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Here are some tools I use to help MySpindle:
For those who shop at wally-world, a good variety of small
plastic pencil sharpeners costing from 98� to $1.79 for two may be had
in the isle with pens and pencils. I keep a stock of those with a
regular and an over-sized hole in them. This is because I find a shaft
measuring from 3/8th" to 7/16th" to suit me best. The larger hole works
on these.
A little practise and small amount of patience will insure a centered
point. Use caution to not over sharpen them.
Because of this little tools manual nature, slowly working them
will sharpen most woods. When their blade dulls to no longer working
well just toss them for a newer one.
While in the isles of wally-world go visit the lawn and garden
department. You may discover some imitation terra cotta (plastic)
decorative costers used to catch the water from pots with plants in
them. These range in size from about 2�" up to larger than needed.
(2')
Some have very nice designs molded into the outside surface and can be
converted quickly into whorls, with little effort.
I expend a little more effort than needed to achieve different
size and weight navajo type spindle whorls from these.
I take two of the same size, between 3" to 5" and hot glue a coil
of scrap copper wire or old lead solder wire just inside the outer rim.
(clay would prolly work too)
Then I use an old iron to weld them together, one placed
up-side-down upon the other, so I have the wire coil sealed inside the
hollow part. (You could just pick up a roll of pretty colored duct tape
instead.)
If you look closely at the bottom you can see the mold mark from
the injection mold as a very small circle. These are located at the
exact center of the dish and so show where your hole needs to go.
You could indent the center of this circle with the sharp point of
a scratch-awl or ice pick in order to help start a drill in the right
place. I don't do that. I use an old electric soldering iron to slowly
melt the hole through, while working it open larger with the point of
the shaft I intend to use. I like the excess plastic melted around the
hole and the hole just a little smaller than the shaft. This way the
hole has to stretch to force the shaft through, so remains tight, yet
removable, or easily repositioned up or down the shaft. In case I'm
sitting on a tall chair or on the floor..LOL (You could just punch the
ice pick through and work it around large enough for a �" hole.)
I think over the years my unconscious mind has developed a
category called "Things that are Round" for use as spindle whorls. Those
nice little metal and wood decorative disk that go behind door and
drawer pull knobs in kitchen cabinet displays come pre drilled and some
seem made for spindle use.
I've used cut-off disk from the hardware, as well as those rubber
disk with the metal inside that fit a drill to stick sandpaper on.
I have one little spindle that was a molded plastic sink stopper.
It has a metal disk in its center and an octopus molded on top of it. I
only found the one at wally-world, in the plumbing supply.
There is also a CD sized carpet pot coster with a rubber back on
it. Two of these, placed carpet to carpet will make a spindle whorl.
The list goes on and on once your eye is set on "Things that are
Round"....
Chu'a
-walk in beauty-
it abounds
TwoHorns Chu'a |
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