Hi

First of all, a quick thank you to everyone who wrote after last week’s Newsletter to say that they had, indeed, missed them. Very kind of you.
If you haven’t already heard, the woodworking calendar has suffered its first casualty with the cancellation of the Midlands (Newark) show. Such a shame, that show was always fun and was building up nicely. Hopefully next year.

Our Buffing Wheel Kit continues to be a popular addition to the arsenal of products that help to achieve a great finish. We are sometimes asked if the wheels will fit a certain lathe. The answer is invariably ‘yes’, but if you’re still not sure there are a couple of very quick checks you can do to make sure. The wheels are 8 inch in diameter, so you’ll need to check the clearance over the bed of the lathe. If you can comfortably turn an 8 inch diameter bowl then the wheels will fit. The other factor to consider is how to mount the mandrel to hold the wheels. The mandrel is stepped, with a diameter of 18mm and 25mm, and can be gripped on either section. Failing that, the Small Mandrel (supplied in the kit) can be mounted in a Jacobs Chuck and the wheels screwed into it. This does, however, give less clearance from the chuck.

Another query about staining veneer this week. Our caller needed to sand the veneer back after staining, and doing this was exposing the lighter timber beneath. Is there, they asked, a way of getting the stain to penetrate deeper? The answer is yes, but it requires patience. If the veneer is left submerged in the stain, it will keep soaking through. It is, however, a slow process and could take 2-3 weeks to penetrate all the way through. As timbers vary, only experimentation will give a figure for this.
I believe some success has been had with using vacuum/pressure equipment, but this isn’t something I’ve had experience of. Have you?

Our last question this week is one that arrives in our inbox or via the phone quite regularly. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it will bear repeating, and I’m sure this won’t be the last time. It involves our Gilt Cream, and how to revive it if it has dried out. We’ve tinkered with the formulation several times and have increased its shelf life dramatically, but sadly an imperfect seal on the jar will allow it to dry out. All is not lost, though, as adding some white spirit into the jar will save the day. Just allow it to soak in, and add more until you get to the required consistency.

Don’t forget, if you’d like a picture of one of your creations featured in the Newsletter, just send it in. It doesn’t need to be a turned item, pretty much anything can be used.

Have a great week, all the best,

Terry