Some more custom tap handles

Here are three that I did recently. Left to right: birdseye maple, zebrawood and spalted American beech.





The birdseye is unbelievable. Here's a closeup:



And of course, the action shot!



Incidentally, the zebrawood one is too tall for my fridge (I measured 8" and made the handle 9", duh) so it will most likely end up in the classifieds shortly.

-Joe

WOW!!! I think you could make some bread selling those on here. I use all picnic taps but if I didnt I would be ALL over those. They look AMAZING!!!

they look really great. Did you finish them with oil, or urethane?

B

Thanks for the kind words from both of you

bad coffee said:

they look really great. Did you finish them with oil, or urethane?

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I actually haven't finished them with anything yet. I'm still deciding on what sort of finish to try. It'll likely be something in a spray can. I was going to use wipe on oil-based polyurethane but it takes 4 hours for a coat to dry, and I'd want several coats on these guys.

-Joe

You are very skilled, I look forward to seeing some of your designs up for sale on HBT.

LOVE that birds eye maple...

I would be careful of dripping if you go with spray on, but they have spray on lacquer and such that would work pretty good (still takes awhile to dry). Great workmanship!

I think I need to go play with my dads lathe...

DUDE. They. Look. So. AWESOME.

Still using picnic taps here, but I need to get in touch with you to make me a couple taphandles!

Would you be interested in producing more of those birdseye maple ones? I'd be interested in purchasing a couple.

I would love a few of those birdseye maple. Awesome work.

Thanks guys. Let me just work out a finishing schedule and I'll post up in this thread when I'm ready to go.

I should probably get a vendor account here first, too, so I don't get in trouble with management

-Joe

I sure hate the oak one...but I strongly feel that oak is for brewing not building.

The birdseye version....You want the first born Girl....or the second born Son. The Girl is really smart, but the Boy is really strong.

Hey nostalgia.

Excellent work there. I gotta say those are mighty fine handles.

When you make them, do you use a metal fitting at the bottom for screwing it into the faucet, or is the wood just screwed in directly? (Yes yes, i know I'm setting myself up for a 'Thats what SHE said!')

Holy crud. Sign me up for 3! By the looks looks of it you better start cranking those babies out as there already is a bit of a waiting list forming.

that birds eye maple will just POP if you can get a high shine on it. I'd go with a clear shellac and sand the bejesus out of it. If you have a scrap piece, you could try a few coats of tung oil, but you might not get the high shine that shellac will.

I used minwax spray poly on a project and it was okay. However, it took 8 coats to look as good as 2 brush-on coats.

If you have an HVLP sprayer, a friend uses waterbased spray-on coatings that are pretty nice. I can get the manufacturer info if you want it.

BC: Thanks! I do have an HVLP setup. I'd appreciate that info.

Last night I applied 5 coats of gloss lacquer to the handle on the far right. It gave a real nice shine without being plastic-y. Once it's thoroughly hardened (about a week) I'm going to buff it out, which should really bring up the shine.

-Joe

Awesome work, nostalgia!

When SWMBO and I were on our honeymoon in California, we visited Muir Woods and gawked at the redwood trees that have been around for a thousand years. In the gift shop we saw souvenirs made out of redwood burls, and at the time I thought it would be neat to have a tap handle made of that wood, since they had small pieces attached to corks as wine bottle stoppers. They didn't have anything the right size or shape that I thought was adaptable for that though.

Thanks, hexmonkey. I just happen to have two big slabs of redwood birdseye burl and redwood lace burl if'n you're interested

-Joe

Oh, if you did one that was spalted maple I would be VERY interested (and I don't even have a keg setup yet).

hexmonkey said:

In the gift shop we saw souvenirs made out of redwood burls, and at the time I thought it would be neat to have a tap handle made of that wood, since they had small pieces attached to corks as wine bottle stoppers. They didn't have anything the right size or shape that I thought was adaptable for that though.

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Seeing these Handels started to get me thinking about what I would do for a design and what woods I would use... This site Exotic Wood Blanks, Turning Stock, Lumber has a wide selection, they even have snake wood, which correct me if I am wrong is the rarest wood in the world..... Granted it will only set you back about $336 for a piece that measures 4.8"x3.75"x18.8" and weigh about 17lbs...


Back on topic.... I love the designs and am a big fan of the style used for the beech handle. Keep up the good work!

