Give furniture a face-lift with pretty, decorative papers.

Transform a paneled piece or perhaps kitchen cabinets with wallpaper or other heavyweight paper.  First, choose a pattern to suit the mood you’re looking for.  The pattern possibilities range from soft bedroomy  florals to modern metallics.  Or you could go for a textured effect with faux suede, embossed paper or one that mimics wood or cork.  To do, cut pieces of paper to size and follow manufacturer’s instructions to adhere with decoupage glue.  When dry, coat with polyurethane.

Source:  Family Circle

MODE Racing introduces upgraded polyurethane exhaust hangers for the Mazdaspeed 3 and Ford Focus.  The MODE Racing Urethane Exhaust Hanger set is made from high quality black PolyUrethane. They are designed to help reduce excessive exhaust movement that can lead to rattles and rubbing. Being a direct replacement for the factory units, these hangers will ensure that your new exhaust stays in place even under the harshest of conditions. Set includes 6 hangers.

Available via our webstore, or one of our dealers for the low price of $65.

Despite its nature-boy image, the surfing industry often relies on toxic manufacturing processes and generates tons of waste to make surfboards and other products.

In San Clemente, a start-up company is out to change a half-century of dirty surfboard-making tradition with the worlds first recycled polyurethane board.

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/business/energy-environment/19SURF.html

Hot beverage coasters — tile, cork, rub-ons or stickers, polyurethane, and  industrial strength adhesive

Supplies:

Tiles — any size or color – buy individual tiles at the hardward store (smooth surface is better for rub-ons)
Cork — buy pre-cut or cut to size (I found some pre-cut at the hobby store.)
Rub-ons or stickers of your choice (nothing that sticks up from the surface — no dimension stickers)
Industrial Strength Adhesive (suitable for tile and cork)
Polyurethane (Water based for easy clean up)
Brush (for polyurethane)

1. Clean up tile — make sure there is no dust or finger prints on surface.
2. Let the tile dry then put cork on back of the tile with the adhesive.  Make sure to dry over night before working on the front.
3.  Next day, place the rub-ons or stickers on the smooth (front) surface of the tile.  Make sure they stick before moving on to the next step.
4.  Place one coat of polyurethane over the rub-ons or stickers.  Let dry over night.
5. Place another coat of polyurethane over the rub-ons or stickers again.  Let dry over night.

Once dried then they are ready to be given as a gift or used for hot beverage cups like coffee cups, hot chocolate, or other hot items.  I haven’t tested for other beverage cups.  With the wet surface, I am not sure if the polyurethane that is water based will hold up. 

This is the first time I have made these and did not go by any instructions so it is trial and error.   I did make my Mom and Aunt trivets using the same methods.  I used larger tiles with a more of a rough surface.  They haven’t said if they have worked or not. 

Happy Crafting!!!!

Hot beverage coasters — tile, cork, rub-ons or stickers, polyurethane, and  industrial strength adhesive

Supplies:

Tiles — any size or color – buy individual tiles at the hardward store (smooth surface is better for rub-ons)
Cork — buy pre-cut or cut to size (I found some pre-cut at the hobby store.)
Rub-ons or stickers of your choice (nothing that sticks up from the surface — no dimension stickers)
Industrial Strength Adhesive (suitable for tile and cork)
Polyurethane (Water based for easy clean up)
Brush (for polyurethane)

1. Clean up tile — make sure there is no dust or finger prints on surface.
2. Let the tile dry then put cork on back of the tile with the adhesive.  Make sure to dry over night before working on the front.
3.  Next day, place the rub-ons or stickers on the smooth (front) surface of the tile.  Make sure they stick before moving on to the next step.
4.  Place one coat of polyurethane over the rub-ons or stickers.  Let dry over night.
5. Place another coat of polyurethane over the rub-ons or stickers again.  Let dry over night.

