Russell Cissell

Join me this evening at 9:00 PM Eastern for Wednesday Night Wood-Chat. I will be giving away 5 gallons of HD-80 FREE! I also have samples of the NEW Wood-Tux WET to give away. Tonight we will be starting the first series: Estimate, Bid, Close. . .Getting the deal! We will discuss the different ways of measuring for square footage, determining material usage, estimating material/labor costs preparing a professional bid and tricks for closing the deal. In this series we will also be touching on the hot topic . . . Low Ballers! Wood-Chat is scheduled for one hour but may run over depending on participation. I would like to see a good mix of seasoned professionals and new contractors or those interested in the restoration business. Hope to see you there! Best of Luck!

I suppose we could pick some nits about this point. I do not consider WTW a film former. I am guessing that most of what you were taught about "Film forming" stains would not apply. When it comes to our products you have to think a bit outside the box. We do not take the traditional approach to formulation here. That is why virtually every one of our wood restoration products has been an innovation. There s a bit of shine and the product does lock up the surface. Take a moment and look at it from another angle. WTW does not form a film because: There should be no build up past the surface of the wood. There is nothing above the surface of the wood to crack or peel. After curing you can scratch a "film" off the surface and expose bare wood. If you dig into the wood and scratch WTW you will see more WTW and shortly after you walk away that area you scratched will harden again. Yes, you have to prep the surface and here again you will see another difference between WTW and a "film" forming finish. To prep a true film forming product you have to carefully strip the entire surface or you will get a very uneven maintenance coat. When you go out to do maintenance on a WTW deck you wash the surface but the idea is to leave as much of the product in the wood as possible. Mostly you are just washing away the dirt and grime and helping to open the surface. I would not recommend applying any product to a dirty substrate. The maintenance coat is not going to lay on top of what is already there, it is going to blend in and become one with what is already there. I will give you another example of why WTW it NOT a film forming stain. Assume that a home owner has applied three coats of a film forming stain. When you begin to strip that back to bare wood it is possible to strip one layer at a time and end up with a splotchy mess if you do not allow the stripper to dwell long enough to emulsify all three layers over the entire surface area. You might also see areas where the stain has completely worn off before you even start to strip. There could be cracking, flaking or peeling in the finish. You will not see this with WTW. Now a note on EFC-38. EFC-38 is my favorite product in our wood restoration suite. It is the most under utilized product that we manufacture. EFC-38 will in fact strip may types of finishes is very safe for the wood, the user and the environment. EFC-38 is entirely unique in the wood restoration market. There is a misconception that EFC-38 is just a percarbonate. This is simply not true. EFC-38 is what happens when you give the ESI development team the following criteria. Design a product that is: Mild enough to stir with your hand. Safe enough to spill in the grass. Aggressive enough to strip the most common finishes. pH balanced such the it will not require neutralization. (Note: While it is true that EFC-38 self neutralizes, it can still cause the wood to darken because at a point the pH is quite high, therefore you may choose to apply a Brightener/Neutralizer on some jobs to bring out more of the woods natural beauty.) At full strength EFC-38 will strip. At half strength it will perform much like a straight percarbonate. This is the most versatile formula we've ever created. It can be used in a wide range of cleaning tasks. Works well as a house wash, mild concrete cleaner, carpet spotter, tarp softener you just have to play with the dilution ratios. When you use EFC-38 to clean a WTW deck prior to applying a maintenance coat try this. Mix it at 1/3 cup per gallon apply to the entire deck and then rinse with a very low pressure. If there is not a heavy build up of grime a garden hose should suffice. If you use your PW either go to a larger tip size to drop the pressure or stay back and "power rinse." Remember it is not necessary for you to do anything to the WTW all you need to do is clean the surface. If you don't want to use EFC-38 you can use any other mild cleaner you wish. In many cases you can probably use plain water. The idea is just to remove any dirt or oil from the surface before you lay down your WTW. The first time or two that you do a maintenance job with WTW as you apply your finish you will probably back brush and remove more product than you leave on the wood. You only need enough (less than 2 mil) to cause the reaction that is going to lock up the surface (no film). If it looks like there is a film you have over applied. Use a rag or dry stain pad to remove the excess stain. If it seems like it is taking way too long to dry to the touch, you have over applied. Again use a rag or dry pad to remove the excess. If the surface feels sticky you can dampen your rag or pad with a bit of mineral spirits. I really hope all this typing is helping rather than serving to further confuse folks. If I may remove my contractor support hat and step into a sales position for a sec. . . Pick up a pail of Wood-Tux WET today and see for yourself the quality of this product. I can promise You will be impressed upon application and delighted when you discover how fast and easy and profitable your maintenance trips are.

