Hi

It’s funny, really. In last week’s Newsletter I referred to using lacquer over Sharpie, and there was some debate as to whether it could be misread that the lacquer was being used on the pen itself – but I know you’re intelligent enough to know what I meant. I got it all wrong anyway, Sharpies weren’t being used, Alan S kindly put me right; he prefers Fabre Castell water-based Indian Ink pens, as they are less likely to bleed. Correction made!
Let’s try and get these ones right…

I don’t say this often enough; woodturners get away with breaking some of the rules of finishing. This is because very often they are working on small areas; if the same things were done on larger areas (furniture etc) then trouble would be bound to ensue. I’m referring here to compatibility in particular; small amounts of products that don’t like each other are unlikely to cause problems – but it can still happen, so always wise to stick to best practice. Things will only go wrong on that prestige piece you’re making, or when you have a deadline and don’t have time to start again!
Such is the case recently when someone contacted me, saying they’d painted a door in acrylic paint and then applied Melamine Gloss Lacquer over the top of it and it had crazed. Not really a surprise, I’m afraid, the solvents in the lacquer would make short work of the paint, causing a bad reaction. It’s always wise to check the Compatibility Chart to be certain.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about fire safety, and the potential dangers of some oils, which can spontaneously combust. This normally only happens to cloths used for application which are scrunched up into a ball and carelessly discarded; the oil gives off heat as it dries, which reacts with the air trapped in the cloth, and the cloth is already wet with a flammable liquid so it’s possible for a fire to start. I was asked, in a roundabout way, if I had ever witnessed such a thing…
Not directly, but in my time in the industry I’ve seen, or known of, many factories making paints and polishes which have been burnt to the ground, pretty much literally, and nearly always due to someone not following the correct procedure.
On a smaller scale… some years ago I was woken up in the very early hours of the morning by the sound of an engine running. It went on for ages, and curious – and slightly irritated! – I got up to see what was going on. The engine belonged to a fire engine, parked in the road diagonally opposite my house. They’d been called to put out a fire that had started in a shed; the owner had been renovating some furniture using an oil (not ours!), discarded the cloths, and had burnt down the shed, the neighbour’s fence, and more besides. Fortunately no-one was hurt, and no major damage was done.
It can happen, so be on your guard.

Finally for this week, another question about Buffing Wheels, and whether the Microcrystalline Wax Stick can be used on the C Wheel. That’s a definite ‘yes’, but be sure to use it sparingly, you really don’t need too much. For completeness, the Carnuaba Wax Stick (which comes in the kit) can be used, of course, and it’s also possible to apply the Microcrystalline Wax (from the tin) to the item being buffed, and buff it with the C Wheel after allowing it to dry.
The same wheel can be used for all of these processes, waxes are low-tech enough to not work against each other!

We held another of our Conkers LIVE broadcasts this week, featuring Kirsty Dalton giving her first ever livestream demo – and with an audience topping four hundred viewers at times it was a baptism of fire. Kirsty more than rose to the challenge, quickly winning everyone over and giving an excellent demo. She has a huge talent and we really hope this helps her get more of the recognition she deserves. You can check out her demo here, it’s well worth watching.
I’m taking a break next week and won’t be in the office, but don’t worry, you’ll still get your Newsletter fix next Friday!
I hope you have a great week,

All the best

Terry