Pysanky egg lathe or Craft Lathe

ONLINE BEGINNER CLASS

EGG LATHE INSTRUCTION

Below is a short instruction on how to setup the egg lathe. You can find out about purchasing this craft lathe by CLICKING HERE.

UNLOCK THE LATHE
Place the lathe on a flat surface. (If you wish to add more stabilitly, there are 4 areas for self tapping screws on the bottom of the lathe base to attach heavier wood base.) To open the lathe, turn the thumbscrew counter clockwise until the screw is easy to turn.

OPEN THE LATHE
Slide the back half of the lathe toward the end. Open the lathe wide enough to easily accomodate the egg.

INSERT THE EGG
Place the narrow tip of the egg into the side of the lathe with the smaller hole washer. The other side will have a washer with a larger hole. Slide the back half of the lathe into the the other side of the egg. Try to keep the egg straight, but you will be able to adjust the egg in a later step.

LOCK IN THE EGG
With one hand slide the movable half in, compressing the spring and applying pressure to hold in the egg. With the other hand, turn the thumb screw clockwise until it is tight. The egg should now be securely held between the 2 washers in the lathe.

ALIGN THE EGG
This is the most important step, take your time and do this step well.
Rotate the egg in the lathe and observe the top edge. It should not move up or down or wobble in the spindle as you spin it. If it does, slightly adjust the position of the egg and retest the alignment. If correctly seated , you should see almost none or very little movement as you turn the egg in the lathe.

DRAWING LINES
If you have a steady hand, you can apply your wax lines directly. However, I like to first draw my major partition lines with a fine pencil. You can also rest your palm on one of the plastic supports. If this is uncomfortable, try placing a few large books level with the middle of the egg. This provides a nice tool rest as well as support for your hand and wrist. Place the pencil flat book, placing the tip on the egg while rotating the egg. If your egg is straight, the end of the line will meet up to the starting point of the line.

CLICK HERE If you wish to purchase this craft lathe as well as our other Pysanky Supplies.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE THE CLASS
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	UNLOCK THE LATHE Place the lathe on a flat surface. (If you wish to add more stabilitly, there are 4 areas for self tapping screws on the bottom of the lathe base to attach heavier wood base.) To open the lathe, turn the thumbscrew counter clockwise until the screw is easy to turn.
	OPEN THE LATHE Slide the back half of the lathe toward the end. Open the lathe wide enough to easily accomodate the egg.
	INSERT THE EGG Place the narrow tip of the egg into the side of the lathe with the smaller hole washer. The other side will have a washer with a larger hole. Slide the back half of the lathe into the the other side of the egg. Try to keep the egg straight, but you will be able to adjust the egg in a later step.
	LOCK IN THE EGG With one hand slide the movable half in, compressing the spring and applying pressure to hold in the egg. With the other hand, turn the thumb screw clockwise until it is tight. The egg should now be securely held between the 2 washers in the lathe.
	ALIGN THE EGG *This is the most important step, take your time and do this step well.* Rotate the egg in the lathe and observe the top edge. It should not move up or down or wobble in the spindle as you spin it. If it does, slightly adjust the position of the egg and retest the alignment. If correctly seated , you should see almost none or very little movement as you turn the egg in the lathe.
	DRAWING LINES If you have a steady hand, you can apply your wax lines directly. However, I like to first draw my major partition lines with a fine pencil. You can also rest your palm on one of the plastic supports. If this is uncomfortable, try placing a few large books level with the middle of the egg. This provides a nice tool rest as well as support for your hand and wrist. Place the pencil flat book, placing the tip on the egg while rotating the egg. If your egg is straight, the end of the line will meet up to the starting point of the line.