Inside Log Help For Those Into Log Buildings ® Since 1986 Summer, 2019 Vol. 23, No. 2 Published by: Schroeder Log Home Supply, Inc. Art Director: Doug Todd Do-It-Yourself Chink Paint 1101 SE 7th Ave. It’s easy to make your own Log Jam® chink paint on site. And since mixing your own costs 1/3 less than Grand Rapids, MN 55744 buying pre-mixed chink paint, it’s the smart money-saing choice. imply follow the instructions elow, then apply oer any water-based chinking. PREPARATION: 1-800-359-6614 e sure that all chink lines are clean and dry, and free of waxes, mold, milxdew, dust, pollen, and other (218) 326-4434 contaminants. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: 1-800-755-3249 Large Volume ield: approx. gal. mixed) Small Volume ield: approx. 1 uart mixed) (218) 326-2529 1) emoe and set aside 1 gallon of chinking 1) un out entire contents of one 30 o. from a gallon pail. cartridge of chinking into any large plastic 2) dd one gallon of distilled water ack into container such as a clean 1 gal. ice cream WEBSITe the pail. ucket). 3) sing a high iscosity mixing lade 2) dd in pint o.) of distilled water www.loghelp.com aailale at most hardware or paint 3) sing a mixing lade or a typical kitchen stores), thoroughly mix the water and handheld mixer, thoroughly mix the water and chinking. chinking. 4) dd additional water or chinking in small 4) dd additional water or chinking in small In This Edition: increments) to “dial in” your preferred increments) to “dial in” your preferred Do-It-Yourself Chink Paint iscosity. iscosity. Handle Feeding Floetrol®, a common additive used in the paint industry, can be used in place of water, if desired. Resulting mixture will not be Hults Bruk noticeably different. (Floetrol® is a registered trademark of the Akzo Nobel group of companies.) Replacement Handles Meet the Staff: APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Customer Service 1) sing a foam paint rush, paint pad or trowel whicheer you prefer), apply the chink paint and smooth onto the chink line. GLLCA Conference Recap 2) Clean off any drips or runs immediately so they don’t dry on the wood and stain it. July Sales: 3) llow to thoroughly dry. Coer exterior walls with plastic if rainfall is expected within 24 hours after LiquidWood & installation. WoodEpox LifeTime Sale COVERAGE RATES: Through October Joint idth 3/4” 1” 11/2” 2” 3” Restoration Special Lineal eet per 1 gal. 1760 1320 880 660 44 *Tested for compatibility with Sashco’s Log Jam chinking. Always test first if using a different product. What About Using Log Builder or Conceal? Schroeder Log Home Supply, Inc. Sashco only recommends using Log Jam as chink paint, however, Grand Rapids, MN you can use Log Jam chink paint over Log Builder and Conceal. If doing so, always color test in an inconspicuous area first. Tool Talk HANDLE FEEDING By Paul VanKeuren, Customer Service Wooden handles are excellent. On hammers and axes they absorb shock, protecting the user. They are durable when used as a lever, as you would discover while using a peavey, cant hook, or shovel. And they decompose gracefully when accidentally abandoned driers added at the factory to make it dry faster. Raw linseed oil in the woods, unlike fiberglass or plastic. However, wood handles is the same thing as flax oil without any additives. Raw linseed are susceptible to the same forces that lead to the decay of any oil will dry much slower, but is also a more natural product. To other wooden object, log homes included. Water is the enemy. further complicate things, some folks thin their linseed oil with Not only does it lead to the decay of the handle, it can also rust turpentine to aid in penetration. The turpentine then evaporates the metal parts of your tools. To prevent this you need to apply out of the handle depositing the oil further into the wood. something to your handles, and while most handles already come varnished, I argue that a drying oil is the best treatment. Application? Apply liberally to the handle paying extra attention to the end Why treat your handles with oil rather than varnish? grain until refusal. Then let the handle sit out in the sun for a An oiled finish is easier on your hands than a varnished surface, minute or two, and wipe away any excess. There is an old adage and is less slick when wet. This makes it safer for you and those that says you should oil your fresh handles once a day for a week, around you. Oiled finishes also breathe better than