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Gerorge describes the raw materials used.
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Home made screw chuck used to hold the stoppe.
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GEORGE GEISSLER, BOTTLE STOPPERS OCTOBER 2002
By Lee Buck
George makes his wine
bottle stoppers from stock which is 1 3/8" square by 2 1/2' long and from 3/8" diameter by 3" long spiral
dowels. He drills a 3/8" hole 1 /12" deep into the center of the end grain of the blank. George mounts
the blank on a screw held in a Jacobs chuck. He uses a 3/8" hanger bolt. A pin chuck could be used.
George brings up the tailstock and roughs the blank round at high speed. George turns to shape using
a spindle gouge then faces off the bottom using a narrow parting tool.
George turns any decorative
effects such as beads or grooves and then sands lightly. He uses the narrow parting tool to shape and
part off the top then finishes the piece with one coat of tung oil. After the piece sets overnight several
coats of a shellac based French polish are applied, rubbing alternately with wet and dry cloths. George
has also used lacquer, many coats of tung oil or sanding sealer.
George removes the stopper
from the lathe and trims the hole with a knife to remove any shoulder. He puts glue in the hole and
drives in the dowel. Glue is spread on the dowel, the cork shoved on quickly and excess glue is removed
with a paper towel. George uses better grade corks. George trims the dowel off about 1/8" proud and
sands the dowel even with the cork on a belt or disc sander.
George turned a stopper from catalpa
to demonstrate the way he finishes open grained woods. He brushed on a mixture of rottenstone and boiled
linseed oil, let it dry for a few minutes and wiped it off. He sanded lightly to reveal the color of
the wood, then finished it with tung oil.
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