Why not visit my website (Now closed)

Welcome!


If you would like to see some more of my work, then why not visit my

On there you will find even more information about me, and see some very interesting photographs of items that I have French polished.
I hope that you will be kind enough to give me some feedback. 
This will help me to improve both my website and this blog.
Should you need any further assistance, or have any questions regarding French polishing.
Please leave a comment and I will do my best to reply.

Thank you very much, to the many viewers from around the World that have viewed my blog.

Such as:

1)Australia                                        Thank you
2)Argentina                                       Gracias
3)Bangladesh                                     Dhany bad
4)Barbados                                        Thank you
5)Belarus                                           Dziakuju
6)Belgium                                          Dank u
7)Brazil                                              Obrigado
8)Brunei                                            Terima Kasih
9)Bulgaria                                         Blagodarya
10)Canada                                          Thank you / Merci
11) The Cayman Islands                     Thank you
12)Cyprus                                           Efkharisto   

13)Czech Republic                             Dekuju
14)Chile                                              Gracias   
15)China                                             Doh Jex
16)Colombia                                       Muchas

17)Croatia                                          Hvala
18)Denmark                                       Mange tak
19)Ecuador                                         Gracias
20)Egypt                                             Shukran
21)France                                           Merci beacoup
22)Germany                                       Danke schon
23)Georgia                                         Shnorhgallem
24)Greece                                           Efcharisto
25)Guernsey                                       Thank you
26)Hungary                                         Koszi
27)Hong Kong                                    M goi saa
28)India                                              Dhanyawaad
29)Indonesia                                      Daghang salamat
30)Iran                                               Moteshakkeram
31)Ireland                                          Go raibh maith agat
32)Israel                                            toe-DAH
33)Italy                                              Grazie

34)Japan                                            Domo Arigatou gozaimasu
35)Jersey                                          Thank you
36)Kenya                                          Asante Sana
37)Latvia                                           Paldies
38)Lebanon                                       Shokran
39)Lithuania                                     Achiu
40)Macedonia (Fyrom)                     Blagodaram
41)Malta                                            Nizzik hajr
42)Malaysia                                      Terma Kasih 
43)Mauritius                                      Merci beaucoup
44)Mexico                                         Gracias
45)Moldova                                       Multumesc
46)Namibia                                        Aio
47)Netherlands                                  Dank jex
48)New Zealand                                Thank you
49)Nigeria                                         Thank you
50)Norway                                        Takk
51)Pakistan                                        Shukriya
52)Peru                                               Gracias
53)Philippines                                     Salamat  
54)Poland                                            Dziekuje
55)Portugal                                         Obrigado
56)Romania                                        Multumesc
57)Russia                                            Spasiba
58)Serbia                                            Hvala Vam
59)Singapore                                     Thank you
60)South Africa                                  Asante
61)South Korea                                  Kamshamnida
62)Saudi Arabia                                  Shukran

63)Spain                                              Gracias
64)Sweden                                           Tack 
65)Switzerland                                     Danke
66)Taiwan                                            To-sia
67)Thailand                                          Khop Kun Krab
68)Turkey                                            Tesse kkur ederim  
69)Uganda                                           Asante Sana
70)Ukraine                                           Diakuiu
71)United Arab Emirates                    Shukran
72) The United Kingdom                   Thank you 
73) The United States of America      Thank you
74)Vietnam                                          Cam on ong
75)Venezuela                                       Gracias

76)Zambia                                            Zikomo Kwambiri  



Regards,
Andrew.

Looks better now!

How to care for your Garden furniture

Welcome.

Today, I want to tell you how you can care for your Wooden Garden Furniture.

Well, if your furniture has become very grey and worn in colour, it is now time to give it a facelift.

To start with sandpaper off the entire surface following my instructions on How to sandpaper Wood. (This is on my Blog site)

Once you have finished all the sanding, and have cleaned off all the fine particles of dust.

You are now ready to start to protect your outdoor wooden furniture:

I would suggest that if the furniture is made of Teak, then I would recommend that you use Teak oil.

This can be purchased from any good hardware store.

It is best to apply this by brush, as you can reach all those hard to get at places.

Apply one coat of Teak oil and let it soak into the grain for a short while.

And then rub off the excess.

Then after the first coat has dried, it is best to give your item another coat over, and once again let the oil soak deep into the wood.