Mike- By gosh that is an excellent question. If you had asked it in the FAQ thread I would be sending you 5 gallons of free soap! Kidding. E-mail your address along with your pick. . .HD-80, EFC-38 or Citralic brightener/neutralizer and I will send it out to show our appreciation for helping update out FAQ list. The Wood-Tux line, consists of products that are oil based and utilize a transparent oxide pigment system. Because the finish is semitransparent the color of the wood will determine the final color of the finish. The most common problem a contractor faces when offering a selection of colors is the customer feeling that the end result does not match the color they chose. To eliminate this Wood-Tux is tinted to the popular Warm Honey Gold color. If the contractor feels there needs to be a touch of black or a dab of red added to achieve the most beautiful finish you simply tint it in the field. There is no concern about "matching" the previous color of Wood-Tux. You are only worried about how the Deck or Siding looks. You may wish to go with the same or even a lighter application for a maintenance coat. The customer hires you because you are the wood restoration professional. You are the one who knows best how to deliver the look they will want. This means less time at the closing table choosing between "dark" brown and "chocolate" brown. Less occurence of customers withholding payment because "that isn't the color we choose" and more controll over what the neighbors and potential customers are going to see as a representation of YOUR work. Warm Honey Gold looks great on most wood types. For yellow or white wood a little black will take you towards brown. You can use the combination of Red and Back to Hide Blemishes, Create Depth, Match New & Old Wood and more. The tint system will also allow you to save money by allowing you to take advatage of bulk shipping deals without having to guess at what colors you will need.

It is very rare that you find a magic bullet. The Wood-Tux line is no exception. ESI field tests all products locally in the St. Louis market and also selects contractors from various parts of the country to test new formulations prior to their official release. DMC is currently being tested and is scheduled for general release in 2006. Wood-Tux Wet when applied as intended will provide excellent protection for many years alone. Problem. . .Very dry wood sucks up Wood-Tux Wet like a sponge. Wood Tux Wet costs $139.00 per pail. Solution. . .Provide a less expensive deep penetrating oil to replenish the damaged wood and top coat it with a very thin and economical application of Wood-Tux WET. For maintenance Wood-Tux does not need to be striped. Simply clean the surface and apply a thin maintenance coat.

You have to understand the two products are completely different. Each is based on a different approach to wood preservation. Simply put, the $$ difference in is the first maintenance coat. Wood - Tux does not need to be striped, a simple wash is all that is needed. With Wood Tux WET when you return to do maintenance you will get a coverage rate MUCH HIGHER than the first time you sealed the wood. You will save money because it lasts longer and you will use far less product. I do not follow your shipping figures. Wood Tux costs $139.00 per pail retail. To UPS the product is costly at $12.00 per pail US to most locations. However when you take advantage of UPS hundred weight service the per pail cost is reduced to much less. Most contractors who use Wood-Tux take advantage of bulk buy specials and get free freight. There is a difference in the service life between the two products. The maintenance cycle on Wood-Tux WET is about 3 years on average. If you want a Wood-Tux product to compare to Ready Seal look at the Wood-Tux DMC Deep Moisturizing Conditioner. It is also oil based, has transoxide pigments, dives deep into the wood, does not overlap and costs about $89.00 per pail.

I think perhaps it would be better stated that the shine is a result of the light refracting off of the transoxide pigments (that provide the UV protection) and passing back through the finish. There is reflection (refraction) and therefore there will be a bit of shine whether it is semi-gloss or gloss would be a matter of perspective. Baby oil alone would not be conducive to healthy skin conditions! Shine good, burnt human flesh bad!

Simply put, Wood-Tux Wet is a deep penetrating oil based stain that dries at the surface to lock in the oils and biocides. It will only form a "film" if several coats are applied. It was designed to be applied in one saturating coat.