varnished sur- then once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and then faces, helping you get moisture out of the handle if any ends up yearly. I think this is over prescribed, but you do want to build getting in. Another benefit of an oiled handle, is the fact that it up a good layer of oil within the wood. swells when treated with oil. This helps the wood form a tighter bond with other parts of the tool like an axe head. Aren’t handles replaceable, why not just buy new ones when needed? Wood handles are replaceable and renewable which are some of their many virtues. However, quality handles are hard to find Hults Bruk Replacement Hickory Handles at your local hardware store, and the prices keep going up. If (haft or helve) for Hults Bruk Axes. Eye Widths and Eye Lengths are you carve your own you can avoid this, but then you still have a provided in case you are looking to use one of these handles with a month of waiting for your freshly carved handle to dry. It is best vintage axe or one from a different forge. Made in Sweden. to care for your tools AND replace/repair as needed. High qual- ity replacement handles are available to order here. What oil should I use? When it comes to treating wood, there are essentially two types of oils, the drying oils and the non-drying oils. Drying oils are oils that cure to a plastic-like state, they include oils like linseed, tung, or walnut. A non-drying oil does not cure, but can evapo- Name & Length Handle Code Eye Width Eye Length Price rate or wash away with time. For tool handles, I recommend Akka - 24" T089-H840772H 15 mm 42 mm $29.00 drying oils as they cure inside the wood making it a more durable T089-H840702H $29.00 material, while also protecting much longer than a non drying Almike - 16" 15 mm 42 mm oil. Traditionally linseed oil has been used. Arvika - 32" T089-H840511H 23 mm 63 mm $49.00 Atran - 32" T089-H840182H 23 mm 63 mm $49.00 Be warned, drying oils heat up as they cure and can burst into Jonaker - 9.4" T089-H840762H 15 mm 42 mm $29.00 flame. Any rags you use to apply drying oils should be burned, Kalix - 28" T089-H840102H 20 mm 50 mm $29.00 or soaked in water and spread out on a hot surface. I’ve heard Kisa - 26" T089-H840722H 20 mm 50 mm $29.00 several stories of folks throwing oil soaked rags in the trash only T089-H840752H $49.00 to have them start on fire and burn down their homes. Motala - 30" 23 mm 63 mm Tibro - 20" T089-H840732H 20 mm 50 mm $29.00 Boiled or Raw? There are two kinds of linseed oil on the market, boiled and raw. Order Online The boiled linseed oil is not actually boiled, but has heavy metal Meet the Staff: Wishing you A Great Summer! Customer Service from left: Chris Kavanaugh, Melody Garza, Paul VanKeuren, Pam Clairmonte, and John Schroeder. 2019 GLLCA CONFERENCE By John Schroeder used in the camps a century ago are still very familiar and used by log builders today—cant hooks, peaveys, axes, and the like. We had a great time with the Great Log Crafters Association Some great, educational presentations included engineering for this spring. An April snow- log structures by Asche Engineering, and dustless wet blasting by storm pushed the scheduled ABS Blast. GLLCA Conference into May, which altered a few plans, but Association members ultimately it was an educa- presented on some craft- tional and enjoyable confer- ing techniques, including ence. One of the outdoor live-edge paneling cut sessions was Mark Weber’s from a curved tree, and an log chain demonstration. He S-Curve log stairway that showed how to chainsaw-carve merged a glue-laminated a large- stringer with half-log stair linked treads. Another great dem- chain onstration was John Belt- out of a solid. The unfinished chain went man’s spring-pole lathe, in up onto the Association’s fundraiser which he turned a Windsor auction, and now it’s sitting in the SLHS chair leg on his lathe pow- lobby as a point of interest. ered by a foot petal and a green wood pole. There were two experiences highlighting the history of logs in the region—a presentation by Lilah Crowe of the Itasca County Preliminary plans are in Historical Society gave an overview of the history of logging and progress for next year’s notable log structures. Later, a visit to the Forest History Center moving, annual conference, of the Minnesota Historical Society gave a living history experi- and those interested in log craft are welcomed to join and watch ence of life in a 1900 logging camp.