those smallish projects ie say a small box or an item that does not have a
large surface.

I've found the best way? to varnish them with a high degree of mirror
finish.

Use the finger to apply the varnish to the item.

No Brush marks,Dust.


--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

charlie b wrote:
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

those smallish projects ie say a small box or an item that does not
have a large surface.

I've found the best way? to varnish them with a high degree of mirror
finish.

Use the finger to apply the varnish to the item.

No Brush marks,Dust.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

And the fingerprints?


There shouldn't be any fingerprints? the varnish when curing forms a pull
together barrier.

I remembered this when I use to make fly fishing rods for people,I always
used the finger to varnish(shellac)the rods as any other method was wasting
varnish.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

those smallish projects ie say a small box or an item that does not have a
large surface.

I've found the best way? to varnish them with a high degree of mirror
finish.

Use the finger to apply the varnish to the item.

No Brush marks,Dust.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

And the fingerprints?

Perhaps a way of uniquely identifying your work.

In the '60s, there was, and perhaps still is, a jeweler
named Bob Winston, out of Arizona IIRC. He used
the Lost Wax Method to create his pieces and had
developed a unique, easily recognized - and PRICEY
style. As many artists have discovered, there's
money to be made in "limited editions" of a work,
and making a rubber mold of an original piece
enabled Mr. Winston to easily make copies of
his originals - in limited editions of course.

Well it seems an unscrupulous "entrepreneur"
would buy one of Mr. Winston's "limited
edition" pieces, make his own mold and copies
and sell them for 25 percent of a Winston
"original"

Mr. Winston, upon learning he was being
ripped off took the scoundrel to court.
There the scoundrel stated that he and
Mr. Winston grown up in the same environ-
ment, had gone to similar schools and
taken classes from the same jewelry
makers. The scoundrel maintained that
since their backgrounds were so similar,
it was no surprise that their jewelry would
be similar, if not identical at times.

The judge bought the scoundrel's line.

So Mr. Winston made another piece for
limited edition sale. BUT - this time
he pressed his fingerprint into the
wax master for the piece. With lost
wax casting - EVERYTHING of the wax
pattern is in the cast metal piece -
inlcuding finger prints.

Within a month of selling the first of
this limited edition piece the scoundrel
was selling his knock offs of it - for
one tenth Mr. Winston's price! Mr.
Winston, using a neighbor's name
and address, ordered a knock off.

Once again he took the scoundrel to
court.

Once again the scoundrel went through
his "similar backgrounds, similar
environments, similar pieces" wrap,
certain, having won the earlier case,
that the judge would rule in his favor.

But this time Mr. Winston handed
the scoundrel an unopened box - with
the scoundrel's return address on
it, along with canceled stamps indicating
that it had been sent via the US Postal
Service - AND a stub for a Return
Receipt Requested - the return
address on the stub being that of
the scoundrel.

Is this a box you mail YOUR limited
edition pieces in?

Scoundrel: Yes

And do you keep your Return Receipt
Request forms to verify that what
you sent was received?

Scoundel" Sure do. Don't want a
customer to burn me
saying they didn't get
the peice they paid for.

Woudl you please open that unopened
box and remove its content.

Scoundrel opens the box and pulls
out a ring.

Would you please tell the court what
you found inside the previously
unopened box?

Scoundrel: It's one of MY latest
limited edtion rings.

Would you please explain to the court
how MY finger print - cast into YOUR
limited edition ring - got there?

That finger print cost the scoundrel
$50,000 and put him out of business.

SO - forget the branding iron logos
or signatures - they're easy to
reproduce. Instead, just press your
thumb print into the finish on your
work - in an out of the way place
of course.

Oh, and avoid changing your thumb
print - with a saw blade for example.

charlie b