Impulse buy Snowmen for markets and the Kiln / woodturning 

Thanks Brian. Shay

Thanks Clayton. Shay

Cheers William and you are welcome. Shay

That is a small section of what sells around Christmas Paul. They are one of the most popular items I turn. Shay

благодарю вас. Shay

Thanks Mike. Shay

Welcome to the craft and enjoy it. Shay

They do sell like hotcakes Doug, I am lucky enough to sell them all year round due to the location of the market I go to. Last year I ran out of them and had a market two days later. A long night and 50 snowmen later I was ready again.

Thank you Doug, Shay

Thank you it was a pleasure watching I sincerely mean that. And keep up the good work from Doug PS I didn't say anything on the video I should have but I really liked your little Christmas trees too they look real cute.

The trees are fun to do, thank you Doug.

Just a thought do a Christmas tree with a wider base and put a sharp point on the bottom of it so you make a kids spindletop out of it. Might be a good idea. And thank you so much from Doug I got to get back in the shop now I'm working on a large peacock wall hanging

It is a handy one alright Pete. Shay

More than welcome Seth, glad to help. Shay.

Cheers Alan. Shay.

Cheers Rob.

Thanks Wayne, yes the kiln is very handy and simple to make. Shay

The burnish gives a nice sheen Mark but also leaves the option for who ever buys it to paint or decorate it if they want. I used to put a finish on them but people seem to prefer this way. Shay

They are great fun Paul, even messing around with the hats is great crack. Snowman society is defined by hats, the bigger the hats the more important the snowman is, then you have those rebels in the bowlers and beanies who are just plain nuts. We don't mention the cowboys as they can become quite sour if you talk about their hats 😁😁😁

@@BBTurning wonder could I start a niche market in Northern Ireland with little snowmen in bowlers and sashes instead of scarves!

That you could mate, they would sell well on two dates for you. 😏

Cheers John.

They really look well Jim and are a great Christmas decoration. I go through around 2 hundred a year. Shay

It's never too early for snowmen Leona ☃️☃️☃️☃️😁😁😁

gracias Shay

Thanks Doug.

@@BBTurning thank you sir was the pleasure watching thank you thank you from Doug

No problem with the questions, ask away and I will try and answer. I add the water (humidity) to stop the bowls cracking, if I want to deliberately cause cracking I don't put a container of water in the kiln and only put one bowl in on its own at the start of the process. Dropping humidity too fast or not enough humidity is one of the main causes of cracking in a kiln. I had the opportunity to have a tour of a professional wood drying service some time ago. For the first month the wood goes into a sauna then into the kiln so I followed that method, roughly. I don't have a humidity stat in the kiln or a temperature stat, to be honest I have not found the need for them. I just check the kiln every day. Maybe I have just been lucky this far. Yes I check the pieces with a moisture meter when I think they are done. If it reads below about 8% I will remove them from the kiln and leave them on a shelf in the workshop for a week or so to normalise. Normal moisture here for dry wood is around 9 or 10%.

You sanded to 320, then you burnished the snowman. Is there a point in doing that? Is it because you aren't putting a finish on? Thanks

@@josephwise485 Yes it is because I am not putting a finish on them. It puts a slight sheen on the wood instead of a completely dull sanded finish.

The paint I use has a ten minute drying time and I normally batch these snowmen out so by the time I have finished a batch the first few are dry. I like the India ink idea though. Shay

I get them at a local upholstery supplier, anytime he does not have them I just do a search on Ebay for dome head upholstery tacks 10mm and they come up. Shay

That is a very wide ranging question, basically how long is a piece of string. The answer depends on location. Something that would be classed as inexpensive in say Beverly Hills would be classed as very expensive in a small town in Co Cork. How I do it is the same way I price everything, cost to me plus an hourly rate which is why I keep saying that speed is the key. Cost to me does not change but the time it takes can either go up or down. The quicker something is done the less I can charge for it but sticking to the rule that only quality comes out of the workshop. I know that is not a direct straight answer but as I said there is no one answer. Shay

@@BBTurning Thanks Shay.

@@milltek2 not a problem you are welcome.

I did the first snowman then transferred the measurements over to a piece of board. Hammered nails in at the measurement points then sharpened the head of each nail on the grinder. Shay

@@BBTurning thank you sir!!

You are welcome.

Find a local upholstery supplier Stuart. What you are looking for is 10 or 11 mm dome top upholstery pins/nails, preferably black but brown also works. If there is a woodies near you they have them but they are very expensive for them. I normally order them online early in the year. Shay.

cheers @@BBTurning

You are welcome Stuart. Shay