Letter from Lawrence McFadden

To Our Valued Friends and Customers:
We recently entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement for the sale of our intangible and intellectual property to Seagrave Coatings Corporation of Carlstadt, New Jersey. Although the sale currently remains subject to Bankruptcy Court approval, we anticipate a final determination
Shortly. Nonetheless, at this time, LMC is in the process of transferring title and possession of its formulae, other intangible property and related finished goods to Seagrave in order to insure
A timely and smooth transition of our operations and your orders.
Pleased be advised that as a way of showing our appreciation for your business and loyality to LMC over the years and in order to avoid any delays or interruptions in your orders, as of January 4th, 2020, please direct all inquiries to either (1) Hill Pressley, Chief Chemist at Seagrave (regarding any existing orders), or (2) Lisa Truesdale, Customer Service Representative (regarding any new orders), both at 201-933-1000. Seagrave is a long established technology driven manufacturer serving customers with aerospace, industrial, defense, maintenance, and home furnishings for over 150 years with an impeccable reputation in the coatings industry. We are confident that you will continue to be well served by Seagrave, its employees and its products.
Best wishes for a successful 2010.
Sincerely, Peter B. Beck Douglas B. Hampton, Sr.

A: You don’t need a substitute; it was not sold exclusively. The same polyurethane gel, which was and still is manufactured by Lawrence McFadden, is also sold under their own Lawrence McFadden label and under the Bartley label. A host of woodworking outlets sell the Bartley gel, but you can also buy it online at Amazon.com.

A: It’s not that uncommon, and it’s an easy fix. Mask off the tile and grout very well with blue painter’s tape, then remove the finish on the oak. He can do that with paint remover, by scraping and sanding, or in some cases with a so called “cool stripper,” a half and half mixture of lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol paired with a coarse nylon abrasive pad. Once the stripping is done, remove the masking and mask again with clean tape before refinishing. I’d go with an oil based wipe on gel polyurethane, like the Rockler Polyurethane that has my picture on the label. The worst case scenario is that if the masking is less than perfect, he may stain a bit of the grout. If so, once the finish has cured, simply re-grout the stained area.

Q: I am currently attempting to finish hard maple to resemble the dark finish commonly applied on fine cherry furniture similar to the color of an espresso coffee bean. I want to avoid blotching and preserve the wood’s figure. I am well versed in the use of spray equipment, dyes and pigments and will likely use lacquer for the top coats. Could you suggest a finishing schedule to suit my needs?
A: Sand to at least 220, and finer if you can. Dye the wood to the approximate color you want using a water soluble dye, flooding it on liberally, then wiping off whatever is not absorbed. That will bring out the grain. Don’t go all the way to the color, though; leave it just a bit lighter, and don’t worry if the grain is a bit too exaggerated. The next step will mute it and even it out. Of course, if things go completely wrong, most water soluble dyes can be reversed with laundry bleach prior to their being sealed.
Seal the wood, then add the last bit of color by tinting your lacquer with oil soluble dye. By controlling your tinted spray, you can not only even up any areas that were uneven, you can also modify the tint if your first dye was not exactly the color you wanted. Add as many coats of tinted lacquer as you need to hit both the color and uniformity you seek, then switch to clear for the remaining coats. The enhanced grain from the dye paired with the muting but translucent tint in the spray should give you even coloration without losing the grain entirely.

Wipe on finishes are much easier to use than those that require us to learn how to manipulate a brush or spray gun. But many wipe on finishes are simply ultra thin versions of varnish loaded with lots of mineral spirits.

That means they offer very little protection per coat, and may take many coats to get any substantial coverage. To make matters worse, some will “bleed” out of the grain of large pore woods, like oak and ash, leaving small, hard beads of finish that create a decidedly rough surface.

Now, don’t get me wrong – there are also some very good polyurethanes that are sold specifically as wipe ons, some of which are in a thick, easy-to-use gel form. My favorite of these is Polyurethane Gel, available from Rockler. However, these are often not well distributed, and may be hard to find in the local home store.

Instead, buy a can of your favorite oil based polyurethane varnish and simply flood it on and wipe it off. I like to use Scotch-brite T to apply it and a shop towel to wipe off. On flat surfaces, you can simply wipe it on carfully and evenly with a rag. If the one you have chosen dries too fast, add a bit of boiled linseed oil to slow it down and make it easier to manipulate. It will look as good and be just as easy to use as “Danish oil,” but will give you more build per coat and more protection.