Watchmakers lathe? I passed on one of these because it was very limiting on the length of stock that could be turned.
My son makes shaving and makeup brushes as a summer job. ( I don't think he will ever push a lawn mower) He sells them at local farmer's markets and craft fairs. These are not exactly him turning, but he is gearing up for the summer markets. The first is an image of handles that are in process. He will spend a few hours turning, clean out the dust, and then start finishing the handles. He waits to glue in the Knots until he has a large lot of handles ready. Competed brushes.... a bunch in process Handles waiting for knots
And this is his display, at one of the markets he attended a while ago. The bottle stoppers are his shaving brush fails....
Those Sorby and Henry Taylor high speed steel tools are very good (and pricey), Patrick. Did you get a price yet?
Isn't that lathe a little scary looking with its exposed pulleys and belt? It would probably clean up nicely though. As @jtspartan implies, if the price is decent it might be worth it for the tools alone. There are maybe 13 or 14 of them there and Robert Sorby and Henry Taylor tools average about $50-$60 each when new.
So I am late to the Party what did I miss . I do have a question about finishing , What is the process that works for you best ?
I apply finish after the handle comes off the lathe. A few coats of marine grade urethane with some light sanding in between. It seems to be a very durable and nice looking finish. Others do apply a quick drying CA glue or similar in multiple coats and buff right on the lathe.
Welcome to TSD @SWR913! Glad you signed up and joined the party. If you have a moment, stop in at The Welcome Center and make your introduction. We'd like to hear about your Shave Journey.
Made a different type of Beehive on the weekend: For those who drill the hole afterwards, this is how it looks with a Sawtooth bit and Jacobs chuck on the lathe: Shaped it after boring out the hole. Put the two grooves in it as I wanted to do a textured ‘band’ where your fingers go: Here is the expanding collet chuck that I flip the handle into so that the bottom can be turned easily: I use a few different Dremel bits to get the textured look. It needs to be taped off so that the main body doesn’t get burned and so that the dust doesn’t get into the grain of the rest of the handle. It has to be painted because of the burn marks as well. 3 coats of finish, with some sanding and voila:
