Hi

Summer is certainly over; have you been back in the workshop again? Did you ever stop? What have you been making? We’re always pleased to see your creations, do feel free to send in pictures, and we’ll put them in the draw to include in future Newsletters.
We already have lots in our folder, but they are picked completely at random, so who knows when yours might come out? Just email the picture, along with information about it and which Chestnut Products you’ve used on it.

We had a question from a Buffing Wheel Kit user this week; he was very happy with the results he was getting, but wanted to understand the kit a little better, and, in particular, what job the individual wheels did.
Simply put, the A and B wheels are preparing the surface before the real buffing takes place. They are designed to work with Compounds 1 (brown) and 2 (white). Both are abrasive at an ultra-fine level; the white is the finest, and it also acts as a cleanser, removing some of the bloom that the brown compound can sometimes leave behind.
The C Wheel uses the softest of the cloths in our set, and this one does the real buffing, in conjunction with your preferred wax.
It is possible to omit one or even both of the preparation stages, but the very best result, for very little work, occurs when all three are used.

Talking of using the C Wheel… In last week’s Newsletter I mentioned waiting 10 minutes or so for the Microcrystalline Wax to dry before buffing it up. Someone queried how they can wait when using the Microcrystalline Stick Wax on the C Wheel.
I was, of course, referring to the paste version of the wax, which should be applied to the item (not the wheel), allowed ten minutes to dry, and then buffed. No waiting is required when using the stick version, which is applied to the wheel.

Finally, a question about finishing a hybrid piece made from wood and resin. Our caller was applying Cellulose Sanding Sealer over the whole piece, but was getting ridges in the resin areas. We suspect that this was because too much was being applied; the resin areas will especially need a lighter coat, because everything that is applied there will stay on the surface (unlike the wood areas, where some of it will soak in).
Afterwards, a wax or any other suitable finish could be applied.
I spoke to Nathanael about this, and he told me about something I hadn’t considered. Extra care needs to be taken when sanding back, as the resin is likely to be softer than the wood. It would be very easy to remove too much of it, resulting in a small ‘step’ where the two meet.

His preferred solution to this is to sand the item so that the timber is smoothed to the desired finish, then apply a coat of resin to the whole piece. This will bond to the whole item, and will hide any scratches in the resin. Then, simply finish as usual – Burnishing Cream is great for bringing up a bright shine on resins (and acrylics, and lacquers, and oils…the list goes on!).

My thanks to Nathanael for his insight on this.

And that’s the end of another Newsletter. This time next week, I’ll be in Harrogate. It’s undoubtedly the busiest show of the year for us, and we’re looking forward to seeing lots of Chestnuteers there. Make sure you say hello if you’re there; our stand is nearly always busy, so sometimes it’s hard to talk to everyone who comes by, but just give us a wave if you don’t have time to stop and wait!

All the best

Terry