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Furniture Finishing Newsletter, Issue 5
This issue's
topics: Staying neat and clean.
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A
question from a viewer asking how
I stayed so clean in the
videos prompted this issue's subject. Watching
students, friends, and other professionals while
they work has shown me that
there is a wider range between the finicky (my
end of the spectrum) and the sloppy
(my brother's way, among others) than I would
have initially thought existed.
Herewith, some tips
on staying clean(er). First of all, let me say that
staying neat and pressed on the tapes was easy; I had three
pairs of identical shirts and slacks, and when the cameras
quit roll- ing, I pulled on regular, scruffy "painting"
clothes. But at the end of many days of taping, only one shirt
had gotten a little paint on it. All the pants were fine, but
I was lucky; it's rare to stay that
un-marked!
Here's the biggest
hint: always try to remember where your brush (or other
material applicator) is, and where your open container of
paint (or other material) is. This sounds simple, but seems to
be a big source of splatters and smudges on the brush end, and
minor and major spills on the container end.
If
you are brushing very
liquid material, or using a very stiff brush,
it will spatter in the
direction the brush is
traveling. This is convenient when you are
applying a spatter coat for decorative or
antiquing purposes, but not when it's
ending up on your face or hands
or clothes. Try standing in front
of the project when you are brushing
side-to-side, for example. The same goes when
you're rolling a wall or, (even more so)
a ceiling. Avoid standing directly in front
of, or beneath the roller.
If you pay attention
to the end of your brush or feather or whatever, you will also
be less likely to brush it across adjacent surfaces that you
had not meant to paint (including yourself). Keep a rag or
paper towel handy for when you forget these hints.
At the container end
of this back and forth movement, I have a couple of
suggestions. First, have only one open can, jar, tray, etc. at
a time. Put the caps and lids back on every other thing once
you're done with any mixing, pouring and general
puttering about type of activity. If you feel that that will
be terribly inefficient, make sure that those other
open/loosely covered containers are stowed well away from the
area of your project! It's amazing how far elbows range,
steadying hands reach out, and steps backward you will take
while admiring your progress; -all headed uncannily for that
open can of paint.
Secondly, put no
container on the floor. Keep it up on something, -a cart or
stool or bench- something that is easier to see and remember.
Usually you
are working over a floor
surface that doesn't matter for drips
and splatters, or else you've covered
the floor well with dropclothes, but when
you kick over a can of paint
or varnish (and eventually you will), it
can make a huge mess, as well
as losing most of the material
itself. Most disconcerting!
The only exception
that I try to give myself is when roller painting a room and
the tray (or 5 gallon pail) would be hard to use if it were up
on a cart. Be especially aware here when doing a ceiling; it
gets very easy to step back into the tray. (You know who you
are!)
If (when?) you get
paint on your hands, even if you're wearing gloves, try to
wipe it off soon, otherwise it starts migrating to everything
you touch, including the brush handle, your face, unfinished
parts of your project, -well, you get the idea... Toss
used rags and paper towel straight into a trash can rather
than strewing them about the floor and project area where
something will somehow brush up against them.
EXCEPTION:
linseed or tung oil soaked stuff needs to
be wash- out with water or put outside to
dry or into a fireproof container. These
can spontaneously combust; it really
happens! These steps will go far
toward keeping the paint where you want
it, and nowhere else.
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My featured
product of Issue Five: mineral spirits,
a.k.a. paint thinner. If you work
with oils or alkyd paints and varnishes,
you'll need to keep some- thing around
for thinning and cleaning. For most
people, most of the time, I recommend
odorless mineral spirits. Odorless is a
little more expensive than
"plain" spirits, but I think
it's worth it if you will be working
inside. It is slightly more refined than
its stinkier brother, hence the higher
price.
Turpentine is a
much older product, still mentioned often, and still available,
but I suggest avoiding it for two
reasons. It costs a lot more and
works no better than m.s.. And
it's more toxic than paint thinner, whether
it's breathing it or having it
on your skin, though it does have
that olde tyme painter smell...
Try to minimize your
exposure to these solvents. Keep a goodly amount of
ventilation going, or wear a respirator (not a dust mask!).
Wear gloves (see Issue Three) if you expect much physical
contact (sponge painting, for example). If you use it to clean
paint off your hands or other skin, follow up quickly with
soap and water.
More often these
days, I'm using the citrus-type cleaners directly on my hands
for removing paint. I think this is easier on my skin, -maybe
a lot easier on my liver (which apparently is where all the
nasty things go that you absorb through the skin). I
recommend that you buy mineral spirits by the gallon, quarts
are too expensive for something that doesn't go bad and that
you know you'll eventually use.
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Please forward
this newsletter to interested friends.
Best wishes,
David Sorg
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