OK, Larry, what else do I have to give up?

[Silvan]

You've taken away my pine. You've taken away my stain. You've taken away my sandpaper.

Now you've taken away my beloved Minwhacks poly, you bastard.

I finally caved in to your inexorable pressure and tried some bug shit dissolved in booze on that walnut checker box project.

I've already done four coats since 10:00 this morning. The thing looks plenty shiny, but it doesn't look like I dipped it in plastic.

My only serious faux pas so far was when sealing the bottom. I've been in the habit of writing the date of completion and other such on the back/bottom/inside of my projects where no one will see them. I use Sharpies for this. Sharpie ink dissolves in alcohol. Oops.

So far, I'm liking it. I even used it to debug that lacquered project.

[Norman D. Crow]

Naw, he didn't *take* them away. He just *bi---ed* about them long enough to make you take the guilt on yourself. I'm thinking he had lessons in "Jewish Mama Guilt Trips".(G,D&R) Nahmie

[Larry Jaques]

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 17:20:23 -0500, Silvan brought forth from the murky depths:

Hmmm, sounds like you're talking to THIS particular Larry. Hi!

I'm a SOB, too, you silly savage.

Hey, my fave-of-the-day is Waterlox. I just about shit when I found them hawking goop with the P-word in it yesterday.

Now take the good brand 0000 steel wool to it with some Johnson's wax on it. Rub it down like you'd do to yourself whilst going blind and see how it looks. Nice, huh?

So coat the signature in poly. It's not like a valuable item, eh?

Bueno, bwana. Carry on.

P.S: Kwitcherbitchen. It's very unladylike.

[George]

What makes wood look like "plastic" in my opinion, are finishes with light-scatter built in. If I take away your alcohol, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between gloss poly and faux French polish shellac on the turnings I sell.

The clarity of the finish and its thickness are under your control, use the one with the durability to suit the anticipated use.

I sign with a burner when I'm using a finish incompatible with Sharpies.

[Silvan]

Sure. I'm probably going to buy a new can of poly the next time I do some walking sticks.

I'm glad I tried shellac though. A lot less complicated than I thought, good results, more clear than anything I've ever used, and most importantly, it dries fast. I don't have an interior space anywhere in my entire sphere of influence that doesn't make poly collect dust like crazy. It's been great not having to sand all that stuff out so I can re-coat it and then collect a new layer of dust. :)

I should get a burner. That's a good idea.

[George]

I got one of those portable gas-powered soldering irons and modified one tip for signing even at fairs and such. Gives me the soldering capacity I need - ever notice what you have to solder is eight inches beyond the cord - and the quick-heating woodburner I like.