Desi You are going to see a lot of prices going up. The cost of doing business is going up across the boards. Most likely your supplier is not evil and if you shop around everyone is going up. Finding something cheaper may not be your answer. The key would be to make what you are using now a lot less expensive. Cheap is relative to price Cost is relative to performance Price divided by performance will give you cost. How do you use the S.H. you are buying now? It could well be that by using it differently you will find that $15.00 per gallon is really not too high of a price. My guess is if you give me a call I can tell you a couple of off the shelf items to add to what you use that will make it perform a lot better and go a lot further and there for "cost" less than what you were used to paying before! my number is 636-899-1769 We also sell concrete cleaner that is priced at less than $2.75 per gallon (rtu) and will outperform 80% s.h. Now you will have pay some shipping (about $50.00) to make it "local" and you will have to order 55 gallons at a time which is going to set you back about $140.00. Good news is, it's a drum kit so it is easy to handle. If you want to talk about our concrete cleaner you can call 1-866-536-7393 and ask for Russell.

Steve Most contractors who apply oil based wood stains will use an HVLP (high volume low pressure) sprayer.

Henry- I did not mean to imply that under normal application you would have any risk of scratching. This would only be if you over apply to the point that you have built up a surface that is higher than the grain of the wood. Over application is not recommended.

If your client is looking for a shine to the finish it is possible to build a surface and create a shine by adding a second coat after the first has begun to dry. In doing so you will want to take care to apply the product very thin and evenly across the surface to insure a beautiful finish. This could be particularly desirable on rough cedar siding. A couple of things to keep in mind, this product has a very high pigment content so not only will you add a bit of shine to the surface you will also deepen and thereby darken the finish. If you over apply after the first coat has completely dried you could encounter issues with a prolonged curing cycle which could be undesirable. This would present the greatest concern on deck floors. Additionally on deck floors if you build the surface such that you do create an actual film the finish would then be susceptible to scratching by rocks caught in shoes and hard table legs. If you have built up a film on the deck surface and wish not to remove it you should use mineral spirits to buff out any scratches. Simply dip a rag in mineral spirits and use the rag to dampen the blemish. After a few moments use the wet portion of the rag to buff out the scratch. In most cases you should not need to touch the area up with stain.

I can't speak for MD but our trend data for the St. Louis, MO market shows an annual period of decline during the weeks from mid July through early September. Some years are more effected than others but the trend is constant Then in September there is a rush close to that of spring that lasts into October and some times into November. By my best estimation this is trend has two primary drives. The first is this is a common time for Families to take a vacation so they are either out of town or short on disposable income. It is also the time of year when families are turning their focus to back to school activities and sending older children off to college. To combat this in the past I have taken advantage of this time to book a lot of Realtor work. Or other work that is difficult to bid at a premium. The idea is to take work that is sub premium and book it during this time. It could have been a job you bid in April but if you absolutely feel you cannot get 100% of your going rate you offer a discounted price IF they book in August. If you work this angle all spring it is not hard to fill the weeks. You may not get your $10k/wk but 7 or 8K is better than 1k yes? You may want to try some variation of this, the point is to have a plan. If you've got a plan you are much less likely to go crazy. Also call every one who offers you help! Use their knowledge and ideas to help formulate your plan. Then stick to your plan, ride it out and collect data. Over the down time analyze the data interpret changes and formulate your new plan based on these improvements. And you are not begging. It's called networking and it is key to your success! A little scared is OK too! Keeps you on your toes, just trust in yourself and repeat what is successful for you! Good Luck to You!

Mike~ Wood-Tux is a closed system which means it dries at the surface. Because of this there is a chance that you can leave overlap or run marks. It was designed to dry relatively slowly so it is much easier to apply than most oil based stains. It does require back brushing to prevent puddles. Shane~ DMC = Deep Moisturizing Conditioner This unique formulation was created to condition and restore aged or UV damaged wood. Engineered to have extreme dive properties Wood-Tux DMC will penetrate deep into the wood replenishing the voids created by the depletion of natural oils fats and sugars. Long after the application of Wood-Tux DMC our proprietary biocide package will fight to prevent the onset of mold and mildew growth. The deep rich pigments not only enhance the woods natural color they also provide plenty of UV protection. Wood-Tux DMC couldn't be more simple to apply. This rich, beautiful finish is so forgiving that even someone who has never stained a piece of wood will achieve professional results with their very first pail. Works great on aged wood and any time you need high quality protection on a budget. Ideal for fence protection. Wood-Tux DMC can be applied by brush, roller, pad or spray and because of the extreme dive properties and self-leveling nature of this product it is virtually impossible to leave lap or drip marks! Wood-Tux DMC was designed as an open system and is compatible with the same tint system used in other Wood-Tux Products. Wood-Tux DMC comes stock in the popular Warm Honey Gold color. This product was created after surveying some our contractor customers who work primarily on cedar homes and log cabins. A challenge they face is how to care for severely dry and neglected wood. Often times a wood sided home will go many years without any care and the wood will become dry and lifeless. The reason for this is because the natural fats, oils and sugars have been depleted. The same thing happens when someone uses bleach or other products that were not specifically designed for wood restoration. Often times even professional contractors will use a product designed as a concrete cleaner or something else to strip a finish from wood. I guess their thinking is if it has sodium hydroxide in it and it removes stain it's ok for wood. The fact is they will cause more damage to the wood by burning out what nature created to protect the wood. This will require that you apply more stain to replenish what the harsh chems have depleted. For example if it were just about speed we make a vent hood cleaner that will strip almost anything and it will do it FAST but it was not buffered out to be gentle on the wood. If I were to use the vent hood cleaner and oxalic acid rather than HD-80 and Citralic I would expect to use up to 1/3 more stain. This makes no sense considering stain is nearly 10X the cost of quality wood restoration chemicals. If you come across wood that has a whitish "dead" look and you can tell it is very thirsty DMC is a good choice to replenish and moisturize the wood.

