Quaich collector

**Benning Boy** · 25th February 16, 08:05 PM

I like to do my carving outdoors, that way don't have to sweep up the chips when I do. Its still a bit chilly here, but it will warm up soon. I'll start working on quaichs then. What sizes would be most appropriate. I have wood big enough to make as large as half a gallon.

**gazbot** · 26th February 16, 03:22 PM

Wow a half gallon Quaich. Now that would be one to add to the collection. Benning Boy, I love them in all shapes and sizes and I was hoping that a friend of mine would commission one for my 30th this year but he has not stepped up to the plate. I would be most interested in buying some from you of all sorts of sizes. I have also wanted to have a wooden one made with a coin in the bottom, is this a possibility or does this add complications? Anything that you can produce with your wonderful talent would be most appreciated.

Let me know a very rough costs of the different sizes and shipping costs to the UK also.

Kindest regards

**Benning Boy** · 26th February 16, 10:55 PM

Gazbot, I'll start working on a few cups in a month or so. Usually around the equinox we start having nice warm days. I've never seen any wooden quaichs. (is there a proper plural spelling of quaich?) I've only found a few decent pics online for inspiration. I note all the metal quaichs I've observed have only two handles, but wooden ones sometimes as many as four handles. I can't imagine drinking from a small quaich with that many handles. The online pics also show a lot of factory or machine made cups. My hand carved ones won't be so perfectly symmetrical. I could set up a pole lathe and turn some. I could get two matched cups from each piece of wood that way, but to my eye they wouldn't have as much character. Some wooden quaichs have metal rims. Is that important? I could try a poured pewter rim, but right now I don't see a simple way to do it. Any ideas you might have on what's worth collecting and what's not would be useful.

I'm going to have to give some thought to finish. The usual food safe finishes I know are probably not alcohol safe. Pear wood finished with walnut oil takes on a beautiful patina with age. I don't know quite how to describe the color of pear wood. It's sort of a pastel version of the color on crust of store bought white bread. I'm hoping to get some catalpa, a super wood for liquid containers, and some American sycamore, not the same thing as European sycamore. It can show some interesting grain depending on how its cut. I have three big trees worth of pear to work through, so won't be accumulating a whole lot of other varieties.

By the way, pear is very, very hard and difficult to carve. I can't predict a price until I get a few decent under my belt.

**gazbot** · 3rd March 16, 04:20 PM

Benning boy,

What a wonderful skill you have. I shall bow down to your superior knowledge on wood type, finish etcetera. Please do not worry about the perfect finish that you see on many of the online examples. They are all two a penny as we would say over here. As a collector (relatively new and small collection so far) I am after different, unusual, with a story behind it. What better way for a collector to say that he is able to get them bespoke made.
I will be happy to have anything you can supply. Yes the two handled is really the way to go.

One idea that I did have but not sure how you would do it was to follow this style with coins inserted. I have a few coins I would love to have imbedded into a Quaich. I would imagine if you wanted to take this further you could do quite well with this design but as I say ANYTHING you can come up with for me personally would be welcomed.

As a point of interest have a look at this one. Not one that could be reproduced but as person with great interest in them, they don't get more fascinating than this. I also love the real old rustic looking ones.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...8_quaich_3.jpg

Kind regards

Gareth

http://www.woodenquaich.com/images/alu-eng-lrg.jpg

**Benning Boy** · 4th March 16, 12:38 AM

Gareth, I just have a knack for working in three dimensions in my head without needing a paper plan. If i can see it in my mind i can make my hands do it. Most people can do it if they don't think about it. On the other hand I struggle in two dimensions. Ill never be a respectable kilt maker. The things I do are very low tech. I'll try to get back to you with a PM when there's something real to discuss. Coin inlays can be done. I've inlayed new pennies into a few things that might have a long life. They date the piece. A new 2016 penny, for example, inlayed into a piece lets future folk know the work was done in 2016 or later, but not before. One of my great grandfathers was the go-to guy for coin inlays in gunstocks and such. He made a little money doing it. Maybe some of it rubbed off.

**gazbot** · 4th March 16, 02:39 PM

All sounds very exiting.

I have two coins here that I would be interested in having inlayed. They are by no means have any monetary value but are priceless to me so I would be keen to send them tracked mail but I am sure they would find you safely.

They would really make two very personal but very nice Quaichs.

Let me know when you start carving, see how they start to turn out and we can take it from there.

Kind regards