I would suggest that you work outside in the fresh air. As the oil gives off a slight odour.

Safety Points:

Before you dispose of your used Cloths / Rags you must first wet them with water.

As they can, become self-igniting. (Therefore very hazardous).

Never leave any used Cloths / Rags in your home, always dispose of them in a Wet condition, and store them outside your home in a suitable waste bin.

Wash the brush out according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I hope that this has been of use to you.

If so please give me feedback.

Thanks for reading.

How to make your own stains

Hello,


Today, I want to tell you how you can make your own wood stains.

Method One:

Using Raw Linseed oil and Pure Turpentine:


Mix equal measures of raw linseed oil and pure turpentine and apply using a piece of cotton wool to the prepared surface quite liberally.
Wipe off the excess with a clean piece of rag in the direction of the grain.
This stain should be left to dry for at least 24 hours, after which time, the surface will become as dark as it can possibly be.  It may have darkened a little more from when it was first applied.
Please note, that this is a chemical stain and will act only on certain timbers, mainly Mahogany, Walnut, Rosewood and very old Oak.  It will only darken the main timber and will not affect the inlays or stringing.  The colour achieved will depend on the natural colour of the timber and it will serve to greatly enhance the beauty and clarity of the wood.

Method Two:

Bichromate of potash:


This is another chemical stain that needs to be mixed in warm water first.
Bichromate is sold as fine crystals, and should be stored as such; so do not mix up litres (gallons) in advance, as it will not keep for very long in its mixed state.
If a strong solution is mixed the final colour will become much darker, so please experiment with lighter shades first. 
You should always mix a sufficient amount for the job in hand, as it will be very difficult to mix another batch to the same colour.  Also, the colour cannot be judged until the polish has been applied.
It is best used on Mahogany, whether it is inlaid or not.  If used on inlaid woods it will not affect the inlays.
Apply the stain using cotton wool and wear rubber gloves.  
Be careful as this stain bites into the wood very fast so you must work very quickly, rub on and off in the direction of the grain, wipe dry with old rags.

What is French polish made of?

Welcome,


Have you ever wondered what French polish is made of? 
Well, I have some very interesting reading for you today.


Origins of lac:


Lac, the resin, is excreted by the insect Laciffer Lacoa, from, which shellac is produced.  The insect is a parasite living in certain trees in India and other Eastern countries, and India is the biggest exporter of the world’s lac requirements.  The insect is orange-red and about 1.25mm (1/20in) long, and has a life cycle of about six months.  It covers the twigs and leaves of certain trees with a protective resin.
The Male dies after the fertilization of the Female, and upon death both Male and Female insects are trapped in the resin.  The lac, when gathered (stick lac), contains the dead insects and impurities from the bark of the tree. 

Manufacture of shellac:
The lac is gathered by cutting the infected twigs from the trees and then scraping the lac off the twigs.  Once the lac has been removed from the twigs it is washed with water to remove the particles of twigs and other impurities; and on drying it is known as seed lac.  This is put into canvas tubes and heated over a fire.  One end of the tube is fixed and the other rotated to squeeze the molten shellac through the Hessian as it melts.  The initial shellac that comes through is clean and small amounts are dropped onto cold stone, where it sets in the form of a thin disc up to 75mm (3in) in diameter.  This is known as button lac from which button polish is made.  The next amount of shellac that oozes through may contain impurities which would easily be detected visually if the shellac was in the form of a button and it is therefore, stretched into a thin sheet and crushed, when cold into flakes.  It is from these flakes that which French polish is made.
White and transparent shellac are made by dissolving the seed lac in a hot caustic solution of water and then bleaching the solution with chlorine.  After bleaching the caustic is neutralized with an acid, which causes the shellac to precipitate out of the solution.  In this form it is known as bleached shellac.  Bleaching shellac alters its chemical properties so that unless it is dissolved in alcohol within three or four days after bleaching it will become insoluble.
Shellac contains a very small amount of wax from the insect.  The wax is insoluble in alcohol and causes the cloudiness that can often be seen settling towards the bottom of the container.  Transparent shellac is made by, removing the wax from bleached shellac and washing it with petroleum solvent, which dissolves the wax but not the shellac. 

How to use paint stripper / varnish remover

Hello,

Today, I want to tell you how to use Paint stripper / Varnish remover.

