Casa Garden

Not too many people realize that you can bleach wood although most are aware that you can stain it. It can be frustrating sometimes when you buy a piece of wood for a project and the colors are so naturally uneven that it looks like it has been done on purpose. You can use bleaching techniques on the darker area to lighten it up somewhat so it blends in more with the lighter shade. Another good use for utilizing the properties of bleach is when wood has black spots on it created by water stains and some various other types of stains.

The properties of bleach create a chemical action just as they do when we use a bleach to remove stains or whiten our clothes. When it comes to the bleach?s reaction on the wood, it doesn?t actually remove the stain it just causes a chain reaction to turn them into a colorless component.

Just as with working with any, chemical or solvent one needs to be properly protected. Gloves are a must and even protective clothing is beneficial. Eye protection glasses are also very important. There are specific bleaches designed for wood and these can be caustic and burn your skin. As a safety precaution keep a container of clear water in your area in the event that you do get some on your skin. Should this occur wash it off immediately.

Bleaching is only applicable to bare wood so you need to remove any coloring on the wood.

The First bleach: Is a combination of sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide. They are used as a combination but are sold in separate containers. It?s when they are applied to the wood that the chemical action takes place. This is good for evening out the color variations in the wood.

The Second bleach: Is chlorine bleach and is used to remove the dye stains left in wood .The household chlorine we use for clothes is weaker than the brand used for woodworking but it can be used but will require several applications.

The Third bleach: Oxalic acid is the treatment you want for iron stains and black water rings that are left on the furniture, which the paint stripping did not remove.

Once you have used any bleaching procedure you must stop the chemical reaction. A thorough rinsing with plain water then a second rinsing with a mixture of baking soda and water will do this. If you have used a two-part bleach, you can neutralize it with a mixture of one part vinegar to two parts water.

It is important to fully read and understand the instructions on wood bleaches before working with them.

Remember the wood must be stripped clean of any color first before using the wood bleaches. These bleaches are not your common household bleaches and you can purchase them as a rule from where you buy your paint and finishing supplies.

Its always a good idea to test a small area of the wood before doing a full application to be sure you are not going to get any adverse results from the chemical reactions.

Safety always comes first. For any activity, whether it is woodworking or sports, it pays to be mindful of any potential dangers and how you can prevent them. For woodworking, understand the hazard is not only for your safety but the safety of others around you.

a) Alcohol and tools just don?t make a good team. Avoid the consumption of alcohol whenever you are going to be working with your tools no matter how minor they are. Even with a chisel or a knife, you can get some pretty bad cuts. Your mind needs to be clear when involved in this hobby. The same applies for prescriptive drugs for example that may cause drowsiness.

b) Observe the conditions that you are working in. Sawdust as well as toxic fumes can be deadly to your health. The dangers with these are that the results they can create may not be evident immediately. Health hazards such as these can show their results years later. Use only anti explosion fans and make sure you have a good supply of fresh air.

c) No doubt you have seen a lot of protective gear on the shelves where you buy your equipment and supplies. These items are not just fads and can be important to your health. Items like protection for your ears and safety glasses should be a priority. Something as simple as using a push stick when you are work up close to the blade can save a limb.

d) Don?t socialize when you are working in your woodwork shop, even having a television or radio on can be a bad idea. Anything that could distract you and take your attention away from what you are doing could lead to a potential accident.

e) It is imperative that you keep your shop clean. If you leave tools, lying on the floor there is a good chance you are going to trip. If you are, hanging tools make sure they are secure and you don?t run the risk of them falling on you. Watch for cords try to keep them away from areas where you are going to be walking. Sweep up your debris. Sawdust can make a floor like a skating rink.

f) There will be times that your won?t seem like it is cutting right or it is resisting. Don?t get frustrated and start pushing the wood. Stop and inspect the equipment to see what the problem is. If you continue to force the wood, it could spring back and hit you.

g) Think about what you are cutting. Don?t let your thoughts stray you must concentrate at all times.

h) If you are in a hurry then you should not be working. This is when accidents are most likely to happen.

I) Wear the right clothing. If you have long hair keep it tied back. Remove your jewelry before working with your tools.

j) Make sure your power tools have completely stopped before touching them or setting them down.

Just good common sense thinking can prevent the majority of accidents that can occur in the workshop.

Whether we are into woodworking or not the majority of us know a little something about sandpaper even if it is just the name. Sandpaper is really just a very mild form of a chisel for example or any tool that reduces or alters the wood. The sandpaper is made of tiny coarse blades. Needless to say, they are very fragile and therefore wear down quickly.

One of the issues of using sandpaper is knowing which one to use for which job. To begin with, you have to determine whether you want commercial or industrial sandpaper. You will have less looking around for stores to buy it from if you are using the commercial grade as most hardware stores or home building centers keep it in stock. The industrial is more specialized and is an item most often used on the manufacturing line.

When you hear someone refer to sandpaper, you will most probably hear them refer to grit. All this is, is the way to identify what strength it is. Its referring to each of those little blades we talked about per inch. So the lower the number the coarser the sandpaper will be.

Now with a little understanding you need to determine which grit you need for which job. As we said, they are several to choose from and it will depend on the job you have to do. If you have heavy, sanding where you need to strip the paint or rough up the surface then you will need 40-60 coarse grit. Lighter sanding required for removing small imperfections means you would use an 80-120 medium grit. The final sanding before you are going to put your finish on dictates the use of 150-180 fine. Then for in between the stain coating you use the very fine, which is 220-240. If you have, some dust marks in-between these coatings you can use the extra fine grit 280-320 and then finally for some light scratches you can use the super fine 360-600 grit.

There are various backings used on the sandpapers such as low-grade fabric or Kraft paper. These are held on with bonding agents.

Going through the grits means working on your project from the heavier sandpapers up through to the lighter ones. Usually if all looks well you can finish off at the 150-180 grit although up to 200 if you are going to use a water base stain.

You may hear reference to open and closed coat sandpaper. Open coat has spaces between the grits which means less clogging and is more applicable for woodwork. Closed grit works better on metal and wood finishes but clogs easily.

There are four different types of sandpaper each having a specific use. Aluminum oxide most commonly used by woodworkers. Garnet also another favorite but is short lived. Then Silicon carbon more for steel, paint, plastic and fiberglass and finally ceramic which is the toughest of all of them. It is very expensive and is used predominantly for shaping and leveling.

Now you have some basic knowledge when it comes to what type of sandpapers there are and their best uses.