WEEK COMMENCING 1 JUNE 2025

Hi

It’s been a busy week at Chestnut Towers! As well as the normal stuff we get up to, I had a demo in Colchester on Monday evening (a great evening, thank you all!). Nathanael was out in Ely on Wednesday (he had a great time too). Then, on Thursday we broadcast another livestream with Nathanael putting our new Ivory Lacquer through its paces. If you didn’t catch the livestream first time, you can still watch it >>>HERE<<<.

We will have some pictures of the effects Nathanael produced ready to include next week!

When I do a demo, I always try to mention, and demonstrate, our Air Purge Spray. It’s a curious product, a spray which extends the life of part-used cans of oil. It does this by driving the air out of a can, to stop any contents from oxidising.

It’s very effective, but this week I was asked a question that stopped me in my tracks. “Can it be used with food?” I was asked. This confused me somewhat, but the thinking was to spray it into an airtight food container to stop the food going off.
As you might expect, I have no real experience of this, but the best answer I could give was to say no, it shouldn’t be used with food, just to be on the safe side!

A call this week asked about our Toy Safe Finishes, which have been tested to the EN71-3 regulations, covering coatings for toys and nursery furniture.

Would we be able to provide certificates to back up our claim that these are safe? The answer is yes, we can. Every product on our Toy Safe list have been independently tested, the results issued, and certificates issued. We’re more than happy to send copies out when needed. And you never know when they might be needed.

Following on from the above, the caller in question was making a hand painted board game, and wanted a clear lacquer to put on top to protect the paint, and to make the game toy-safe. What would we suggest?
An acrylic lacquer is the best bet here, to avoid the risk of damaging the paint. Aerosol or brushing? This comes down to personal choice, and the conditions where the lacquer will be used. The item itself as small enough to suit either application, but there wasn’t a lot of room available—which means that spraying it could be uncomfortable without the correct masks etc.

So this narrows the options down to the brushing version, although care needs to be taken to ensure that the brushing action doesn’t disturb the paint and make it run.

That’s about everything for this week. It’ll be busy again next week, I’m sure, and will be rounded off for me with a trip to the Midlands for a demo at the Heart of England Woodturning club.

If you’re not a member of a club already, do think about it. They’re a great resource, and there’s a wealth of knowledge just waiting to be shared—as well as some great company, too.

All the best

Terry