiration and tool techniques from? The internet is great, but you need to be cautious.

I’m a largely self-taught turner, so what I’m going to say in this article in one respect is a reflection on my own experience, but it may also make me sound like a massive hypocrite – so I’d better be careful!

If you are new to turning, like a huge number of people throughout the 2020/21 pandemic, you’ve bought a lathe and set about learning by watching Youtube videos and asking for advice on social media. There’s nothing wrong with that at all – I did, and so did plenty of other people. But you need to be careful, particularly in your earliest days.

More Than One Way to Skin a Cat

Social media is full of groups with wonderfully helpful members keen to help newcomers get to grips with their new hobby or new piece of kit. The community spirit on Facebook and other social platforms is incredible. But . . . (why is there always a ‘but’?)

For a beginner (and I vividly remember this from when I was learning), one question on social media often creates an avalanche of advice with much of it seeming contradictory to other replies. Why? Because there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Some ways are safer than others, and what works for one cat owner, may not work for another, and some may even be construed as being downright dangerous by those with more experience.

What I found was, that at times, there was too much advice to my questions which ended up being confusing because (as already noted), one piece of advice would contradict another – so I would try each of the ideas, as I am sure you will to find what works for you. Sadly, some of the advice I received ended up being rather painful – but that was either down to my inexperience at the time, or the quality of the advice.

In the end, I found a turner on YouTube whose technique suited me, so I emulated it and as my experience grew, the technique changed to suit me. By sticking to one experienced turner’s techniques you will keep your mind clear of potentially contradictory advice from others. Here comes another But….

But…

Social Responsibility, or Lack Thereof.

For this part of the article, I’m not going to pigeon-hole woodturning, as this extends to everything and all practical things shared on social media.

Many social posters have an underlying motto of ‘My Hobby, My Rules’, apparently at times disregarding their own safety, either on purpose, through ignorance of basic safety precautions or just a simple lack of knowledge or who knows what else . On the face of it, that’s fine in the privacy their own space, but what if what you are doing and sharing on social media is a potentially dangerous hobby? Perhaps then, this motto is not the wisest thing to do, nor follow if you are a newbie.

Would it not be nice then, if everyone on social media had a sense of responsibility to post methods and videos that show safe practice in the understanding that others may copy you? Others who wish to emulate, copy or learn from what they see can then do so in a way that was illustrated as safely as possible in the first place. Sadly this is not the case and there are countless posts showing bad practice every year which could lead to injury.

Safety Concerns

Whenever there is a potentially dangerous post on social media, there are some brave souls who take it upon themselves to point out the dangers in the post. They are genuinely concerned about the poster’s safety and those who may copy it. 99% of the time, their well meaning (though sometimes not well thought out) comments are shouted down by a handful of other members of the community, avidly defending the ‘My hobby, my rules’ motto discussed above. These commenters are known as ‘The Safety Police’ and they are ridiculed for speaking up for the safety of the original poster when really, they are doing the right thing for the safety of their community members. Bizarre.

Whilst there is no way for social media platforms to actively enforce good practice of arts and crafts (or anything, really), there is also no organisation in the UK that moderates the safety of arty/crafty social media content. It is left up to the individual to self-police their content, and decide if it is suitable for publication. Then, the self-appointed ‘Safety Police’ put their head above the parapet and mention safety issues when they are apparent on social media.

Personally, I applaud their efforts in doing their best to safeguard their communities and I equally despair at those who post potentially dangerous content in the first place.

It is not until you join an organisation that has rules (or a social media group, for that matter) about posting responsible content that the level of posts illustrating poor practice decreases.

AND!

Wouldn’t it be really good if everyone posting their arts and crafts on social media did so by thinking about ‘Safety First’. You see it often enough in the workplace, so why not social media? The answer – because there is not enough emphasis on safety when purchasing a potentially dangerous product, in my opinion.

Instruction manuals include mandatory safety information, but in reality how many people actually ingest the safety stuff before jumping ahead to the ‘How to use this thing’ section?

The Moral of the Post

The hive mind of social media is amazing. There is so much that can be learned by those willing to share their techniques and ideas with their wider community. Some have a huge amount of knowledge. Others, less so. And it is down to the individual to listen to what they feel is best for them.

They do though, need to learn and understand that there is often more than one way to do things and some things they will see on social media may be potentially dangerous without the right tools for the job, or the experience to undertake such a project.

A sure-fire way to learn the safest and efficient way to do something well is to get some lessons from someone who knows what they are talking about and has experience in teaching. It may be more investment in perhaps an already expensive hobby, but what price can you put on your safety and probably shortening your learning curve?

