Hi

Thanks to everyone for their comments about last week’s Newsletter, and the effects of the cold weather. It’s something I’ll be returning to in the future.
Nathanael headed back to Harrogate this week to take part in an open day at our stockist there, Greenvill Crafts. It was his first solo outing on our behalf, and from what I hear it went very well; he had a good time there, and I believe his demos were very well received. I’m sure we’ll be sending him out on more soon!

Someone rang today asking about our Acrylic Lacquer. What finish does it give; gloss, satin, matt etc? The answer is that a perfect application will give a gloss surface. This isn’t always easy to achieve, but a little practice and some patience will normally give a great result. The final finish can be burnished for a brighter gloss, or abraded to reduce the shine. Both are relatively easy to do.
We are able to produce the Acrylic Lacquer (and also the Melamine Lacquer) in various sheen levels, as a special order, although there is a five litre minimum order, as this is the smallest amount we have the facilities for.
This takes a few days longer as it’s not a stock item, but if you have need of this, just give us a call!

Another caller was using Friction Polish on a piece of marquetry they’d created, and they were having trouble getting a satisfactory finish. They were getting small lumps in the surface.
Applying Friction Polish off the lathe is possible, but slightly more awkward. It is most popularly used on an item spinning at speed, which helps build a shine. By hand, on a flat surface, requires more time and a lot of elbow grease.
I suspect that the situation here was caused by too much of the Friction Polish being applied, and the deposits our caller was getting were small lumps of shellac which hadn’t been dispersed properly.
It’s nearly always best to apply thin coats of polish, and Friction Polish is no different. Even on the lathe, if there’s too much polish on the cloth, this will produce unwanted rings in the coating.

And finally, for this week, a note about Safety Data Sheets (SDS). We’re currently undertaking a huge project to update all of these. Time was, these were four-page documents. I think the longest one we currently have is 21 pages!
It’s important to remember that these are produced mostly for the workplace, to protect people using them all day, every day. They contain information about safe usage, storage, and transport. Whilst this is freely available to anyone who wants it, the details within them should be taken in context.

Most of the Chestnuteers reading this will not get anywhere near the exposure levels in the SDS, and good old common sense will cover most situations.
But it’s important to be aware of the potential dangers and hazards of using chemcal based products; most of the required information is printed on the back of the cans, and anything else should be covered by the SDS.

Actually, there is just one more question to answer… I’ve been asked a number of times if there will be an online quiz this year, between Christmas and the New Year. The answer is YES! I haven’t fixed a date yet, but I’m already collecting questions for it. It’ll be the same, multiple choice format, with six rounds of six questions, so it doesn’t drag on too long.
Watch this space for more details, and maybe even a few hints!

All the best

Terry