Hi, I suppose I need to chime in here on the bobbin question. Certainly fruit woods are great for bobbins as the early makers found and also those woods were plentiful at that time. Almost every home had an apple tree at least! Basically they are fine grained woods and polish very well. The wood does need to have been properly dried properly or some bending (even splitting in an extreme case) In recent years a wide range of woods have been available to bobbin makers, some very decorative and make excellent bobbins. Modern sanding and polishing materials in the hands of an experienced turner should basically eliminate any roughness, and depending on the finish the bobbins in exotic/modern(?) woods can have a very nice attractive finish.
Bobbin makers are variously motivated. Some just make them for family and friends, other endeavour to glean some sort of income from their efforts. Some are well known for a particular style and sell them quite well. Others demonstrate some extremely skilled turning and variation in their output. There are some truly fantastic wood turning skills demonstrated in some modern bobbins I see. I doubt if the makers get a good return on this demonstration of their skills; but this is true of most dobby crafts, you rarely get true value from your efforts if you sell. With the , initial completion of my English Antique lace bobbin dictionary (and collecting) [www.brianlemin.com] I am turning my mind to other aspects of lace bobbins. There is a whole field of study in antique hand carved bobbins that Diana Smith has an interest in. They are in an area of difficult study, but this genre has a life of its own, sometimes in historical and social history, but I love speculating as to why, perhaps a husband, son or boyfriend would have made them for his special lace maker friend. Just think all the time they whittled away at that piece of wood to make a bobbin they were thinking of someone special. For that reason alone, hand carved bobbins should be cherished. Not that I am in any position to study them, being a very feeble artist, but the hand painting of bobbins (Particularly the East Devon Bobbins (Honiton)) are totally amazing and have brought a whole new area of artistic bobbins to be enjoyed, used and collected. I do need to say that in a general sense, the antique BONE English bobbins that we collect and use are probably "favourite" amongst collectors. I suggest that this is still true of modern bone bobbin makers. Collectors and users of these should not underestimate the amount of preliminary work that has to be done to prepare bone for turning is extensive (and perhaps smelly!!) It is a most satisfying material to turn and lends itself to great decorative turning. The material and work put into bone bobbins must reflect in their price; and in my opinion it reflects in the enjoyment we get from lace bobbins. I know you all enjoy these wonderful tools and may that enjoyment continue for you Brian -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Lorri Ferguson Sent: Sunday, 17 February 2019 5:27 AM To: Arachne list <[email protected]>; Adele Shaak <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [lace] Bobbin question Even a home hobbyist can produce very fine bobbins. It is all in the sanding and polishing. I have made bobbins from various woods, one just has to take some time with the finishing. Yes, some woods are better than others - fruit woods are probably the best. I made some from the wood of the apple tree in the yard of the house I grew up in. It is super to work. But I have also used much coarser grained woods and with the proper finishing they can be just as good. Lorri Ferguson Renton, WA ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Adele Shaak <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2019 9:15 AM To: Arachne list Subject: Re: [lace] Bobbin question I think we need a woodworker to chime in here, but I believe that bobbins that are not professionally made may also be rough because of the type of wood used. A coarse-grained splintery softwood is never going to give you the finish of a dense hardwood. Or so I understand. Adele West Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada, home of the splintery softwood > Sue wrote: > I felt that most of these bobbins were hand made and often a bit rough > and ready so not necessarily a style but maybe as a result of inexperience and not made by a skilled craftsman perhaps. - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/ - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/ - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
