Progress on my Lathe project #23 - Plettenberg Bay, S.Africa

[hennie]

Ja swaer jy was reg.Ok I found the lose wire on the z-axis one going from the bob to the gecko.While I was at the workshop I sommer cut another 60 numbers for my wife and no problem, wife wanted 220 numbers for a client cut out of 3mm mdf ( 0,1to 9).
My MM can count from 0 to 1 and everything inbetween up to 9.

[hennie]

This is what my backyard looks like

[domino11]

Wow,
Not nice to gloat.

[hennie]

I made two of these this morning.

[hennie]

I made these and delivered it to Cape Town this week,except for doing the long rough cuts on my pannel saw most of the cuts were made on the MM. ( sorry Alan I couldn`t get the promised visit in but me and the family will be in Cape town in two weeks time for a long weekend )

[jhiggins7]

Nice work Hennie! Always great to see a MechMate earning its keep. Thanks for sharing.

[Doug_Ford]

Cool Hennie. I like those panels.

Don't know how I missed those pictures of your backyard. I really jealous.

[domino11]

Hennie,
Your work is something to be proud of! They look awesome.

[Kobus_Joubert]

I like I like... what size ballnose did you use for the TEXTURES

[Gerald D]

The material that Hennie used is black Valchromat.

[hennie]

Kobus, I used a 12 mm ballnose, one of those yellow el- cheepos, I will try to put pic`s of the finished installed project next week when i go back to CT. Had a lot of dust in the workshop that's why there are white dots all over. Oh, and did I mention that while you okes were working me and Gerald had a nice cup of coffee right on the beach at Blouberg.

[Gerald D]

Yeah, I went inspect Hennie's work at the restaurant that he made all the stuff for. I was a bit worried that he would put me to work, so I convinced him to go for a coffee instead.

[Doug_Ford]

Hennie,

What is an "oke?" Here in the US, an Okie is a resident of Oklahoma.

[Gerald D]

Oke is a local abbreviation for bloke. But it also ties to the Afrikaans "ou", equivalent to guy/bloke

[Lex]

Uitstekende werk Boet!
Well done!

[Alan_c]

Seeing as though you do so much MDF work, any tips on sealing the cut edges so that it takes stain evenly and does not keep sucking up all the lacquer applied????

[hennie]

A moerse lot sanding sealer with not a lot of thinning with thinners.1 st coat must be thick

[Robert M]

Alan, allow me
It’s called many different ways : Sanding sealer, pre-stain conditioner, Universal sealer, wash coat, etc....
MDF, blotch prone wood, end grain of any wood... All the same in regard of un-evenness of coloration, known as controlling stain and/or colorant absorption.
Many coating companies will sell you their solution. Here are few options for easy, economical, as effective (if not better) solution recipes.

1st, and most popular : Shellac wash coat -> clear Shellac that is, but orange, cherry or garnet will do as fine, just will add a nice little pre-coloration. Either a commercial store bought version or a homemade version at 1lb cut is fine.

2nd, Glue size: Any PVA glue, animal protein glue ( known as Fish glue, hide glue) diluted at a ratio of 5 to 25 % in water ( 25 glue, 75 water). Some goes the extreme using distilled water, I’ve been using tap filtered water (Filted w/charcoal, IE: Britta filters !) without an itch for well over ten yrs, but that varies per region as tap water quality varies !

3dr, the finish top coat to be used, diluted again. Say you’re going to use a commercial brand varnish like, Minwax to name one. 1st, find out if its water or solvent based, then use the same base as dilution.

4th, oil diluted in mineral spirit. By oil, I mean most popular one used in woodworking are ; Tung & linseed

All of those above are to be tested on a sample board prior to the real, lots of effort finish work . As experience will grow, you will ALSO find out that there is no UNIVERSAL dilution %. Each time requires a different dilution ratio. A stronger mix results in a lighter but more uniform coloration. That’s why some applies many coloration coats or play with the actual color concentration. Too many variables in wood type to tell to keep this short, even in MDF as this last one is not manufactories all the same. All of these goes without going in the topics of sanding !!! Sand end grain, board ends with at least 3 to 5 grits higher than your surface prep. (IE, surface at 120, end board / grain at 220 ). Here again, no science, trial & error will tell with a test board.

Finishing is no science, it’s a art, it’s a work in progress that has zillions variables but with a meticulous approach, you can come dam close to a science

Enjoy and good luck... Amicalement, Robert

[Jan de Ruyter]

MDF is THIRSTY!