Once dried then they are ready to be given as a gift or used for hot beverage cups like coffee cups, hot chocolate, or other hot items.  I haven’t tested for other beverage cups.  With the wet surface, I am not sure if the polyurethane that is water based will hold up. 

This is the first time I have made these and did not go by any instructions so it is trial and error.   I did make my Mom and Aunt trivets using the same methods.  I used larger tiles with a more of a rough surface.  They haven’t said if they have worked or not. 

Happy Crafting!!!!

© Photographer | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Description:
Free Stock Photo: Polyurethane Scan, liquid print sealer left to try out in drip patterns
Keywords:
background, drip, element, grunge, high, layer, plastic, polyurethane, res, runs, scan, slime

Steve Kahane, President of International Coatings

Most of our customers encounter us at Print-related Tradeshows or come to our textile screen print seminars, but few know that we also have an Industrial Plastic Compounding division.   “Huh?” “ You do what?” are usually some of the responses we get from our screen print customers when we mention our Industrial capacity and capabilities.  So here is International Coatings’ President, Steve Kahane, to explain more of what our Industrial division does:

“When you think of International Coatings products, you are most likely thinking about our screen print inks.  What many people don’t realize is that a significant part of our business is tied to custom industrial compounding.  We’ve been developing specialty plastics and adhesive compounds for over 50 years now. 

We don’t make the end products.  So we don’t mold plastic or produce plastic parts.  We provide the material to the molders, coaters or other manufacturers for them to create their end products.  They provide us the specifications and we develop the materials they need to make their unique products.

Our industrial plastic compounds have been used over the years for a wide variety of applications.  In the 1960’s and 70’s we provided Mattel with paint-type coatings for the Barbie dolls.  You’ve seen our material in movies – we compounded the plastic for the Star Wars helmets.  We provided the Disney Corporation for many years with specialty plastics for their Imagineering Department.  That’s the group that produces many of the specialty characters and life-like robots at the Disney parks.  For many years, we provided the adhesive for Van’s shoes. And for you Legoland buffs, we provided plastic coatings for the fake trees. 

Today, we continue to formulate a wide range of specialty plastics and serve a cross-section of industry.  We produce material for the military and aerospace industries, medical appliances, filters (pool, spa, drinking water, automotive), sports and exercise equipment, replica food, auto parts, marine equipment and toys.

So the next time you’re at McDonald’s and you see what looks like real Cinnamon Rolls on display, think of us!  We formulated the plastic used to make the roll and the glaze.”

Replica Slice Of Chocolate Cake

Conclusions.
Polyurethane material for voice prostheses seems to reduce biofilm stability and infiltrative processes. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009

from Head and Neck

A polyurethane chair-cum-perch by young Italian designer Stefano Soave.

Two fabric collages, heavily quilted and mounted on canvas which was then painted with metallic paints before the fabric itself was covered in clear acrylic polyurethane.  The last step was part of an experiment, to see if the poly would provide a significantly different surface than just putting the pieces behind glass in a regular picture frame.  This does show the intricate stitching patterns better than the glass does.

Indspec Chemical Corp. faces more than $150,000 in state environmental and federal workplace safety fines for the leak in Petrolia, Pennnsylvania in October 2008.  Oleum leaked when a transfer tank overflowed because its pump was connected to an outlet without an automatic shut-off valve.

 Oleum is a harsh reagent, and is highly corrosive.  Oleum is extremely hygroscopic and must be diluted only with approximately 96 % sulfuric acid and not with water (you get a violent reaction!).

Oleum forms sulfuric acid when exposed to air and the cloud forced 2,500 people from their homes for a day. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says Indspec workers often used the outlet without an automatic shut-off valve to save time on weekends, when fewer workers were present.

Indspec is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and is the world’s largest resorcinol producer and the only commercial resorcinol producer in the United States. INDSPEC manufactures resorcinol, resorcinol-based resins and other resorcinol derivatives. INDSPEC also sells high  grade sodium sulfite and sodium sulfate.

