RPetry

Jake, Very nicely said, unless one knows the tournament calendar!

Diamond Jim, You lucky dog! Augusta in the spring has to be the most beautiful golf course in the world. In keeping on topic of this thread, find a witch/warlock to put a temporary hurtin' spell on your possible replacement.

Jake, I've often wondered myself this winter. East Coaster's with the means often winter in Florida or Arizona, two states that may have the highest density of golf courses in the country. Tracking cars is also out of synch. Mid March through mid November is the season in this region, which corresponds to the letter our wood restoration business time frame. Maybe I should take up snowshoeing!

Brian, Unfortunately, you are correct. No amount of witchcraft can improve ones' golf. "Less work and more golf" is the only solution, but difficult to achieve in real life. Unless you're blessed like Jake Clark. Lives in a near perfect climate for the links, and is not too busy in the stain business during the winter. California does have its charms.

Shane, I was raised a nominal Protestant but my wife to be was raised in a Catholic family. Wanting to keep relations with the new in-laws in good graces, I insisted that we go through with the wedding in a Catholic church. She didn't care for this and thought a civil ceremony would be just fine. I "won" ...! Soon thereafter, our priest quit Catholicism, shacked up with a divorcee, and started speculating in real estate flipping. The beautiful convent where we were married was sold by the Church to a for profit private secular school. In the end I guess we both won! Jake, Cutting a handicap by 5 is a huge undertaking, especially with a bad foot. I would suggest Brian select "A Ton of 'Em", seek reincarnation, buy a black cat, and quickly study witchcraft. Golf is a wacky sport and Wiccan belief fits hand in glove.

For those unsure how to answer the question of this thread, the following flowchart may help ...

I was speaking with a customer this evening concerning maintenance and pulled up his photo directory. Went through the pictures and this one just stood out. Not flashy or "gee wiz" in any sense but kind of subtle and exotic. After 8 yrs. of doing wood, I think this is my favorite photo. Anyway, if anyone wants to join in, post up your prized photo.

And this is from a guy with a bird on his head.

I think Jim is getting psyched up for the weather to break and wood season to begin. It has been a long winter ...

Diamond Jim, Yeah, I remember that photo. Make you a deal, you post it up here and I'll dig around for the Bleach Bandit photo! Maybe ruffle a few feathers for fun. Hah!

Good find Jim! Someday, I'll have to dig around for the Great Bleach Debate thread. It was classic ...

Shane, a founding member of the BDA (Bleach Dwellers Association) has been of immense benefit as a tried and true Texas bleach proponent. I had my doubts, but the results are great. After seeing so many of his photos over the years, I'm a convert. Being that we both use parafinnic oil stains it is a natural fit. 18 yr. old PT deck stained with Ready Seal medium red on 6/23/04. This past Monday, cleaned the wood with 2% bleach and a touch of Dawn. Power washed off with low pressure. Two benefits with the maintenance. First, the cost of the cleaner to customers is very inexpensive. Easy to mix, and very effective on mildew / mold. Second is that the bleach mix is very gentle on the remaining stain pigment and oil, unlike percarbonate cleaners that are more aggressive. Took some moisture meter readings a day later after a below freezing night and mid 40's high temp. for the day. Wood was at or less than 12%, except for the old cracked areas. To dry out that quickly in those temperatures, there is still a decent amount of oil in the wood, even after nearly 3 years. Will maintenace stain when it warms up a bit and stops raining here!

Diamond Jim, Has it really been that long? That resulting thread of The Great Bleach Debate was one of the Hall of Fame moments in TGS history. I joined the BDA as a charter member. No bylaws, no dues, no voting, no nonsense. Just simple common sense and a lot of fun. Remember trashing that rep from the Western Red Cedar Association? Hilarious! We were considered renegades at the time but history has proven responsible, measured use of NaClO on exterior wood, as described by the BDA, is an important and very useful chemical in wood restoration. I've got Bleach Bandit pictures to prove it!

Charlie, There is no "easy" money in the wood restoration business! That being said, as long as the initial service was done correctly, you will find maintenance on ipe' to be relatively painless, certainly if maintained yearly. A light bleach/soap cleaning at low pressure, and a simple one app staining. Better yet, ipe' dries in a flash and can be stained the same day if the weather is cooperative.

For those that need a break from the recent certification and organization debates. A TGS sponsor emailed this link to the following video. This magician is truly amazing, it is hard to believe the video was not edited. What's more astounding, he looks like a mother's nightmare yet has gorgeous women nearly salivating in his back pocket! Link is here: Criss Angel Amazing Trick With Coffee Mug

Hey Charlie, Nice job and a terrific wood. Ipe' is in a way almost too nice of a wood for exterior use, especially to keep finished. But not a problem if customers do not balk at yearly service! Must be a nice change of pace from PT SYP so prevalent down south.

John, Hope it's suprasad. Best thing I ever did was marry a Jersey Italian girl. Never a problem with good food at our table! Pasta with home made gravy tonight, its a wonder that I'm not fat after 25 years.

Shane, Ummm....gumbo! Even for uncouth Yankees, a good gumbo with Gulf shellfish is a definite treat. Worth a trip to La. just to eat!

Abalone. The virtual harvesting ban and overpopulation of Ca. seals and sea otters have made this delicacy nearly impossible to enjoy. Just the memory of the exquisite flavor and texture has me salivating on my keyboard.

Nice save Shane! That is one tough strip.

Rod, Good point. Tough strips are the only reason I can imagine using heated water on exterior wood. But with most species, you are still going to need a sander!

Shane, Ahhh... 12%, I can smell it now. It will be another 6 weeks or so before we get decent weather and rolling in wood work here. Matt's just poking fun, but as Jim Foley, BDA charter member, is going to Albany, maybe he can teach Matt a few tricks about wood! Never tried the antifreeze trick but have purchased a similar additive from ACR for years. Along with a surfactant additive such as Tergitol NP-9 to keep the mix wet, a custom mixed stripper can work wonders on difficult strips.

Matt, A secret ingredient used to melt iPhones. More commonly known as lye. Not suitable for human consumption. A terrific chemical. Have a great event in Albany. Wish you and Tom had been able to buddy up earlier and schedule a week sooner. Keep Jake and Diamond Jim in line.

Jon, Once you obtain some sodium hydroxide stripper, mix up a few concentrations, for example the equivalent of 6 oz./gal., 8 per gal., 12 and 16 per gal. Put in plastic spray bottles and use them on estimates to approximate the difficulty in removing the old finish. There are also additives available to make NaOH strippers more powerful. Make up a "buster" stripper sample bottle for estimates. Be aware that higher air temps and longer dwell times, as long as you keep the stripper wet, are more effective in removing difficult finishes. Solid stains are various and different. Oil based, especially if weathered for a while, can be fairly easily removed, without much more than spot sanding. Some acrylics can be a nightmare. Horizontal wood is relatively easy to strip, but vertical wood can be much more difficult. Test before making a quote.

Pete, Wise words. Best wishes on the new venture in Durango. A beautiful area of a wonderful state.