Turned and Coloured Wooden Vases and Hollow Forms

Many woods look wonderful with nothing more than just a wax or oil finish but sometimes the right combination of colours can create something even more unusual.
The turned wooden masur birch vases (hollow forms if you prefer!) shown here use the natural figuring in the wood to create a unique effect when coloured dyes are applied. Different combinations of colours are used on different vases and the final effect is breathtaking, with the figuring in the wood causing the colours to appear to change as the surface is viewed from different angles. The photos don't really do justice to the feather like irridescence or chatoyance, the vases have to be seen in person to get the full effect!

Generally, a laquer finish is used on the coloured vases to seal and protect the colours.

Click on any picture for a larger image
Sizes are in inches (to the nearest 1/2 inch), width at the widest point, followed by overall height.

If you see something you like, check the woodturning gallery page or enquire for prices and availability.

Coloured wood vases

Masur Birch - green/gold	Masur Birch - blue/turquoise/bronze	Masur Birch - purple/turquoise	Masur Birch - green/yellow	Masur Birch - purple/brown
Masur Birch - blue/turquoise 6x6	Masur Birch - green/purple 5x6	Masur Birch - turquoise/blue 5x7	Masur Birch - autumn 6x6	Masur Birch - blue with platinum leaf covered insert 4x5
Masur Birch - turquoise/purple 4x4	Masur Birch - blue/green 5x6	Masur Birch - purple/blue 7x6	Masur Birch - red/green 4x5	Masur Birch - blue/purple 4x5
Scorched, sandblasted and coloured vase 4x5

Masur birch is not a specific wood species, it is a birch (Betula pendula) found mainly in Scandinavia, Russia and Belarus that has a distinct figure caused by the attack of the Agromyzia carbonaria beetle. The beetle larvae burrow into the cambium (the tissue between the sapwood and the bark) of the tree and the tree repairs the damage as it grows, thereby creating pith flecks and dark markings which results in a highly decorative figure. Masur birch is often referred to as Karelian birch burl, named for the Karelia area in Finland where trees with this type of figure are more prevalent.

The woodturning processes used to create the turned and coloured wooden vases often comprise a combination of colouring and texturing stages to achieve the final result. If you would like a particular combination of colours for a vase to match your decor, it could probably be arranged so feel free to enquire.

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