Hi

So we’re here again, another week and some more questions to deal with, including one clarifying something from last week.
Shall we get straight to them?

Last week I unveiled our new ‘Toy Safe Finishes’ category on our website and someone queried why Food Safe Finish isn’t included. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve missed something out, but this wasn’t one of those occasions. Whilst it would certainly pass the relevant test, we don’t consider Food Safe Finish to be hard-wearing and resilient enough to use on a toy. The same applies to things like Friction Polish. If we labelled them as ‘toy safe’ it would infer ‘toy suitable’ which really isn’t the case.

I’ve just been asked about buffing Liming Wax using our Buffing System. It isn’t really a good idea, as Liming Wax doesn’t dry hard enough for buffing in this way. Besides which, Liming Wax is a decorative effect rather than a finish so something should be applied over the top of it to seal it in and to keep it clean. Hard Wax Oil is great for this as there are no compatibility issues with the wax and it’s clear so it won’t affect its whiteness either. Finishing Oil could be used but it could discolour the Liming Wax. Once the oil has fully dried it can be buffed quite happily.

‘And what about wet sanding?’ someone wanted to know. Using a slow-drying product to lubricate your abrasive will give you an incredibly smooth surface whilst at the same time vastly reducing the amount of sanding dust released into circulation.
Waxes can be used for this (Microcrystalline Wax is best as it stays wet longer), and at the same time you’re applying a coating of wax as a head start to the final finish. Oils are also popular for wet sanding, and pretty much any of the oils in our range will work for this. The difficulty comes with what to apply next.
If a wax has been used then you’ll need to carry on with wax; nothing much else is going to stick on top of it.
It’s much the same for the oils as well, although you can put a wax on top of an oil if you want. The exception is Food Safe Finish; provided you don’t apply too much of it (I apply a light coat to the piece) and then sand thoroughly through the grits straight away. By the time you get to 320 grit (you can still go finer if you want) you’ll have removed all of the oil. You can tell as some dust is starting to come off the wood – and it’ll be ok to use pretty much any finish you want.
I talk about this in one of our YouTube videos, skip to 5:30 for this bit.

So that’s all from me for this week. No shows or demos coming up, but I’m planning our Finishing School demos for the ToolPost Open Days on 2 & 3 November which I hope will be fun and informative. It’s something a bit different and if you’re in the Didcot area it’d be great to see you.
Also, tickets for next year’s Woodturning Weekender are selling well. Spaces are limited, there’s plenty of availability at the moment but that will change – don’t get caught out!

See you again next week!

All the best

Terry