Hi

Wow – What a fab Weekender!! Those aren’t my words, it’s a quote from one of our paying guests. It all went even better than I’d hoped – another visitor said it exceeded expectations by a country mile and I have to agree. If you were there, you already know how good it was. If you weren’t…well, to quote another visitor, you missed out!
But there is a way you can enjoy some of the Weekender fun, even now – I’ll tell you about that at the end of this email. But first, some questions…

A user of our Compatibility Chart asked why the sanding sealers don’t show as compatible with themselves. There are two reasons; firstly, the sealer does the job in one coat so there shouldn’t be a need to apply a second. More importantly though, a second coat of sealer can be damaging, and if a lacquer is applied on top, this can cause the sealer coats to flex against each other and crack. Not a pretty sight.
Never doubt the Compatibility Chart!
(They also asked why, on the printed version, one of the squares is a different shade of pink. Nothing more exciting than a printing error I’m afraid!)

While we’re talking about charts, some time ago we prepared a very simple ‘Solvent Chart’. I was reminded of it at the Weekender when I was asked about what to use to soften Gilt Cream back to a usable consistency. The answer is white spirit. We were also asked about thinning old bottles of Friction Polish and Burnishing Cream, and the answer for both of these was to use Spirit Thinners. Because of these questions, I thought it would be a good time to send the Solvent Chart out again, and it is attached to this email. Keep it handy and you’ll never need to ask again!

Finally, someone contacted me about the pendants they make and buff on our Buffing Tree. They’d been to a craft fair, where it had rained for nearly all of the day (which is just typical!). Their pendants had watermarked, which they were surprised at as they’d thought carnauba wax was waterproof…
It’s very hard wearing for sure, but not really waterproof. A better option here would be to use the Microcrystalline Wax. Either type (paste or stick) can be used with the Buffing Tree, and whilst the downpour described in the email might be too much even for the Microcrystalline to protect against, it would most certainly last longer than Carnauba Wax.
As it is also resistant to showing marks caused by being handled, the Microcrystalline Wax would be a better choice all round for pendants anyway.

And that’s it for this week. But I mentioned earlier about how you could still get to see at least some of what went on at the Woodturning Weekender. We recorded the whole event via our livestream, ending up with over 16 hours of content! Some of it was pre-recorded, to give me time to dash from one place to another, but I’d say at least 75% of it was filmed live at the Weekender.
Access to the recordings are still available at £10 per day for individuals. Click here to get your ticket. If you want to show any of it at a club please contact us for details.

I’ll see you again in seven days

Terry