tap handles

ever since my brother tom's wedding two summers ago (for which tom and his good friend derek brewed all the beer and for which i made some sweet scrap mahogany tap handles), derek has occasionally reminded me that he wouldn't mind having his own set of handmade tap handles. we finally sat down and figured out what he would like and i spent a little time on the lathe whipping them up:

the darker is walnut, collected and milled by my dad at some point before i was born. the lighter is mulberry from california urban lumber- my favorite/possibly only source for locally salvaged hardwood lumber.

more below!

the contrasting plugs cover small rare earth magnets, opening up some interesting labeling possibilities, though at this point i've left that up to derek. they are finished with johnson paste wax, as tung oil has such a long cure time and i am only now starting some experiments with more natural, less petroleum-based finishes. look for notes on real shellac from asian bugs as well as home made beeswax paste in future posts.

and, if you were wondering, i am interested in commissioned projects. drop me a line.