Stripping and waxing

Naked: The handsome Edo Rocking Chair by Thos. Moser
Ahah!
Now someone would like to know how to stain and finish some furniture, rather than paint.
Well I say....
If you are going to strip paint off, then BioPaints also do a stain and clear finish.
But you could also think about what to do after you have stripped the paint back. The timber might already be a lovely color in which case you can skip the stain. If you want to stain, there are more natural alternatives...like black coffee!!
Then.. do you really need to varnish? You might consider leaving the timber raw.. it has a lovely feel and a bed doesn't get the same workout as, say, a floor or a chair... the parts usually in contact are covered by a mattress!
or what we did on a beautiful 150 year old kauri pine floor, was to sand it, apply a polish made of equal parts of boiled linseed oil (you buy it boiled), turps and vinegar, and then wax it. The result was beautiful and hardwearing.

So my suggestion..
1.Sand back the furniture (do it outside and wear a dusk mask!!)
2. Rub down the wood with turps to clean it up.
3. mix in an old jar equal parts turps, boiled linseed oil and white vinegar, (no need to heat, just put on the lid and shake vigourously) You can also add essential oil for extra yummy smells eg eucalyptus, lemon or lavender.
4. Rub this runny stuff into the furniature. It may make the timber darker. Let it soak in. Do a couple of coats for best effect.
5.The next day you can finish it off with a natural beeswax furniature polish... you can still get it in some shops or on-line or make your own: in an old metal pot break up some natural beeswax, if you want a harder polish add a small portion of Carnauba Wax, say 1 part to 15, pour pure (not mineral) turpentine over the top to cover , then put the whole pot in another pot of water on the stove(ie. make a double boiler). Mix it all together as it melts. Should be the consistency of unrefrigerated butter. Vary the turps to make the consistency.
6. Rub the beeswax polish on and then get a workout by buffing it by hand or find your gandma's old floor polisher to do the big bits!

Largest Flowering plant on earth MAKES GREAT PAPER

This tree is a Eucalyptus Regnans The tallest hardwood tree and largest flowering plant on earth. I guess all that timber must make lots of paper, and Gunns must have thought the same, as they are unashamedly clearfelling masses of ancient Regnans in Tasmania.

To find out more, read at this very interesting article from The Monthly, May 2007, available online.

If Tasmania is to far to go and make protest, take some cyberaction at the Wilderness Society Cyberactivist Site.

May the trees be happy.

Study architectue and forestry simultaneously!

The 4th August broadcast of By Design (ABC RN) featured the design of buildings which create less waste in their construction process.
It is available for mp3download or perusal .
Peter Graham, from the University of New South Wales Environment and Sustainability Research Group, spoke.
One of the most interesting notions was a joint project the UNSW is doing with a university in Japan. This university runs a course in architecture and forestry. So both professions become more knowledgeable in each field.. What a GREAT idea!

Meanwhile I have found 2 more good websites on sustainable materials choices,
one which is from the US, and slightly outdated, but the theory in there is helpful, and a nice idea for a website...
AIA Sustainable Design Resource Guide

The other is Eco-Find : based in Victoria but useful for all Australia, it allows one to search for particular products by category and area. It is not as credible as the Ecospecifier, however on first use it seems quite sound.

WEBSITE REVIEW: Good Wood Guide

Greenpeace have just launched their Good Wood Guide.
It is not quite finished, but will give you some ideas about where to start looking for sustainable timber. It's a really difficult project, as truly knowing if wood is good means knowing the entire process from the tree to the piece of timber. This was the idea behind FSC timber. However FSC timber producers are only just starting up in Australia, so generally any FSC timber you would be purchasing would be imported from overseas.
The Rainforest Information Centre's NSW Good Wood Guide was really awesome but sadly it is now out of date, and no funds to update it. However it has great background information to help you understand the real issues of purchasing sustainable timber.
My answer is to use secondhand wherever possible! Flooring, windows and doors especially are easy, and so much cheaper, if not free!!

