Cedar aroma

Want the aroma of your cedar chest back?

The linings of cedar chests and drawers often lose their aroma with time and use.

The aromatic properties of cedar serve as a natural pest deterrent, keeping moths and other insects away from your clothing.
Over time the pores in the cedar can become clogged with dust and dirt or pinched closed from use.
This prevents the aromatic oils from escaping and causes old cedar chests to loose their aroma.

There are many products on the market to "rejuvenate" the aroma in old cedar furniture such as cedar oil extracts and sprays.

A less expensive solution is to lightly sand the surface of the cedar with a fine grit sandpaper (200 grit) and a sanding block. The sandpaper will help "cut" the pores open thus exposing new oil pockets.
Try to sand with the grain to avoid scratch marks and don't over-sand. Usually only a light sanding is needed to rejuvenate the wood.

If the cedar has been finished with a sealant such a varnish or polyurethane you will need to sand through the finish to expose the oils.

Finishes that have deeply penetrated the wood may have permanently sealed the oils into the wood.

Higher Gloss Finish

If the last coat is to be rubbed to high gloss allow plenty of drying and curing time (depending on coating type and humidity - temperature conditions) prior to any polishing or rubbing.

Polishing or rubbing materials depend on the hardness of the cured coating to produce an even and predictable result.

Note: many finishes take much longer after “dry enough to handle” to reach the final complete cure required to polish a finish to a high gloss.

Lacquer will reach final hardness and cure in 21 days under good conditions.

Traditional gloss oil based enamels should cure 30 days if a rubbed higher gloss finish is desired.

The Finishing coat

The look of the FINAL or TOP COAT is the result of good preperation and completing the job with care.

Many finishers, in a rush to this end, omit the necessary foundation work that will provide the lasting look and result in durable performance.

This top coat gives the desired esthetic sheen, but the total look and character of the finish comes from the work put into the Base of the job,the base priming and the build up coats that give you the look of depth.

If a matte, semi-gloss, or satin sheen is desired apply only as a last top coat.

Finishes built up with adjusted sheen materials lack durability and clarity.

Uneven sheens and a foggy look of the final cured coat are common and symptomatic in lacquer finishes built up with a flatted or less than gloss sheen.

Careful preparation prior to this last “LOOK coat” by sanding with fine paper, careful removal of dust from the surface, and sanitation in the work area pay off in a lot of saved labor.

Lacquers or Painted finishes

In solid opaque lacquers or painted finishes.

The gloss product has all the best in hardness and durability characteristics including resistance to dents and impressions.

With moisture proof or moisture resistant coatings the hardness or density and porosity of the wood substrate will dictate the required number of build coats.

The best moisture proof coating can not do it’s job if the coating thickness does not provide for wear and a non permeable membrane.

When moisture resistance is important, always give at least one more coat than it takes to look, just good.

The one extra topcoat will more than double resistance to moisture.
If it is outside it will get rained on sometime.

After the primer coat

The NECESSITY of the BUILD COATS

The build or body coats are the part of a finish that provide moisture resistance, durability and longevity to the coating.

Depth in clear or translucent finishes and richness of coloured coatings depend on these build coats.

For clear coatings, where the structure, grain and tone of the wood are visible, use only gloss for build coats.

Gloss body or build coats maintain clarity and eliminate the foggy, dull or milky look associated when semi-gloss or altered sheens are used to build the body of a finish.

Wood Sealers

THE IMPORTANCE of the FIRST COAT!

Unlike metal or plastic surfaces, wood presents a substrate that varies in density, porosity, and stability.
It should go without saying that almost no coating or finish can overcome a poorly prepared surface.
Prepare the surface of the substrate in character with the desired finish result.

If an extra smooth surface is specified, then sanding, grain filling, and defect filling of some sort is indicated.
The best finish cannot overcome an ill prepared surface.

The first coat on new wood seals and evens out differences in porosity and density.
On softer woods and on face grain this sealer coat may require 2 applications to provide an even base for the build coats.

If an area shows little or no sealer build by comparison to the surrounding surface the build coats then have to make up for the lack of a proper sealer or primer foundation.

Wood Finish

Wood Finish
A basic good finish for any wood surface can be described as:

1. A Base Coat or coats.
2. Build Coats.
3. Top Coat.

These 3 basic finish steps apply to all finishes from the most basic wax or oil finish to high-tec coatings and even painting the exterior of a house or a room wall.

The coats that comprise a finish and what they do.

You can think of a paint, lacquer, varnish, oil, or even a wax finish on wood in the terms of a building.

The Base sealer or primer coat, provides the foundation of the finish.

The Build coats provide the structure or framework of the finish itself, much as the framing of a house.

The Top coat gives the finish its final character and look wether it be high gloss or the subtle richness of a matte sheen.

Machinists' Vise

Quick-Mount Machinists' Vise:
I don't use my machinists' vise all that much.

So it's usually stored beneath my bench. But when I need to work with metal parts, I still want a quick way to secure the vise, without bolting it to a workbench.

The solution is to bolt the vise to a T-shaped platform that tightens in the front vise of the workbench.

It's just a ¾″-thick piece of plywood glued and screwed to a short piece of "two-by-4" material.

Note: To provide clearance for long, vertical workpieces, position the machinists' vise so the back jaw sticks out past the front edge of the plywood.