Resorcinol is commonly used in manufacturing tires and rubber products, high performance wood adhesives, fire retardant plastic additives, and UV light stabilizers. Resorcinol is also used as a chemical intermediate in the manufacture of dyes and dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, plasticizers and polyurethane chain extenders.

 Indspec is a Responsible Care company.  The term “Responsible Care company” refers to members of the American Chemistry Council, which, as part of their obligations under Responsible Care, submit annual performance data that are made publicly available on the Responsible Care website.  

I suppose Indspec is now going to purchase that automatic shutoff valve.  Mark this one down as a penny saved, many dollars wasted on civil penalties and fines.

If you have been following my posts, you probably know that about a month ago, we were getting ready to contract a paint job for our old Whirlpool refrigerator which has been with us for twenty-nine years.  The poor darling was in a very poor shape and needed a fresh coat of  paint badly.

We had spoken to the representatives of a company called Refri Hogar, S.A. to paint and make minor repairs to our old Whirlpool refrigerator.  They quoted $220.00 which we immediately accepted.  They never kept their word.  Every time we called, the said they would come to pick up the fridge “mañana”.  “Mañana” never materialized.

My wife resorted to the phone book yellow pages and successfuly found another alternative.  This time it worked.  Víctor Gil, a former employee of Sears, quoted $150.00 to do the same job at our house and complete the task in one day.  He kept his word.

Last Wednesday he diligently came at seven o’clock, and at two o’clock he turned in a spotless refrigerator.  I was very impressed with his speed and responsibility.  That’s not very common these day.

So far our ole fridge is working like a Swiss clock and purring like a kitten.  I enjoy looking at its bright white color.  It looks almost like a new appliance.

For posterity, I took a couple of shots to compare the previous state of the appliance before the paint  job, and afterwards.  The difference is dramatic.   This is the visual comparison.

I.  Before the Paint Job

Photograph of our rusty Whirlpool refrigerator. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Notice the rusty spots on the borders of the doors. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Panama humid tropical climate had really taken its toll on our old Whirlpool refrigerator. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

II.  After the Paint Job:

The upper section of the refrigerator recently painted by Victor Gil. (Omar Upegui R.)

All the rust was brushed away and a fresh coat of polyurethane white paint was applied. The difference is dramatic to say the least. (Omar Upegui R.)

Notice how all the rust was removed from the upper section of the appliance. I was impressed with Victor's performance. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Now that this baby has been taken care of, we have agreed with Victor to work on our Westinghouse stove.  Its shape is not so bad, but a good fresh coat of white paint would be great.  When our piggy bank is fat enough, we’ll send our stove to the beauty parlor.  Good Day.

I hummed and hawed over building this.  I had had the idea for months and months, but I was worried it was beyond my capabilities, that I wouldn’t finish on time, was it even safe?  After much reading regarding safety standards I was convinced that my design would pass all requirements, and after a successful dresser revamp, I was confident to give it a try.

I have been a huge fan of flat pack furniture made with a CNC machine such as that found at Unto This Last in London, UK (see here for my mini review).  While I’d love to make furniture this way, I have no clue on how to run a CNC machine, and I certainly don’t have the $25,000+ needed to buy one (It would also take up my entire workshop!!!).  I haven’t let this phase me though, and I often try to make things using the drill press and band saw.  I am debating taking a course in CNC programming and seeing if one could rent the use of a machine.