Henry- Don't give up Ready Seal for Wood-Tux WET! Switching from Ready Seal to Wood-Tux WET would require you to change the entire way you do business. Nearly everything about the two products is different. From application to maintenance every step you take will be different. I get calls from contractors almost everyday asking me if Wood-Tux is better than Ready Seal. Before that question can be answered there has got to be a clear definition of "better." Wood-Tux WET was designed after studying the wood restoration industry from the contractors point of view for over a decade. Our goal has always been to design a system that would allow our contractor customers to separate themselves and rise above their competition. We are not interested in reaching the masses. We designed Wood-Tux WET for the high end restoration contractor who has chosen wood restoration as a career. We carefully looked at the entire process including bidding jobs, scheduling work, selling maintenance contracts, collecting monies owed and most importantly referrals. Then we set out to develop a system that would allow a contractor to maximize their profitability. The one thing that we decided was the most important characteristic was quality. The main thing that sets the high end restoration contractor apart is how they get their work. The majority of their work comes from referrals and repeat business. High end contractors work for high end customers and those customers know quality. The next consideration had to be maintenance. There had to be the proper balance between the life of the finish and the ease of maintenance. Wood-Tux WET was designed around the concept of a maintenance program. When it comes time to do the maintenance work the surface had to be easy to remove without removing all of the healthy product from the wood. This allows the contractor to re coat the surface and restore a rich beautiful finish with much less product. The third most important thing was profitability for the contractor. We knew we were designing a finish that was going to be expensive almost from the start. Rather than try to be frugal raw material selection we decided to go the opposite. Our goal became to see how flexible we could make the product if cost was not an issue. From that point we never stopped to consider what an improvement was going to "cost" only if that improvement was possible. We created a finish that would allow the contractor maximize his earning potential. We knew we had to come up with a system that could be applied to wet wood. This would allow the contractor to complete more jobs and in many cases eliminate return trips to smaller jobs. It would also allow the contractor to work more days that would have been lost to rain. The final consideration was ease of application. Wood-tux had to be slow curing to minimize overlapping however we knew we had to lock up the surface. With our unique approach to curing we are able to insure a long lasting rich finish that is very user friendly. It is not as easy to apply as a product like Ready Seal but it's not too far off. If you want a Wood-Tux product that goes on like Ready Seal you will want to consider Wood-Tux DMC. It dives very deeply and goes on without any streaks or runs. It utilizes the same high quality transoxide pigment system used in Wood-Tux WET. Wood-Tux DMC is also priced much more closely to Ready Seal. DMC is an open system that uses paraffinic oils to replenish the wood. It was designed as a conditioner for very old and dry wood and is intended to be used together with Wood-Tux WET as a top coat. When used by itself with no top coat you will get results similar to what you see with Ready Seal in terms of service life. If you were to use DMC by itself you would want to plan on annual or biannual maintenance.

