Hi

I’m venturing out again this week, heading down to see our friends at the Surrey Association of Woodturners this evening. I’m hoping the roads and the weather are kind to me! If you’re a club member, I hope I might see you there, or on the Zoom broadcast.

The first question this week was raised as a follow up to last week’s mention of the use of oils. Can a wax be applied over a oil? Oils are usually quite fussy, they don’t like anything being used on top of them other than more of the same oil. The exception is, fortunately in this case, wax. Once the final coat of oil has dried, it’s possible to apply a wax if you want to – and it’s a personal choice, the oil is a finish on its own and can be left as the finish.
Remember, though, once the wax has been applied, it’s no longer possible to apply further coats of oil.

Another question was about the use of Burnishing Cream over Friction Polish. Can it be done? The answer is yes, but it’s important to allow the Friction Polish to dry completely before doing so; it’s just possible to strip it off by mistake with the Burnishing Cream. I’ve never managed to do it, but technically speaking it could be done. The best rule of thumb here is that if the surface of the polish has cooled down, it should be safe.
Don’t forget, if you’re unsure, this is exactly the sort of thing that is covered by the Compatibility Chart.

I know for certain that I’ve covered this question more than once in previous Newsletters, but it still keeps coming up, so it’s probably worth repeating. What can be done with a jar of Gilt Cream that has gone hard? This is quite simple to solve, just add some white spirit into the jar and allow it to soak in. Add a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.
It’s frustrating for us as well that this happens. We’ve changed the formulation a little to try to reduce it, but Gilt Cream is one of those products that you only use a very little at a time and can sit around for a while. At least it’s relatively easy to revive it.

And that’s about it for this week. I hope you’ve had a good week and managed to keep warm. I’ll be back again next week with more questions and answers.

Take care

Terry