Quilt Patchwork Patterns

Repairing Glassware Scratches

Everyone will come across this issue and some point or another. A favoured piece of glassware has been dropped or just mishandled and has picked up some ugly marks and scratches. Most people just chuck the offending item away, or hide it in a dark corner, even though it can be repaired with not much effort at all. You just need the right tools and right knowledge.

1.) Don’t use harsh abrasives to try and rub the scratch out. This may work on wood, but on your favorite whisky glass, you’ll end up with a horrible opaque patch that will look even worse and be even more difficult to remove. Cerium oxide is the very fine abrasive that professionals as this is much kinder to the glass. This can be picked up from most good jewelers.

2.) A polishing wheel is the next thing that you’ll need. This is a kind of buffing pad that can be attached to a drill and in combination with the fine abrasive, will gently buff out the scratch. Make sure you clean the polishing wheel first as any dirt in it will just lead to more scratching. The drill only needs to be used on the slowest speed setting usually as higher speeds can cause damage. Crystal glass is stronger and so can withstand higher spin speeds.

3.) For more serious scratches that cut deep into the glass, you’ll need more than a polishing wheel. Special resin is often used for serious scratches and this can be found at most hardware stores or glassware specialists. You’ll need to ensure that the resin you use has the same refractive index as the glass, otherwise it will stand out like a sore thumb, especially on crystal vases and glassware. When you have laid on the resin, the buffer and abrasive can be used to get a consistent finish and get the glass sparkling.

Waxing The Base Of A Snowboard Properly

If you have the pleasure of owning your own snowboard, you’ll want to make sure it gets the best treatment. Part of looking after a board is giving it a regular waxing. The reason you wax the board is not to increase grip like waxing surfboards, but instead to make the board more slippery and faster on the slopes. The wax on a snowboard actually soaks into the base when it is applied. When you ride on the snow the wax actually causes a melting effect, so essentially you end up planing on a micro-thin water layer. Here is how to wax your board properly

Remove previous coat. You need to make sure the board is clean and the base is exposed before you apply new wax. You can do this by scraping the wax away from you using a plastic scraper tool. You may want to use a hair-dryer to soften the wax and base cleaner which you can get from a snowboards shop. Avoid using anything metal to do this job however as you risk doing permanent damage to the underside of the board.

Iron on the wax. Get an old iron at try to use a heat that melts your wax at a gentle pace. cotton is ironed at the same temperature so you can use this as an indicator. Touch the wax against the irons base when you have the optimum heat and drip it around the bottom side of board. Now iron the board directly and move it all around so that every inch has a thin wax coating.

Finishing. After around 30-35min cooling time, you can now work on finishing the board. This is done by rubbing down the wax layer with a new cloth and bringing it to a nice shine. Then finally brush over it with a hard-bristled brush and remove and built up areas of wax, before buffing again. Now your ready for some extreme sports action