So I decided similar to my modular book shelf I would make it out of baltic birch (my favourite sheet product) and douglas fir (love the grain, and the price).  To cut out the designs  in the crib face, I had originally planned to use a router and a template. I’d never done this before, and in the end this lack of experience convinced me to try another method.  I think the router method would have worked very well, and one day I’ll likely try it out.  I’ve always hated jigsaws as I find they can’t cut in a straight line, and when taking corners, the blade bends (or breaks!) and you get a horrible cut.  The sheets were far to big to run on the bandsaw, so it seemed like my only solution was hours of frustration with my very cheap jigsaw.  I got fed up with the jigsaw after about 2 seconds, and went to the hardware store to see what my other options were.  On a hunch, I decided that maybe all jigsaws were not created equal, and after a $200 purchase, I came home with a top of the line jigsaw (by Bosch).  Was I ever impressed! This thing could cut as straight and smoothly as my table saw (well practically as good).  It cornered like an Alfa Romeo…

Back to the construction. So the pattern was cut out using a forstner bit on the ends, and the jig saw to connect the two circles to form a rectangle with rounded ends.  For something different, I did an alternating pattern on the end of the crib. The two sides that would be against the wall I left solid, partially out of time constraints, and partially to cover up an electrical outlet and a dirty wall (yes I tried cleaning it, no it didn’t work, although the paint did start to come off…).

After tons of sanding with a palm sander, orbital sander, and by hand, it was ready for finishing.  I went to Windsor plywood to buy all the wood, and they recommended a low VOC water based polyurethane which was important to me as my daughter would be spending much of her early life in this crib.  I was also hoping to seal up the plywood as there are some nasty chemicals used in making plywood which do off-gas, but with a good layer of polyurethane, this would not be an issue.  The fir was stained with some ebony stain which really brings out the grain nicely.  The whole thing is held together with alan key bolts that connect to nuts screwed into the wood.

I’m hoping she’ll use the crib for several years, as there are two height settings for the mattress. Once she is older I plan on removing the back panel and she can have a bed that she is able to climb out of.  The caterpillar front piece is actually the right size for a double bed head board (planned of course….I wish), so in theory this could stay with her for many years.

While I would not trade this crib for anything, nor do I regret the great experience I had building it, I am however shocked by the total final cost of this crib:

Baltic birch = 3 sheets at $55/sheet

douglas fir = $50

nuts and bolts = $30

polyurethane + brushes = $20

Which brings the price to $250 for materials alone. This does not include the 2 router bits ($50), jig saw ($200), forstner bit ($20), drill bits ($10), plywood blade for table saw ($50).  I figure these items I will use over and over again as I bought fairly good quality items. And finally my time, which I probably spent 40+ hours on this (most were so late at night/early in the morning I can hardly remember…)

So, what does a crib from Ikea cost? $100. How long would it take to assemble? 1 hour.  Do I care? Of course not, I have been grinning all day every time I walk past the baby’s room and see the awesome job I did.

taken from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/09/17/09/leyte-town-goes-green-bamboo-taxis

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 09/17/2009 10:07 PM

MANILA – Residents of Tabonton municipality in Leyte thought up a “green solution” for their transport problems by crafting bamboo cars.

The cars or “bamboo taxis” were commissioned by Tabontabon Mayor Dr. Rustico Balderian, reportedly to address the municipality’s need for an alternative mode of transportation to the oft-used but accident-prone “habal-habal” or motorcycle.

The bamboo taxis, assembled by local out-of-school youth, are equipped with a 2-cylinder engine that runs on coconut biofuel, a gallon of which can make the cars run for about 8 hours.

The vehicles are made with 90% bamboo, a strong but flexible grass.

The entire vehicle, apart from dashboard components and mechanical parts, are covered with colorfully designed “banigs” or handwoven rattan mats.

Various reports state that there are 2 bamboo vehicles called Eco 1 and Eco 2. They vary only in seating capacity and design as Eco 1 can seat 20 people while Eco 2 can accommodate 8.

According to an Inquirer report, neighboring mayors have already expressed interest in having bamboo taxis in their own towns. The report said Balderian is also considering mass-producing the novel car.

The report also said that the car’s body is laminated with polyurethane, commonly used in foam, to make it fire-resistant.

Reactions

The bamboo taxi idea has been received with enthusiasm all over the world.

