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| Rear: Spanish Cedar Left to Right: Goncalo Alves, African Paduak, Zebrawood |
Here is the final results of the eyeglass cases that I've been working on. The first one was created just for my own reading glasses. When I showed that case to the people at Obika, they were very enthusiastic about seeing more so I refined the design to accommodate a range of glasses. In the Spanish Cedar case you can see the bag that Diane sewed up for these cases. She went to the only place in town that carries 100% China Silk and has made bags for each of the them. It's really great the way our artistic endeavors compliment each other. I'd say we make a pretty good team!
After refining the design and the methods I used to create these cases my original one seems very heavy. Even though the outside dimensions are identical, the new model is very light. I was able to work the case to where it's only 1/8" thick. The finish is blond shellac which I mix up fresh from flakes and was applied with an air brush. After spraying 5-6 coats it was allowed to cure for almost a week and then rubbed out with 4/0 steel wool and Liberon wax. It's given the wood a low sheen and it feels great.
The wood --- for as long as I can remember it has always fascinated me. Even as a youngster going to the doctor I'd notice the grain patterns on the wooden doors and see all kinds of things in them. Faces, animals, ghosts, etc. all can be found in the swirls of the grain when you really start looking at it. That's a feature I wanted to incorporate in these cases. Since they're crafted out of a single block of wood the patterns are continuous. Since there isn't an obvious sign as to where they open this is like a secret that only the owner of the case will know. That secret will become apparent once the owner of the case studies the grain and can tell which side is the hinge side and which side will open.
these are gorgeous John
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