The making of a special Simonelli spinning top

[Iacopo]

Thanks for sharing the detailed construction: it's fascinating and makes me appreciate even more the craftsmanship that goes into making them.

The shell made of iroko wood not only has many layers oriented in different directions, but also circumferential seams. Was it turned on the lathe from a block or from rings?

Thank you, Ta0. First I made an iroko block with the layers oriented in different directions, (it is more stable in this way), then I turned it. Iroko is inexpensive and this was the fastest way to make it. In the case of the walnut burl, which is expensive, I cut arcs and assembled them to form the rings, instead of cutting whole rings, for to waste less material.

[Iacopo]

Stunning craftsmanship!

Thanks. It will be very nice when it is finished, I believe.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Stunning craftsmanship!

Thanks. It will be very nice when it is finished, I believe.

Given the prices your masterpieces command and your emphasis on beauty and endurance, I understand why you concentrate on tops with many hours of careful design and highly skilled fabrication behind them.

But I keep hoping against hope that you'll one day make a few quick tops for the masses — just on a lark. Even a quick Simonelli would no doubt be vastly superior to any other top of the same genre.

[Iacopo]

You are too good, Jeremy. But I will think to a quick Simonelli too...

[Iacopo]

I cut the goldfield burl pieces for the central part of the egg:



I sand the sides of the pieces making them perfectly flat and with accurate angles, for not to have voids between the pieces when I will glue them together. The sandpaper is glued on a marble slab, so the abrasive surface has precise planarity. I use an honing guide for to keep the pieces at the correct angle when I grind them.



I check the angles often while grinding, until everything is precise:

[Iacopo]

I cut a thin slice of walnut burl:



Then I cut little pieces out of the slice, which are going to be sanded like the goldfield burl pieces.



All the pieces are glued together in this way:

[ortwin]

Very impressive work Iacopo!
But at the moment I have another question. When I just looked at your last post, my 12 year old daughter looked over my shoulder and saw the dog in your profile pic. Now she wants to know if it is your dog???

[Iacopo]

Yes, she was my dog. It may seem a bit silly to have the avatar with a dog, but she was a very special being for me.
She was faithful, obedient, she had chosen me as her point of reference and made me feel responsible for her.
I had much affection for her and I cried like a child when she died.

[ortwin]

Thank you for telling us the story, Iacopo. My daughter likes me to tell you that it was a very pretty dog!

[Iacopo]

Yes, it was also a pretty dog. Thank you, Ortwin.

[Iacopo]

I turned the inside of the goldfield burl octagon...



...and glued it to the core:



Then I added a second block of decorative rings:



And, on top of everything, a pre-turned piece of ebony:



Now the assembly is ready for to be turned:

[Jeremy McCreary]

Yes, she was my dog. It may seem a bit silly to have the avatar with a dog, but she was a very special being for me.
She was faithful, obedient, she had chosen me as her point of reference and made me feel responsible for her.
I had much affection for her and I cried like a child when she died.

If my beloved Roxie goes first, I'll cry the same way. What was your beautiful collie's name?

[Iacopo]

Her name was Yuma. The first and only dog I had.

About crying for a dog.. I didn't expect to suffer so much in those days, I searched for some informations and discovered that this is not uncommon, just, often, people tends to hide these feelings. Less romantic to say, there is an hormone produced by the brain, (oxitocin), the hormone of strong emotional ties, (between lovers, or mother and child), and recently has been discovered that this same hormone is produced in persons with a strong bond with their dog; surprisingly, the same hormone is produced also in the brain of the dog, with the same effects, which helps explaining the strong bond that there can be between dog and owner.

[Iacopo]

Here I am turning the assembly:



This is the result:






Next the accent rings will be added.

[Iacopo]

I prepare some black epoxy resin for the accent rings:



After having cut the slots, I fill them with the epoxy resin, (A). When the resin is hardened, I turn away the excess of the resin, then I cut new thinner slots in the center of the black accent rings, (B), and I fill them with white epoxy resin, (C). Again, when the resin is hardened, I turn away its excess and sand the whole case.



The upper part of the first egg case is practically ready, I just have to polish it with the Shellawax, and cut it away from its temporary support which was for to attach it to the chuck of the lathe.



I have to stop now.
I have to make some moulds and models for a surgeon. It could take a couple of months before I will be able to continue working on these tops.