ALE TANKARD
getting the initial shape wanted
With this project I wanted to get a good shape based on the fact I would then be adding a handle shaped for a large hand. This was because this particular piece was for a friend and I knew his hands were larger than most (Industrial Tyre Fitter). The tankard shape was born from just going at it, until I was happy that it would sit with what I had as a design in my mind for the handle. To begin with it was just going to be straight topped but the flow would be better with a fluted top.
Difficulty Getting a good inside
The inside would turn out to be quite the challenge as the grain of the wood was course and the flute top would be prone to chipping out and leaving voids. So to prevent this I had to use super sharp tools and go incredibly slowly and very gentle passes, until the finish from the tool was almost as good as sanding. From there I went through the grits and managed to continue all the way up to 400 without it grabbing and causing damage, Yorkshire Grit Abrasive paste finalised the smoothing process.
creating and fitting the handle
To make the handle I took some spare stock and draw on the profile of which I would cut out. Cutting out was done on the bandsaw, taking the entire profile down to within a couple of millimetres of the design and then shaping the rest of the carving handheld by knife. To give the handle a little extra interest I burnt the handle using a small blowtorch, lightly charring the raised grain and emphasising it. A bit of high grit sanding at 400grit kept the detail but reduced the feel to a smooth finish.
final touches and handover
The hand needed to fit snug against the tankard body, so I cut a small mortise for the base of the handle to sit in. Then mixed up some two part epoxy adhesive, small quantities go a very long way and it didn’t take much to affix this handle. A dollop on the bottom and a slightly smaller amount on the top head, left for a minute or so and then gently clamped square in place overnight. To totally finish the item, I soaked the Tankard in Mineral oil for a few hours and then wiped clean. I did this twice and then buffed to a little shine. The only thing left to do was place a nice new logo sticker on the base, a little superglue rubbed into the spot for the sticker first, let this go almost dry and then add the sticker. This helps with both fixing it firmly in place and also helping with keeping the surface smooth so as the grain and other deformities too small to see are not emphasised by the sticker. On this item it is the old logo i first started out with, we are now using the known Wise Twig Owl design. It wasn’t straight away that I gave my friend this item, but when I did he seemed very happy with it and it was only an hour before it had beer in it too. Seeing an item you have created, being used, especially by a friend is a great thing. I really enjoyed making this piece.