Recent content by SimonMast

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    It's only another KUKSA I'm afraid!

    Great work. What a lovely piece of wood, too.
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    Sealing wood

    Thanks very much indeed. Looking forward to seeing yours!
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    Sealing wood

    The milk treatment worked really well for me (I gave details in that thread). To a certain extent, anyone who drinks hot coffee with milk from their kuksa treats their vessel by so doing (which would help to explain why some people find that their kuksa stops leaking after a few coffees), but...
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    Ash 'kuksa'

    Cheers once again. :) I applied a bit of superglue to the cracks yesterday and sanded. A few cups of hot winter cider later and not a peep out of them - which I'm delighted with. Just had a drop of Aberlour from it. Fantastic. Seems to be seasoning well - still a little oil visible on the top...
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    Ash 'kuksa'

    Thanks! Was curious to see how it would turn out. There's obviously so much heritage to the method, but having skim (no pun intended) read some rather intimidating scientific papers on casein that Google turned up (science never was my strong point), it would appear that it is resistant to...
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    milk treating for wood question

    Just had a go at this on my new kuksa, John. Like yours, it has darkened a bit.
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    Ash 'kuksa'

    Firstly, thanks so much for the kind words. They mean a lot, especially given the standard of many around here! :) Secondly, I had a go at a milk treatment this evening. I didn't immerse it and boil for two hours (though I did do this with one of my spoons a few days ago, and it seems to have...
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    Ash 'kuksa'

    Just my most recent piece. It's basically a kuksa, at least in a broad sense. I started this one at a Scout event in May and wanted to get it done by the close of the year. The wood is ash. Originally it was going to be a fairly conventional kuksa design, but it had a very large crack which...
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    Current thinking on finish for alcohol-bearing woodware

    Good good! Does it taint at all? I used to get a bit of surface (walnut) oil with my last whisky vessel, at least the first few times as I recall.
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    Current thinking on finish for alcohol-bearing woodware

    Great to read your results, John. Looks very nice. Out of interest, what have you drank out of it so far?
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    Current thinking on finish for alcohol-bearing woodware

    Thanks for the suggestions, all... It won't be long now, thankless task though carving seasoned ash is! I have to say, I really like the propolis vanish idea. Back when I was at school, I spent many happy hours at the school apiary. Money's a bit tight right now so I don't have a lot to spend...
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    Current thinking on finish for alcohol-bearing woodware

    Hi folks, Been a while. Thought I'd get some thoughts on finish. Currently working on an ash kuksa that's nearly done (only started it in April...), so I'm thinking about what to finish it with. Normally I use regular walnut oil, but since I intend to use this to drink malt from (primarily if...
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    3 Spoons and a Bowl (VERY PIC HEAVY)

    Beautiful work. I love the understated beauty of birch.
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    On behalf of an Explorer Scout.

    Looks fun! I'm a guitar player myself. Distinctly BC Rich-esque, but with some homespun character. I love doing simple woodwork activities with my Scouts and others at county events (eg. woggles), and so many of them just don't know how to whittle [is going to the woods with a penknife old hat...
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    Why did it crack?

    I made the cup in about February this year having picked up the wood on Boxing Day and I kept it (in the absence of an alternative!) in my living room, so it was pretty dry when I made it. When I left it for a few minutes I filled it with water, which I'm now guessing I shouldn't have... But...