The following is not an advertisement for any product but the result of many years of searching for the right (read: easy!) solution.

I restored old pianos for many years and the product that worked best is a twin pack catalyst lacquer. The catalyst cures the lacquer so when a second coat is applied, it does not create that sinking feeling. After using good old Brummer stopping to fill the big holes, small blemishes can be filled using a small drop of lacquer. The product I use is Turbobright. It comes in gloss, satin and matt and can be tinted to any colour. The satin gives the best finish as a blemish is not that visible when using gloss while it is not as dead as the matt finish. It is heat, UV and water resistant although you cannot throw it down a mine shaft without expecting any damage.

Any successful spray job starts with preparation. If this is not done properly, no amount of spray will fix it. Start sanding with 80 grit paper. For big surfaces, I use a belt sander. When sanding veneered board, I only use hand as a belt sander is far too quick and will leave you with a nicely sanded substrate. Small areas are done by hand.

After 80 grit, I sand with 220 grit free cut paper. Pre-sanding the MDF edges with 220 free-cut paper solves this problem to some extend, saving you litres of lacquer.

In addition, there is a filler you can apply to the edges of MDF with a brush. Sand it down before applying the lacquer. Available from Technipaint.

An orbital sander tends to clog up, causing little worms to appear. This is caused by residual resin in the wood heating up which then sticks to the sand paper.

I spray using a Devilbiss high pressure gravity feed gun, thinning 2/3 lacquer with 1/3 thinner. The first coat is a liberal coat, using 50% overspray to ensure full coverage. Use the lowest possible acceptable pressure (30psi, sorry, old compressor) to avoid spraying your expensive lacquer into the air.

First coat is sanded with 220 free cut paper. Normally I use an orbital sander for this as you must try to only remove the humps and bumps and leave the surface as flat and smooth as possible.

The second coat is applied thinner and sanded lightly.

You can use as many coats as it takes to fill the grain. Oak, kiaat and mahogany is particularly open grained and may require a few coats.

The last coat can be denibbed using 1000 grit water paper and H2O. On wood, I apply a coat of Cobra furniture polish to give it a nice, smooth, baby bum finish.

The problem with using sanding sealer is that it remains soluble with thinners. As soon as you spray the second coat, the first coat (even if dry) becomes a liquid again, sinking into the MDF even further, making it an endless, thankless job.

Shellac is not water proof and you have to use methanol (wood alcohol), so you might get high on the stuff. It also requires a lot of elbow grease (available at your local hardware store). It also tends to clog the sandpaper very quickly and is not water resistant.

Treating any wood with oil is not recommended. Oil does not provide adequate protection against moisture as it leaches out of the wood over time. Once treated with oil, there is little you can do to salvage it again except to apply MORE oil.

Some people use a silicone spray on wood surfaces. This make restoration nearly impossible as the silicone reacts adversely with any lacquer, causing fish eyes to appear.

For those living in sunny SA, contact Newchem Industries , they manufacture Elvolac.(used to be Dulux Industrial Paints) on 031-465 0365, they will sort you out in no time.

Technipaint is the distributor of Elvolac: http://www.technipaintdbn.co.za/indu..._coatings.html.

For those not in sunny SA, try an industrial paint supplier, as DIY products are normally insufficient and the salesperson wants to sell you as many tins as possible without providing any technical knowledge.

[Doug_Ford]

Wow!! You guys are certified experts. Thanks for the info.

[hennie]

I knew someone was quicker to type than me

[hennie]

I made 32 of these this afternoon for my daughters school need to make another 68 tomorrow

[javeria]

beautiful and precise - was that using a 2mm dia endmill- that fingers i really want to know how you did it


RGDS
Irfan

[hennie]

Irfan I used a 1.5 mm dia endmill cutting speed was 2 mm /sec eventually I got bored and pushed it up to 5 mm /sec with no change in cut quality, the foot was cut with a 3 mm endmill.It took ages but hey I need to impress the click at school,( if someone ask who made it I would like to say that I sommer built the machine that cut it )

[javeria]

thats nice

[sailfl]

Hennie,

What is the meaning of your school project?

[hennie]

Nils,they are going to do some "boere sports" with the kids and for the prizes the kids are getting a little medalion made by a MM.

[domino11]

Hennie,
Very nicely done. The kids should love them.

[Kobus_Joubert]

Hennie, you are intruding in my domain....playing with the MM...GO OUT there and WORK please..

I like it..I hope you GOLDPLATE it..

[Doug_Ford]

COOL Hennie!!!!!!!!