DustyNewt News & Sneak Peeks:

Friday Roundup from the DustyNewt Workshop 08/02/2024

Aug 02, 2024

Temp: Currently 84 degrees. High of 94 today 😎
Humidity: 5 on the “Soup” scale. (1=light broth, 5=thick chowder)
Today’s Playlist: Alternating Van Morrison with Warren Zevon.
Conditions: Jay birds hollering at the Coopers hawk. Newts scurrying before my footfalls. Fat cats washing their nether bits… a typical Florida summer day.
Estimated Travel Time: 20 seconds
Food: Toast with Tupelo honey and an apple. Tonight, roast pork for supper😋
Coffee Level: 1/2 Tank

On the Workbench…

I have put together some new combinations of Cross-Bonded keychains. These are created by bonding a wooden “cap” with its grain running perpendicularly to the strong substrate, then carving the name.

This process makes for an extremely strong and durable fob, even for weaker twisty grained burls.

The ones pictured below are:

Bocote/Pau Amarello Wood
Bloodwood/Maple Wood
Amboyna Burl/Ipe Wood
Zebrawood/Ipe Wood
Cocobolo Rosewood and Zebrawood
Exotic Wood Sampler

Cross bonded name keychains — *Cross-Bonded Name Keychains*

My choice of wood finish.

From the early 80s, up until around 2020, my choice of finish for my keychains was a spray-on clear lacquer. It was fast drying, easily fixable and left the desired amount of gloss I was looking for, but something changed…

Whether it was due to the formulation of the lacquer product itself or the heat USPS was subjecting my packages to (my guess), a few clients were receiving their order stuck to the wax paper wrap I use for shipping, thus messing up the finish and needing replacement.

After half a dozen complaints within a short time, I decided to switch to the oil with beeswax bath that I had been using for my chopsticks. It also requires an overnight cure time and needs a vigorous buffing to achieve the natural sheen that I look for, but has a high tolerance to heat.

However, in use, this oil finish needs a bit more care to keep them looking fresh. A quick rubdown with mineral oil or beeswax will brighten it up and is what I recommend for my chopsticks after each hand-wash.

For hard-core keychain abusers, or if you just want a shinier finish, I suggest that you add few light coats of clear urethane, lacquer, shellac or plastic spray if you have an open can laying around the house. It will extend its aesthetic life dramatically.

The results of my finish flip have been successful. No more complaints on finishes messing up. With a little proper care and/or extra protection, you should get many years of use with my works.

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