Safety first:

Always use safety goggles and gloves when using strippers, and work in a well-ventilated area.

Read all the manufactures instructions before use.

1. Firstly, you should mask off using masking tape, all the areas you want to protect.

2. Apply a thick coat of paint stripper or varnish / Remover as required, and brush the stripper out to the edges of your item to make sure that you cover the entire surface

3. When blistered, use a paint scraper or filler knife to remove the old finish.

4. Apply a second coat of stripper and follow the same procedure.

5. Now all the finish should be removed, using coarse wire wool, rub over the

    Surface to remove all traces of the old finish.

6. Wash down the surface with Methylated spirits, or water to kill the stripper.

7. When dry, sandpaper the surface smooth in the direction of the grain using a

     Sanding block.

8. Start with rough sandpaper, then go through the grades and finish using a fine

    Grade sandpaper, for a really very smooth finish.

9. For antique pieces, strip the surface using only Methylated spirits, as this will not destroy the patina, apply the Methylated spirits to cotton wool for this method, and rub over with extra fine wire Wool No: 0000 Grade.

If you have found, that this information has been of any help to you, please give my feedback.

Thanks for viewing.

Sandpaper grades

Welcome,

I have been asked "What make and type of sandpaper do I prefer to use".

Well, here is my answer.

Firstly the choice of sandpaper is very important, as it makes the difference between a good quality finish and a substandard finish.

One good tip that I can give you, is don't buy cheap sandpaper as it will not last long and give you a very poor finish.

My choice on manufacture is Sialac paper (Grey in colour) and this product is made in Switzerland, and can be purchased from Morrells wood finishes Ltd. 
I expect that you could purchase this product in other good wood finishing suppliers.

I only buy two grades of sandpaper first grade P180 and secondly grade P150.

Sandpaper grades are graded by numbers the higher the number the finer the grade.

For heavy duty sanding on very rough solid surfaces, I use grade 80 this comes on a roll and can be purchased from any DIY shops and in a variety of grades.

The brand name is: Mirka, and comes on a roll and therefore, suitable for using on sanding machines as you can cut to length.

It is easy to identify as the paper is yellow in colour.

A variety of grades:

Coarse               40 Grit 

Coarse               60 

Rough                80 my choice for most timbers 

Medium            120

Fine                  180 

Extra Fine         240

Now for very fine finishing work i.e. Smoothing down in between French polishing or lacquer coats, I use a special paper called Wet & Dry this is coloured black, and as the name suggests, is used with water or as I prefer to use white spirits.

Grades of Wet & Dry paper range from:

Coarse             120

                        180

Medium           240

                        320

Fine                 400

Very fine          600

Super fine      1200

Once again I hope that this has been of help to you?  If it has, please give me feedback.

Thanks for reading.

How to use Waterborne Lacquer

 

Hello,

Today, I want to tell you about how to use water-based varnish/lacquer.

Storage you must protect from frost.

Description:  A range of waterborne lacquers formulated on an internally cross-linking aqueous polymer system.

Film properties are similar in physical and chemical resistance to a good quality A.C. (Acid Catalyst) Lacquer.

Certified to BS6250 Part 3 (Heavy / Sever use).

Thinners:  Use water sparingly because small amounts will thin dramatically.

Coverage:  As a rough guide these lacquers cover an average of 40m2 per 5 Litres per coat.

Actual coverage will depend on your chosen application method.

Sheen levels are: 

85%

50%

40%

30% 

20%

10%

And you can purchase a base coat should you wish.

Application:

You can brush or spray on this lacquer, and this will give you a good durable surface, and when dry you can use a very fine wire wool grade 0000 together with Bees wax polish, rub over to smooth the surface down for an extremely fine finished surface.

This lacquer is best suited where strong smells could be a problem, as this lacquer has little or no smell.

Method:

Apply one coat of lacquer to your surface, brush in the direction of the grain and when dry, smooth down using a very fine sandpaper, press very lightly then apply your second coat and you will begin to see that the grain will fill in very well with this product.

Clean up:

Wash out with water and soapy liquid.

Pack sizes 5 Litres / 25 Litres.

You can also buy this product in smaller tin sizes from most DIY shops.

Once again if this has been of help to you?  Please let me know.

Thanks for reading.