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Russell Cissell

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Posts posted by Russell Cissell

  2. Posted · Report reply

    545 PEOPLE

    Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

    Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

    Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

    You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

    You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

    You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

    You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

    You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

    One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

    I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

    I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes .

    Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

    What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

    The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

    It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

    If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

    If the budget is in the red, it 's because they want it in the red.

    If the Army & Marines are in , it's because they want them in .

    If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way .

    There are no insoluble government problems.

    Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

    Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

    They, and they alone, have the power.

    They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses

    provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

    We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

    --taken from unknown source

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Ok, I have heard about enough out of you palm tree huggin, sun lovin', gator chasers! Some of us have to live up north and take care of the rest of the country. We can't just all be a bunch of Sun King's in paradise.

    Not yet anyway!

    I used to live on Matalache Island when I went to school in FL. I remember calling home one Christmas while walking around in my yard shirtless and laughing at my father who was "deicing" his driveway for a party. Why did I ever come back?

    They should really have a strong four letter word for winter.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Rick

    What a great use for a free sample! That couldn't have turned out better for anyone. Pictures look good too.

    It is pretty much a straight paraffinic. We use 10% alkyd just to body it up a little and help keep the transoxide pigments in suspension. We really load our finishes with pigment so if we didn't increase the viscosity a bit you would have an awful lot of settling.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    I respectfully disagree. I believe that all wood should be protected as soon as possible. If for no other reason, it helps to keep environmental contaminants from invading the wood. I have never heard one sound argument for letting the wood "weather naturally".

    To me that concept has always been more of an excuse than a solution regardless of the type of wood in question. When it comes to the discerning customer who pays top dollar for an exotic hardwood such as Ipe, letting it "weather" is not a viable option.

    Think about the furniture in your home. Do you think those who build the furniture let it sit outside for a year before finishing it? How about a brand new cedar home or log cabin? Is it also best to let them weather for a year before offering the wood some protection? What about the wood handles on your outdoor grill? Do they come to you finished, or as raw wood that you are supposed to let "weather" before you finish them?

    If your argument is that Ipe is a hardwood so it is an exception, I would have you look at the wood details on any yacht. These are most often Teak, Ipe or another hardwood species. How many 6 month old yachts do you see cruising around with gray, silver or black wood trim?

    With proper surface preparation, the right finish selection and application methods all wood, hard or soft can be successfully protected immediately after installation. Waiting for the wood to come around to your way of doing things is about like sitting in a race car and waiting for the finish line to come to you. It's just not a winning strategy for anyone.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    I would recommend using the Woodrich Brand Hardwood Wiping Stain.

    I would apply a medium coat to about 3 or 4 courses of wood. Then I would go back and wipe the excess stain off those boards using a dry rag lightly seasoned with mineral spirits. I would repeat that process across the deck, switching to a new rag each time one gets saturated with stain. (Be sure to place stain soaked rags in water to prevent spontaneous combustion.) The application on Ipe is more similar to furniture finishing than normal deck staining.

    You should plan on doing maintenance about twice as often as you would expect with cedar.

    If you call ahead, I can have the product waiting for you in will-call down town STL. If you prefer, you can order online at Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes And have it shipped to your door.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    There are three versions of Woodrich Brand Stains & Sealers. The reason there are three versions is like Ken said, each one has it's caveats.

    Timber Oil is a paraffinic oil based stain. It does carry 10% resin solids but that is primarily to help keep the pigments in suspension. Timber Oil is loaded with the same level of pigment used in Wood-Tux so the coverage rate is far better than you would get with most paraffinic stains. We also use the highest grade of oil available making Timber Oil a very low odor product. Has to be used on dry wood.

    Stain & Seal has a much higher level of resin solids making it a curing finish. It's not as easy to use as Timber Oil but still not very challenging. Again, loaded with pigment, great coverage. Older wood often takes two coats if you want to load it. Can be applied to damp wood.

