March 2016

Jason Smith’s demonstration showed us various techniques to give our turned items a new look with texture and colour! Jason came to Cheam with prepared blanks so that he could focus on decoration. Jason stressed the importance of having properly prepared wood before finishes are applied. Surfaces are best sanded to 600 grit to ensure that no sanding scratches remain which would mar the final finish.

Jason introduced us to ‘sanding butter’ which when applied to sand paper reduces the amount of dust produced. The butter is a mix of bees wax and liquid paraffin in a ratio of 1:4. The butter has the advantage of not interfering with the final finish. For sanding an electric drill with sanding disc was used to speed up the process.

A T-light blank was the first piece to be decorated. This item was sanded to 400 grit before Acrylic Sander Sealer was spray applied. The sealer was followed by Ebonising Lacquer where two coats were recommended. We were advised to do the spraying with the work on the lathe, directing the spray at the bottom of the rotation and starting and stopping the spray off the piece.