If I could go back to when I first started turning, I would like to have had similar advice, or taken some lessons to ensure I had a good grounding from the start.

Thank you for reading.

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New Intro Video for 2021

Admittedly, my new intro video for 2021 is a bit late, but it’s been a busy year keeping the businesses during the ongoing pandemic! But here it is.

I’ve not done a proper introduction video before despite known darn well that I should do one. After all, video content gets considerably more attention online than still images or text alone.

This one was fairly quick to put together. Thankfully I have the majority of all my old video files dating back years so finding footage for the historical clip was easy. It was just as easy to find new footage too, given the number of remote demos I’ve presented in the last year.

Finally was the voiceover script.

Personally, I’m uncomfortable blowing my own trumpet so I found this part quite difficult to write. It was recorded using a fairly inexpensive USB mic and then improved in Adobe Audition and then added into the video edit in Adobe Premiere Pro. The transcript is below the video.

My name is Martin Saban-Smith. I am a member of the Register of Professional Turners working out of workshops based to the rear of my family garden centre in the village of Four Marks, in Hampshire in the south of England. We are to be in countryside, just outside the South Downs National Park.

Most of my turning is shared on social media with the workshop originally being in our garage at home. After a while, I later took over a building on the garden centre where I converted the potting shed into a turning studio and teaching environment.

In 2015, I started developing a finishing wax that quickly expanded to become the popular Hampshire Sheen range of products that are now shipped all over the UK, Europe, South Africa, the USA and Canada. Most of the products are unique to the company and made by hand right here at the workshops.

During the COVID pandemic, I teamed up with well known turner Les Thorne and together we started a new business called The Woodturning Shop. We took over two further buildings when Les moved his workshop and equipment to the garden centre. With a lot of help, we built a small retail shop, two new workshops and developed my original teaching room into a more professional space.

My lathe has now moved into a dedicated multimedia studio where Les and I present remote demonstrations and teaching and record videos for social media consumption. It is fully equipped with a Vicmarc lathe, Sorby Pro Edge, all the usual tools, a 7 cameras media set-up and plenty of other tech.

My own work tends to be more creative, expressive and more colourful than functional, although I do enjoy mixing the form and figure of pieces with a certain amount of functionality. Wood, to me is a canvas my artistic side can be expressed upon. There is always something you can do to make even the most featureless piece of wood stand out from the rest.

Being able to share what I do and how I do it with my social media followers and clubs in a demonstration, remotely or in person, as well passing on my knowledge to students here is a tremendous privilege and an absolute joy.

Find More:
My website: https://www.msabansmith.com.88-208-198-193.plesk.page
The Woodturning Shop: https://www.thewoodturningshop.com
Hampshire Sheen: https://www.hampshiresheen.com
Woodturning360: https://www.woodturning360.com
Funnel Club: https://www.woodturnersfunnelclub.com

Social Media:
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/msabansmithwoodturning
https://www.youtube.com/hampshiresheen
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/msabansmith
https://www.facebook.com/thewoodturningshop
https://www.facebook.com/hampshiresheen
https://www.facebook.com/woodturning360
https://www.facebook.com/woodturnersfunnelclub
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/msabansmith
https://www.instagram.com/thewoodturningshop
https://www.instagram.com/hampshiresheen

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Hampshire Sheen April Fools Joke?

In this documentary style interview video, I guide you through a special half day of my busy life at Hampshire Sheen and The Woodturning Shop.

30th March 2021: I welcome my wife back to The Woodturning Shop after a month off on furlough and photograph a range of three brand new products from Hampshire Sheen – Woodturner’s Skin Care products. Yes, seriously! And, you’ll learn about the hats I wear, the importance of good product photography, and a product demonstration. To see the skin care range at The WoodturningShop, use the link below: https://www.thewoodturningshop.com/category/brands/hampshire-sheen/skin-care/

Although filmed and edited in a ‘The Office’ mockumentary style, the content of what went on that morning was all completely genuine, as was the launch of the skin care products from Hampshire Sheen.

There was an uncertain reaction on social media (which is perfect as it got people wondering) with some understanding the nod to a superbly awkward TV programme whilst others were convinced that the skin care products were a joke.

One comment suggested that launching a product on 1st April was a bad idea. I’m not sure as Google have been launching products on that day since 2004. Certainly if the viewing and website visitor stats are anything to go by, it has brought more awareness for Hampshire Sheen and The Woodturning Shop.

So, not too bad of an idea after all, I think.