Calcium Hypochlorite is the old "HTH" swimming pool chlorine. Can be delivered in a powder form. You can also find it as large pellets that look like an albino hocky puck. This form only about 46% available chlorine. It has been replaced by the chlorinated isocyanurates, which are stabilized and last much longer. The calcium salt is little used today. They have found it to be harmful to most surfaces, especially around toilets (a common old usage). Sodium Hypochlorite cannot be made into a powder, comes as a liquid only. The Sodium Hypochlorite is standard household bleach @ 5.25%. You can also find Sodium Hypochlorite that is 12% for Laundries, Restaurants and Kitchens Cleaning Contractors . Stronger means more economical and the enduser can use less to get the job done. Best of Luck

With permission from one of our customers I am going to share a story with you. As I was directly involved I will tell the story from my point of view based only on what I know for sure. For practical purposes I will call this customer John. About two weeks ago I got a call from John. John was calling to "get my advise" on a job that he was getting ready to bid. The very first words out of John's mouth were "I probably shouldn't take this job" then he went on to explain what he was being asked to bid. The job was a deck that wraps around a swimming pool. The deck was PAINTED brown by the seller. The new buyer wanted it "fixed." The pool is in use currently but they want the deck done ASAP. They also managed to convey to John they were "on a budget." I told john that I agreed that he should not take the job having 1 never worked around a pool and 2 never tried to remove brown paint from a deck. John said he was glad he called me and that he wouldn't take the job. He then said "just for kicks" how much would I charge for that type of work. My eyebrow raised a bit but I didn't pay attention. I went on to tell him that with this and that and all considered I would charge between $3.50 and $4.00 per square foot if I was ever foolish enough to bid on that type of work. He argued that that was too high and no one would ever pay that much. I explained that that is why I consider it foolish to bid that type of job but that is what I would have to charge to make a profit. Next john asked if I had ever had to remove brown paint from a deck. This time my ego took over and I certainly didn't notice if my eyebrow went up. I said that there were a few times that I took on that type of job. I told him step by step how we did it and how beautiful they turned out and oh how wonderful and talented I am and on and on. After that we agreed again that it was a lot of work and you would have to charge WAY more than double the normal rate to make a profit. He said again how glad he was that he called and said he would not be taking that job. Today my phone rings and it is John. He took the job. The homeowner told him that another company said it was going to be real easy and they would do the job for an amount that worked out to about $1.10 per square foot which is less than the going rate for a standard wash and seal. John under bid them and got the job. It was supposed to be finished in time for the holiday weekend. Currently (and I can only assume he is doing the right thing) the pool is being drained so that it can be cleaned. He is going to have to replace the pools filter membrane to keep his customer happy. The customer was so upset that he was not done on time John panicked and bought a BUNCH of brush on liquid paint stripper at $18.00 per gallon. At best John is going to finish this job at a financial loss. He will have spent more on materials, having the pool drained cleaned and refilled and replacing the filter membrane then he will collect on his contract. If this were the worst part you could call it tuition to the school of hard knocks. The reality is John is 5 days into a two day job and is not even half way finished because he tried to take short cuts because he under bid and wanted to "save money." The customer knows that "some sort of mistake" was made and they have him over a barrel. They are making treats and using their leverage to keep John off balance. All the while he is stuck under their thumb trying to avoid being reported to the BBB or "sued." You can bet it is going to be very difficult for him to collect on this job. Now I could go on and on about all of the mistakes that were made but it boils down to three crucial things. These are the three deadly sins of the service industry. 1. Simple. . .If your gut tells you not to do it. . .DON'T DO IT! 2. If you are going to do work you've never done before you have to charge more than the going rate to make the average pay. You will always be slower your first time and the chances you will have to re do at least part of the work is much higher. 3. Discounting your price or taking work you wouldn't normally do because you are hungry will cause you to starve every time! Now while I am at it I am going to add two more 4. Discounting work for friends or relatives (at a discount) just to impress them will never work, they will just think you overcharge everyone else and probably will not appreciate you the way your ego needs. 5. Offering a property manager a discount on "this job" so you will have a better chance at the "next project" is insane! Bid the work you have in front of you based on YOUR BUSINESS MODEL. If the property manager likes your service they will hire you again. I do hope that whoever reads this knows I am not telling you this because I figured it out. I made each of these mistakes. I've also talked with many many other contractors who have made the same mistakes. The most valuable asset this Forum can offer is the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others. Don't just learn, remember and apply! Best of Luck!

It looks like there are plenty more neighbors in need right behind those two! Nice work as usual guys!

Solid color stains are similar in nature to paint. Speaking specifically from an appearance standpoint. . . . If you try to cover dark blue with beige paint you will have to prime it to a color that is lighter than beige or apply a lot of the beige color. You would have to speak directly to Cabot's to determine what type of primer would work best with this stain. Personally would push them to strip it and go with a system that is better suited for deck surfaces. Best of Luck!