So.. how much do I need to send you and when can I expect my handles.. hahahaha

mnadamn said:

Seeing these Handels started to get me thinking about what I would do for a design and what woods I would use... This site Exotic Wood Blanks, Turning Stock, Lumber has a wide selection, they even have snake wood, which correct me if I am wrong is the rarest wood in the world..... Granted it will only set you back about $336 for a piece that measures 4.8"x3.75"x18.8" and weigh about 17lbs...

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I don't know about rarest in the world, but I've heard it's a real pain to work with. It's supposed to be extremely prone to splits and cracks.

mnadamn said:

Back on topic.... I love the designs and am a big fan of the style used for the beech handle. Keep up the good work!

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Thanks! The bead and cove work at the bottom is my favorite of the three, too. Although I do like the rounded shape of the maple handle. It just feels so good to pull that tap down.

BTW I've been informed that it's not technically "birdseye maple" but "bigleaf maple burl." A rose by any other name...

-Joe

nostalgia said:

And of course, the action shot!

Incidentally, the zebrawood one is too tall for my fridge (I measured 8" and made the handle 9", duh) so it will most likely end up in the classifieds shortly.

-Joe

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If it is too tall and hits the fridge, you can solve that problem with one of these.



Beer Tap Handle Tap Marker Angler

Ed, that's brilliant! Unfortunately, in addition to hitting the wall of the fridge it also prevents the freezer from opening. I've stretched SWMBO's patience thin enough

-Joe

If you have a reversable door, you can use those extra holes (top of door, bottom of freezer door) and a bolt to join the top and bottom doors together.

man that piece of b eye maple would have made a killer pool cue :O. How much would something like that run me?

hukdizzle said:

man that piece of b eye maple would have made a killer pool cue :O. How much would something like that run me?

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I'd have to go back and see what I paid for the wood, but I'd guess in the $50 range.

Oh, and I've been informed that it's not tecnically "birdseye maple", as that's a different species. This is officially "bigleaf maple burl" with a birsdeye-type figure.

Not that it matters

-Joe

A few more for y'all. First is myrtle burl, the second two are redwood burls.







Enjoy

-Joe

man, that Myrtle Burl is beautiful. I love the Zebrawood too.

I want three of that last redwood burl! Man those like nice. Good job. *adds a lathe to the want list*

nostalgia said:

A few more for y'all. First is myrtle burl, the second two are redwood burls.

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That is EXACTLY what I want. Can I buy three from you? What if I ask nicely? Beg?

phrogpilot73 said:

That is EXACTLY what I want. Can I buy three from you? What if I ask nicely? Beg?

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lol! No begging necessary, just throw money

I'm working on my website now so I can become a vendor here, but in the meantime just shoot me a PM with your wants and desires and we'll work it out.

-Joe

Hey nostalgia,
did you get a new pic of the birdseye/big leaf m burl all finished and polished?

I love that one and the first redwood burl and would love to compare polished versions...

thx

No new pictures - the maple one has been claimed for my own and hasn't come off the fridge since The finish has really held up well, so I can take a picture of it when I get a free moment.

-Joe

Ever use bee's wax on your tap handles? I love it for my gun stocks. Usually use orange oil to seal and then finish with au' natural bee's wax. Shiny, soft feel, and durable through just about anything. I think it would look awesome on some of that maple you got there.

Wow, fantastic work...those are beauties! How much are these going for?

No, never used beeswax. I'm using lacquer with caranuba wax after. I'm a big fan of the matte sheen of a pure oil and wax finish, but I think most folks will want something a little shinier on their bar.

As for price, in general $50 each. Certain woods (like the insanely priced true ebony) will be more. Every piece is individually turned by me, without the use of patterns or duplicating equipment. Each is a completely unique work of art.

When I get my website and vendor account setup I'll be announcing some special deals for new customers. I'll post here when it's ready. Expect tonight or tomorrow.

And thank you to everyone who's offered kind words about my work. I'm quite proud of it and really enjoy doing these.

-Joe

sorry I spaced on the info, but my friend who builds furniture has nothing but good things to say about general finishes.
water base finishing tips using General Finishes

I'm digging the shape of the middle pic. Nice work.

B

Hi guys and gals! I'm all set with the vendor account. You can find my intro post with a special deal for March here.

Thanks again for all the interest!

-Joe

Joe

That is amazing. I have a question for you, what do you use for an insert for the threads? I have some wooden pins that I would like to use but I need to find a suitable insert. thanks

-capn

capn said:

Joe

That is amazing. I have a question for you, what do you use for an insert for the threads? I have some wooden pins that I would like to use but I need to find a suitable insert. thanks

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MoreBeer.com

-Joe