    Wood-Tux/Wiping Stain is extremely high in both resin and pigment solids. Easy to over apply the first time if you have never worked with a heavy bodied product. Coverage in excess of 200 square feet/gal with a one coat application. Hardwoods coverage in excess of 350 - 400 square feet/gal. Can be applied to wet wood.

    In a sense you can think of them as "oiled down" versions of Wood-Tux but in reality, only the percentage of oil to resin changes. The percentage of pigment and other solids is virtually identical.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Corey

    Woodrich Brand Stain & Seal is very similar to Wood-Tux. It is formulated with a lower amount of resin solids making it easier to apply. It is possible to get the same level of protection by using two coats of Stain & Seal.

    It should be applied wet on wet. Take care not to leave any puddles after the second application. You can find more information on Woodrich Brand Stain & Seal at Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes

    Russell Cissell

    Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes

    636-288-8512

    JOgden reacted to this

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Pete

    By looking at your pictures, I would say the product is over applied. I understand that you brushed and then back padded. Back padding or back brushing are generally used to even out a finish. Your goal with Ipe is to completely take up the excess. For this a dry rag generally works much better. If you find the finish becoming tacky you can season your rag with a bit of mineral spirits.

    I try to explain to people working with Ipe that it is more similar to finishing furniture than staining a deck.

    Feel free to give me a call if you like.

    Russell Cissell

    Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes

    636-288-8512

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Beth

    There are many levels of understanding. What you are saying is 100% correct. Acetone is both on the list and 100% VOC. You do have to add it up when you use it as an ingredient. Scott is also right Acetone comes with a 1:1 exemption. That means that if I were to use it, I would first add it into my total VOC, but then I get to subtract it back out because it has an exemption.

    It's not that it has become any safer, but for political reasons it is overlooked on purpose.

    Another example is I could make a stain with 50% mineral spirits and still legally sell it to you right there in MD. I could not claim it as LOW VOC but I could claim it to be VOC compliant. All I would have to do is pay a "tax" on the percentage that I am over the limit. In that way I can purchase an "exemption" for the additional VOC.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    VOC laws don't necessarily impact all Oil Based products. Formulas laden with mineral spirits were most affected. At one time mineral spirits were a relatively low cost carrier however they are 100% VOC. Products that were lower in pigment and resin solids generally had a higher amount of mineral spirits.

    While there is a small amount of spirits in Wood-Tux (primarily derived from the transoxide pigment dispersion) it has always been very high in Resin and Pigment solids making it very low in VOC.

    In order to make Woodrich Brand Stain & Seal easier to use we formulated it with a lower percentage of resin solids. To keep it low in VOC, rather than use mineral spirits we used the same paraffinic oil that is used in Woodrich Brand Timber Oil.

    My biggest fear for the future of oil based finishes is cost. If trends continue in their current direction, I don't see how it will be cost feasible to use them at all a decade from now. The two most expensive raw materials used in oil based formulations are pigments and (obviously) oil. Generally speaking the pigment market is relatively stable. The "petroleum" market is insane.

    I get really excited each time I hear of some new "breakthrough" in water based formulation. So far though I'm yet to see a complete package that thrills me. It the same old story. If you make something that looks nice and lasts a reasonable amount of time, it is very difficult to maintain. Anything that is reasonably easy to maintain doesn't look that great or last as long.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    I'm not exactly thrilled about price increases myself. Like Scott says, our margins haven't changed (for the better anyway). Unfortunately the cost of everything related to the petroleum industry is up this year. It is amazing how quickly an increase in the price of a barrel of crude will translate to an increase in the cost of even a plastic pail.

    Please note that if you visit Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes the first thing you will see is our Retail Pricing. The site requires you to register as a contractor in order to get the contractor pricing list. In addition, bulk order discounts are available. Any time we can save money processing an order, we pass those savings on to our contractor customers.

    Russell Cissell

    Extreme Solutions, Inc.

    Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes

    636-288-8512

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