Woodworker's Journal 1985-9-2, страница 6

Letters

I would like to offer a thought on the use of spalted wood for making the Salt Shaker and Pepper Mill in your September/October 1984 issue.

Wood becomes spalted as the result of fungal infestation, and because the insides of salt and pepper shakers are normally not sealed with wood finish, the contents are directly in contact with the rotted wood.

Granted, we eat all manner of delicacies which are directly associated with the "mellowing" effects of microorganisms on food. However, from an aesthetic point of view, I'd rather not season my food with salt and pepper from a piece of wood which was at one time a cauldron for the lustful activities of fungi and other little beasties associated with the putrefactive process and the compost pile. 1 think I'll limit myself to mushroom and truffle when I develop an appetite for the fungus among us. Bon Appetit!

Yosh Sugiyama, Redding, Calif.

When starting out storing your Woodworker's Journals in a slip case, they have a tendency to slide down and go out of shape due to the excess room. To solve this problem, simply cut out three pieces of V* in. (actual) #2 white pine (or particle board) the same size as the Journal to fill the empty space. As the issues build, remove one piece of stock at a time.

William J. Becker Deep River, Conn.

In the article "Restoring Antiques" (Nov/Dec 1984), John W. Olson said that hydrocarbon based finishing materials can be cleaned out of brushes with gasoline, paint thinner, kerosene, or commercial brush cleaners. With the basic statement I have no argument, however, by implication he is saying that all of these items are proper to use when cleaning brushes. I take exception to the use of gasoline for cleaning brushes, or anything else. Gasoline has only one proper use — Providing fuel for powering internal combustion engines. More than one misguided soul has found his way into

the hospital by using gasoline as a cleaning solvent.

While all of the other mentioned liquids give off vapors which are easily ignitable, gasoline is an extremely bad actor in this regard. Along with this same topic, I didn't see any reference to the need for proper ventilation when using these vapor-producing liquids.

In my professional capacity as a fire protection engineer, I know that there are more than 6,600 fire fatalities in the United States each year (a frightening statistic), and a good percentage of these deaths are the result of improper usage and handling of flammable liquids.

John F. Marthens, Whittier, Calif.

John Olson replies:

Mr. Marthens is correct. Gasoline is a highly flammable hydrocarbon liquid. in fact, less than half a teacup, when vaporized and mixed with the correct amount of air, can cause an explosion that's equivalent to a stick of dynamite. Although I've pointed out its hazards in other articles, it 's unfortunate that it was not covered in the November/December 1984 column.

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