Examiner.com’s Exotic Car reviewer Kae Davis called the vehicle “possibly the most exotic car” because of its unique concept and the “exotic” location in which it was assembled.

“The main question one might tend to ask about such a vehicle first is not about how the car endures monsoon weather or if the little car can actually produce enough speed to get up and go. It’s whether or not, when the car is running, it actually smells like burning fuel or more resembles the fresh and wonderful summer beach day,” Davis wrote.

In a blog post at www.inhabitat.com, Jorge Chapa of the Green Building Council of Australia called the cars “stylish” and “incredible.”

“Bamboo is an incredible material – it is rapidly renewable, environmentally friendly, and does not require a ton of processing for it to be incorporated into designs. But did you know that its tensile strength is just as good as that of steel?” he said.

“This remarkable strength makes bamboo a fitting and exceptionally sustainable material for Tabontabon’s new taxis,” Chapa said in his post.

A similar bamboo car called “BamGoo” was made in Kyoto University, Japan last year. The electric car’s body is made out of woven bamboo.

The Japanese bamboo car can only seat one person and can run some 50 kilometers on fully-charged batteries. Photos sent through feedback@abs-cbn.com.

as of 09/17/2009 10:15 PM

Well I have been experimenting with different kinds of resin/coating to see what would best protect my little cranes for the earrings and, by george I think she’s got it!

From Ume Blog

I tried with several layers of polyurethane and although the cranes kept their paper quality, they were still liable to be bent and deformed if someone wasn’t careful. Then I tried with straight resin and I loved the texture, but the resin warped some of the paper (especially traditional chiyogami paper). So the solution? 1 good coat of polyurethane followed by 1 coat of resin.

From Ume Blog

The resin coating didn’t penetrate the polyurethane, and the colors look very vibrant under the strong gloss of the resin. And the best part? The cranes have become somewhat like plastic. They can be bent a little, but will not break from brittleness… Great for earrings or any other project! Time permitting, I want to turn a few of these into earrings and get them up in the shop by the end of the week.

The following is a problem a follower sent in as a question, while it may be long I thought I should publish the diolog for all to have the benifit of: 

I am posting his question with out contact information for his privacy

From: Antonio  
Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2009 7:10 PM
To: info@annexpaint.com
Subject: needing advice and supplier

Hey guys,

We are a medium sized kitchen manufacturing firm based in the Bahamas.  Stumbled across your forums while looking for advice in solving some problems we are having which also haves us seeking new suppliers for professional finishing products.  Can you offer some input on the following problem?
For most of our darker Cabinetry finishes we stick with basic MagnaLac finishes, working from oil based stains to lacquer sealers then on to lacquer clear coats and the only problem is the occasional white cloudiness that is a pain in the a** to get out, usually this is when we spray in cooler weather, right now we still spray outdoors and have our drying racks indoors.

Now here is where the problem comes,  for our lighter colored cabinetry we stick with waterborne clear coats (minwax polycrylic) over water based stains with no problem but lately we have been trying to use the same clear coat system over waterbased paint.  For some reason we get constant bubbles.  We do everything by the books,  lacquer based (pratt & lambert) white undercoater, 2 coats of water based (benjamin moore) paint then after 24hrs of drying,,, the clear coat,,, and the BUBBLES!! We thought maybe it was reacting to the lacquer primer underneath so we re-prime with water based primer then final coat but still bubbles!! We use a basic compressor system with a devilbiss siphon gun (1.7mm nozzle). 

I know polycrylic is not exactly pro stuff but being a small island we are veryyy limited to the products we have access to, and would have to spend alot on importing tons of different products to test.  What do you think is causing the constant bubbles?  We spray polycrylic straight out the can.

any input would be appreciated.

AAntonio

Here was my reply:

Hi Antonio,

 Thanks for the data, that’s and interesting one, Bubbles come from a number of things usually it is because it is too hot and the top most layer is drying faster than the bottom of the layer which is still off gassing and so you have a gas trying to come through a layer of almost dry material which then forms a bubble.  The common solutions is to use a retarder or spray when it is not quite as hot. Out here in California there are a number of shops that do there spraying at 4 in the morning.

