Well that was a bit of a debacle last week, sorry! I was running behind schedule and tried to put the fnishing touches to last week’s Newsletter after we’d finished Conkers LIVE with Chris Fisher. The demo had gone really well, but tiredness and a new system caught me out at I accidentally sent the Newsletter early, and without the PDF attachment as intended. Sorry about that (and I don’t even know how many people noticed).

It has led me to realise though that there’s an easier/better way. From now on, clicking the link below will take you to a folder with all of the PDF Newsletters, so you can download this one plus any previous ones you might have missed. Do let me know if there are any problems.

And now, at last, we can deal with some questions!

Last week I mentioned about finishing a bird bath, and this prompted someone to asking why not use one of our cellulose products, as cellulose paints are used on cars and seem to stand up to pretty much everything.

I don’t think any cars are sprayed with cellulose now, most manufacturers have gone over to acrylics. In either case, cellulose or acrylic, the formulation of the product will vary for different applications. The cellulose and acrylic finishes we sell are ‘furniture grade’ and not really suitable for exterior use (with a few notable exceptions, see below). The finishes used on cars are designed to be much tougher and will withstand pretty much anything that is thrown at them – and the price difference between them is an indication of this. Some of the two-pack acrylics used on cars also contain isocyanates and should be handled with extreme care.
Our acrylic aerosol lacquers use a different formulation (which is not brushable) and is safe for most exterior uses.

Another question this week was about using Melamine Lacquer on pens. How long to wait before using Burnishing Cream, and how long before overcoating with Microcrystalline Wax?

The most important thing is to make sure that the lacquer is completely dry. Care should be taken to only apply a thin coat; too thick and the lacquer will skin over, which will break during burnishing exposing soft material below.
Because I use the Burnishing Cream mostly at demos I apply it after about 15 minutes, the lacquer is dry enough to allow this. However, I’m told that if you can leave it 24 hours, in which time it will get even harder, then it burnishes even better. It depends on how impatient you are!
Microcrystalline Wax can be applied as soon as the lacquer is dry, there’s no need to wait for it to cure and the wax won’t impede this.

Finally, confusion about colouring. A reader has been watching YouTube demos on colouring and the methods have left him unsure about the best way of using the stains, paints and what to put over the top of them. The real problem is that too many of the people on YouTube have no qualifications in, or understanding of, how to use the products they are showing, so it’s always best to question what you see. In this case, multiple coats of sanding sealer were being applied, pretty much between each decorative layer. This is totally unnecessary and potentially detrimental to the final finish. Sanding sealer should be applied to the bare (or stained) timber. Then, in this case, the Ebonising Lacqer, then Iridescent Paints, and finally a coat (or two) of Gloss Lacquer. Job done! Anything else is a waste of product and multiple coats of sealer could lead to the final crazing in the future.

So that’s your three questions for this week. I’d like to end, if I may, with a cautionary tale… Our good friend Gordon F called to thank us today. He’d been shopping at his local Asda when he spotted someone wearing one of our Necktubes. Gordon approached him and as a result of the conversation the chap has signed up for the local woodturning club that Gordon goes to! So beware, you never know what might happen when you don one of our Necktubes!

I’ll see you again next week

Cheers

Terry