Hello!

Is it really a week since my last visit to your screen? I hope it’s been a good one for you, thanks to those who have been in touch and said nice things about the Newsletters and the YouTube extravaganzas.

This week’s three questions start with one about something that confuses a lot of people. Many of our products are marked as highly flammable (in the case of the aerosols they’re extremely flammable) and people worry that they aren’t safe to use on candlesticks and tealight holders etc. The flammability is because of the solvent in them, once the product (wax, lacquer, sealer etc) has dried and the solvent evaporated away it’s no more flammable than any other coating such as a paint or varnish, so there’s no need to worry about that.

A product that is surprisingly flammable, or more accurately ‘easy to ignite’ is Steel Wool and especially the 0000 grade, something we’ve not so much been asked about as told about after the event. Steel Wool is great to have in the workshop, but make sure you store it away from any heat source or naked flames – or sparks. Is it near your grinder maybe?

Lastly this week we were asked about storing Cellulose Sanding Sealer and if it could be put in a plastic milk bottle. From a Health and Safety point of view we can’t recommend this, it should be stored in the original container with all the safety warnings present. We wouldn’t use a plastic bottle anyway as the solvents in the sealer will eventually eat away at it; the thinner the plastic the quicker this will happen. If you need to decant it into something a glass jar is always best, and of course you should pour any unused material back into the tin before storing it safely.

Are you ready for the weekend? The weather is slowly getting better (kiss of death, prepare for a blizzard!) and I hope you have something nice planned.

Same time next week?

Cheers

Terry