 You might want to try thinning the material down with what ever the manufacture recommends, sounds like just water will do, the next thing is getting a retarder for the material. I have found that regular Lacquer retarder works well as a retarder for water based products. That however is not a manufacture recommendation and would be something you would want to test first. Best Practice is to use the retarder the manufacturer recommends. As a point when adding a retarder to a water based material you should mix the retarder 50 /50 with water first and then add it to the lacquer. And you would use more than about 4% retarder other wise you are

 The White haziness is a similar thing, Moisture entrapment. As the lacquers is evaporating it is cooling down the surface and condensing the moisture in the air which them is trapped in the coating. You can do a few things for that, again adding retarder, or you can heat your materials i.e., the lacquer or you can move into a climate controlled space (sometimes not possible)

 Another thing that can cause bubbling is air pressure too high on your guns, another is a that you have seal leak on your gun on the fluid side that is letting air in to your fluid mix and frothing it up in the can. That doesn’t sound too likely.

Let me know how that goes and if you can send pictures and I’ll post it.

 If you want me to ship you materials I can do that.

 Greg Saunders
ANNEX PAINT
818-439-9297

Design Gaetano Pesce (2007)

The technology of the expanded polyurethane generates products which are always prisoner of their own cast and always have the same form. Shadow is free from this confinement and it is created every time without cast and formal bounds, and at every turn it becomes a different armchair. The polyurethane expands directly in the textile covering following the body shape and it solidifies generating stuff and structure: the covering is always twisted in a unpredictable way.

Dimensions :

120*116*110

Retrouvez l’ensemble de la sélection Forum Diffusion Home & Contract sur

www.forumdiffusion.fr

Design Peter Traag (2004)

Created by foaming the polyurethane directly in the upholstery, lined with a special polyester yarn fabric with a “flucarbon” finish. The upholster y, cut to oversize, crinkles during the cooling phase to adapt to the polyurethane shape, forming unique wrinkles that create an irregular pattern on the armchair.

Dimensions :

75*94*85 assise : 42

Retrouvez l’ensemble de la sélection Forum Diffusion Home & Contract sur

www.forumdiffusion.fr

WORLD records galore have tumbled at the Swimming World Championships in Rome.

But the action has been overshadowed by the row about why all the records – 35 at the last count – have been falling.

Bodysuits made from 100% polyurethane (which I believe is also the main ingredient in a McNugget) have turned swimming into an equipment sport much like Formula 1.

To put it another way, if I was in a 100% polyurethane suit and Michael Phelps was in his birthday suit, I would have a decent chance of beating him.

But this is not the main swimsuit controversy in the sport.

This picture shows Phelps, winner of eight gold medals in Beijing last summer, and behind him Paul Biedermann climbing out of the pool after the 200m freestyle final.

Biedermann, wearing a 100% polyurethane Arena X-Glide suit, had defeated Phelps and his lowly 50% polyurethane Speedo LZR suit.

After the race Phelps said that he looked forward to racing Biedermann when “swimming gets back to swimming”, meaning once the polyurethane suits are banned in January 2010.

But of more concern to the swimming authorities should be that Phelps and Biedermann are both clearly wearing women’s swimming costumes.

Men should swim in shorts or trunks (and even then only in exceptional circumstances, such as the Swimming World Championships).

Regardless of the performance benefits Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would not turn up at Wimbledon wearing skirts.

Andrew Flintoff would not run into bowl in a pair of high heels.

Rio Ferdinand would not play in a crop-top and denim hotpants. Actually he might, so ignore that.

But that is the equivalent of what Phelps, Biedermann and the majority of the male swimmers are doing – they are swimming in drag.

And it is this that is doing the most damage to the sport’s reputation.