TIPS: recycled paper

TREES: Worth the chop for a note?
I had a question about recycled paper from Leigh. He asked:
Our Institution has a contract with Xerox for our paper. We must be clear felling an acre a month around here. Can you recommend me THE most sustainable office paper on the market today? And then, the best that Xerox can do?
I had wondered about this a while ago and ended up starting a green paper co-op through the Wilderness Society Newcastle. We used the joint buying power of the wilderness society and Newcastle University to buy in bulk the paper we researched as the best. Buying in bulk made the paper available at a comparable rate to bleached virgin forest paper.
Our conclusion on the best paper was confirmed by the wonderful people at SCRAP.
I refer you to the scrap website for their catalogue
and also from the copy paper catalogue page, all the further information you need on choosing the best paper.
Our choice was Evolve office, 100% post-consumer recycled copy paper, may contain some pre-consumer content, oxygen bleached. Guaranteed for high volume copying, printing and double siding. Made in England.
Our only issue with this paper is that it is made in England, creating transport issues. However, it does claim to have Australian paper content. I was confused by this and asked Peter Carroll from SCRAP for clarification:
Moi:
A few people have been wondering about Australian v Imported paper.
From looking around it seems that Green Wrap (by Fuji Xerox) is the most forest
friendly from Australia.
but then somehow Evolve is connected to Australia? :
can you explain the SCRAP newsletter Term 1 2003 p6 "Questions for
consideration" which says:
"15200 tonnes of Australian copy paper consumed in the collection area
of the UK mill producing evolve"
This means to me UK imports Aust paper and re-uses as part of general
office paper re-use...how can they know that?
Obviously Evolve is the best paper, but we would like to encourage
australian production.. we would probably involve a little campagn
with this paper co-op and it would be nice to send letters to all the Aussie
companies we reject and a letter of congratulations to the one we choose!


Peter:
Hi Jo,

The Evolve evidence on UK usage of Australian paper is drawn from reputable
industry sources including the mill (Paperlinx) themselves. The assessment
that some of this paper (once used and recycled in the greater London area)
ends up in Evolve is somewhat more speculative and cannot be proven although
it is highly unlikely that none of it reaches the Evolve furnish. The
quantities cannot be proven but the fact that it is there is pretty certain.
It is good to know that we are providing the best info.

On the matter of research into Australian paper -
Dont be fooled by third party efforts like Fuji Xerox's Green Wrap. It has
barely any postconsumer content and is chlorine bleached at Shoalhaven.

As for writing letters to Australian companies - there is only one producer
so it should be a short letter writing campaign - better in my view to
concentrate on building your co-op so you have some strength through
purchasing.

We look forward to your business.

Regards
Peter
SCRAP (School Communities Recycling All Paper) Ltd
C/o Holsworthy High School Huon Cr, Holsworthy 2173
Ph: 02 9825 1062 Fax: 02 9825 6972 ABN 40 079 741 227

So my answer to your question is, Evolve Office is the best.
Xerox' best offer is "Green Wrap" although it is not as GREEN as it would like to seem.

INFO: pump-in insulation and recycled timber

INSULATION
Pump-in insulation (also know as cellulose fibre insulation)is a great insulation choice for ceiling insulation.
Made of recycled paper, into a fluffy fibre form which is pumped into your roofspace by a truck on the road.
I like it becasue it is made from a recycled material, is healthy (especially compared to fibreglass insulation), and is cheap.
It works by trapping air between the fibres of fluffy paper mulch. The only disadvantege of this insulation is over time the fibres settle and the air trapping pockets reduce and finally dissapear so in 5-20 years you will need to have the job re-done.
There is also a brand which adds wool fibres to the mix. They claim this makes it stay fluffy for longer and improves the warmth. It costs a fraction more.
With any building project, it usually pays to get at least 2 quotes. I usually get 3. Measure the area of the ceiling you want to insulate ( the easiest way is to measure the floor!). Then find "Insulation contractors" in the yellow pages and ring afew who offer "pump-in" or "cellulose fibre" insulation. Ask for quotes for the area you want done. Don't commit to any of them until you have made your choice! Sometimes they can be pushy!
RECYCLED TIMBER
One of the best things to do is borrow a ute or trailer for the weekend and look up where the local council pickup is on at. (This weekend it is The Hill area). Go for a
drive and have a scavenge! Other free secondhand timber you could obtain from your local online freecycle site newcastle freecycle or freecycle generally. Also there is a similar site for buy,sell or trade.
Second hand building yards and tip shops ( shop associated with landfill tips) also sell recycled timber at varying prices.
Sadly second-hand building yards are dissapearing. Look them up under "building materials-secondhand" in the yellow pages.

WEBSITE REVIEW: One Stop Timber Shop

The One Stop Timber Shop is an Australian website which aims to help you chose the most environmentally responsible timber for your building works.
It is run from The Wilderness Society, so you can be assured this information is genuine. Indeed, the stance is a firm one. Lucky that one of the people who set up this site, Andrew Walker-Morrison, also is involved in ecospecifier.
The information is all relevant to the realities of building and design.
It is also easily navigable.
The site offers:
() information and advice on every kind of timber building product
() examples of buildings made with good timbers,
() suppliers and installers in your local area
() news items
() environmental information
() expert advice... where you can email in your questions to be answered by professionals.

Bookmark this one for sure!