We had a question about one of our products this week, asking why it smelt different to the equivalent in another brand. Whilst ours wasn’t unpleasantly stinky, the other brand had a very sweet smell.
This is because the other version uses an odouriser to mask the smell of the solvent. There’s nothing wrong with doing this, but it’s not something we’re keen on or would do. The reason being, a less pleasant smell will encourage users to keep the lid on as much as possible and to not be tempted to use the product in a confined space, which could be harmful – remember, the fumes are still there even if you can’t smell them. It can also help prevent accidental ingestion by a child or visually impaired user. So unless the smell is there as part of the product (Lemon Oil) we don’t mask it as a sort of built-in safety factor.

Another emailer asked about using Acrylic Lacquer on a lidded box, and in particular about whether to finish the lid and the base as two separate items or if he’d get away with doing it all as one. Our advice was to finish them apart; the lacquer can act as a very efficient glue and it’s likely that the lid would stick to the base, and removing it would cause some damage to the lacquer or the timber or both! The lacquer, once dry, leaves a very thin film so there shouldn’t be any need to make allowances for it with how the lid fits, unless it’s incredibly tight to begin with.

And finally this week, perhaps a little specialist, but the theory applies with other items. Someone was making a toy car and wanted to use Ebonising Lacquer on the wheels, but also wanted to have silver hubcaps. What’s the best way, should he be masking off or anything?
I think this was overthinking the matter; it should be a simple case here of spraying the whole wheel black, allowing it to dry, and if the silver paint intended for the hubcaps does it’s job properly then it should cover the Ebonising Lacquer (and there should be no adhesion problem).
If the paint it’s opaque enough for the job, the other option, I think, would be to remount the wheel, gently turn away a fine layer where the hubcaps are going, and paint the exposed bare wood with the silver paint.
The important thing to takeaway from this is that when using colours side by side the most important thing is to plan which order to use them in!

Before I go…
You know I’m always cautious about some of the content on YouTube, which is why I’m excited to tell you about something new that breaks the mould. Our good friend Andrew Hall, locked down and unable to go to shows, demos or do any teaching at the moment, has built a studio at home and will soon be making YouTube videos. These won’t be live, but there will be a chance to take part in a video chat the day after they are published to discuss it.
What’s great is that Andrew, a very experienced turner and teacher, will be going back to basics and showing the right way to turn and to create something. Ideal for beginners and anyone wanting a refresher – and Andrew is always a joy to watch anyway. We’ll be letting you know when the first one is available.

Meanwhile, stay safe and well,

Best regards

Terry