I would like to invite everyone to join us this evening at 9:00 Eastern for our continuing Wood-Chat discussion. We will be picking up where we left off last week. Last week we talked about how to measure to determine square footage and estimate material usage. Tonight we will talk about how to use that information to formulate a bid. Come early if you would like to chat with other contractors prior to the discussion. There will also be a time set aside after the discussion for general question about wood restoration. The chat room also offers a private message function allowing you to have private cross conversations with other contractors who have joined for the discussion. I hope to see you there and look forward to watching attendance grow as we tackle a new wood restoration topic each week. By the way, tonight's discussion is bound to include "lowballers" at some point so coma and share your thoughts! Best of Luck Russell

Degraffreed Give me a call on Monday and I can get you something to read. As far as performance goes. . . I am saying that if you place a piece of wood under water over night you can pull it out, shake off the excess water and stain it with Wood-Tux WET. I am saying that if you get to a job site and it is raining, as soon as it stops you can stain the deck with Wood-Tux WET. I am saying that if you want to wash a fence and then turn around and stain it, Wood-Tux WET is the product you are looking for. No need to make a 2nd trip back after it dries. Wood-Tux WET was designed to work on wet or dry wood. The reason it can take a rain so soon after application is because it bonds with the wood and then locks the resin, pigments and biocides into place. I wouldn't recommend applying Wood-Tux while it is actually raining but there is no threat from an afternoon shower.

Much of what you hear and read is not entirely accurate. It is not always one or the other. Wood-Tux WET is a highly developed formula and is not like any other stain. The best way to describe it would be to say that Wood-Tux WET is a deep penetrating oil based system. What sets Wood-Tux apart from an oil based stain is how it was formulated. Wood-Tux Wet is a system, even though it is quite simple to apply it uses advanced technology to treat wood like no other product. Where most oils (and oil based stains) float on water, Wood-Tux WET will dive through it to deliver rich transoxide pigment and advanced biocides deep into the wood. Once applied our proprietary drier package locks up the surface without forming a thick film that can crack or peel. When applied to severely wet wood you will watch as water is literally forced out of the wood during the curing process. Wood-Tux WET was not developed to be sold in retail stores. If it was it would have a price tag in excess of $200.00 per pail. Wood-Tux wet was created by Extreme Solutions, Inc. with the specific needs of the contractor in mind. Giving you the ability to work more days out of every restoration season, Wood-Tux WET is going to be the key to maximizing your profitability!

Hey Mike~ When you call in your order tell them you want One-Deck-of-A-Deal and along with your Wood-Tux WET you will get your choice of one free HD-80 or EFC-38 and one Citralic Brightener/Neutralizer. That is everything you need to restore 750 - 1000 square feet of wood

Wood-Tux WET can be applied to wood immediately after a rain. It can also be applied immediately after washing as long as there is no standing water on the wood. The higher the moisture content the longer you will wait between application and back brushing. In the case of extremely wet wood you will spray Wood-Tux on and then allow it to stand on the surface for at least one minute before back brushing the excess. This is to allow the product to penetrate the saturated surface to where it can react with the wood itself. Once applied Wood-Tux will take a lite rain within 15 min of back brushing. It will take a heavy rain within the first hour.

I have been having spyware issues on one of the PC's that I use to access the Internet. One of the pop ups that I get warns of possible computer registry problems and asks if I would like to run a free scan of the computers hard drive. I always ignore this pop up and click the X to close the window. Today I was going through my e-mail from this same computer. I opened an e-mail that I thought was from a contractor. The e-mail did not open and my computer began emiting a steady tone from the CPU (not the speakers). The computer appeared to be locked up. I hit Esc several times and then CTL, ALT, Delete and noting happened. The tone continued. I did a hard boot to force the computer to re start. When it restarted the desktop was different. When it tried to load the office suite it gave an error saying this program may not be compatible with this version of windows. I clicked OK, next error was that the registry for this program may have been corrupted. It says to reinstall the program. Looking around, there are some other things that look a little funny. I am not computer Guru so anything else I say would just be guessing. My question is this: If I reinstall a data base program because the registry was corrupted will I be able to recover the data that was in the data base?

Ditto the O-rings! Nothing worse than a leaker! Be careful with the M5 at the end of a long wand. Keep in mind flex and torque. On the flex side, you don't want it to spring back and slap the house (or a window Oops) when you release the trigger (pressure). On the torque side just remember that the wand is a LEVER so the force of the M5 is multiplied exponentially along the length of the wand, into your arms and eventually to your lower back. One bad twist and pop and you will be off your feet for a couple days. Once you get used to the set up it should be both handy and safe! Best of Luck Russell Cissell