after we left the bike show we stopped by to see our friends heidi and magnus drudik in salem, oregon. the drudiks are really great people, growing alot of their own food on their two acre plot and living incredibly simply and happily. magnus makes some of the most highly regarded spinning wheels in the world - he currently has a six year waiting list. each wheel is an incredible work of functional art made from raw blocks of aged hardwood! he has been making them for so long that he doesn't have to measure anything, just going by eye. he mostly uses native oregon myrtle wood {the yellow and dark wheel} although the fully built wheel is made from tiger maple. gorgeous! heidi is really big into spinning, making just about everything you can think of out of fiber. magnus has gloves made from their dog's hair that he uses for the final fine polishing, and man, they shine! i really enjoy any kind of workshop where someone makes their living with their hands, and really like being able to see the drudiks leading an incredibly rare self-sustaining low impact life style. steve.
3 comments:
Wow. The depth in the finish on that tiger maple is outstanding! Do you you know what he uses for finishing the wood?
-Alan
Goodness, that a lot of hand rubbed work...
Sound familiar?
alan: he sands it to that smoothness, then applies/smooths in 4 coats of polyeurothane, then shines it with used toss-in dryer clothes softeners, then the dog furr gloves. mr. e - i know, the nuances of the professions and the looks are strinkinly similar, only the materials and final product differ! steve.
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