Solvents for Woodworking & Timber in Namibia

The catalogue states it neatly: raw is thinner with easy absorption, boiled thicker and slower — practically, raw feeds deep into dense or aged timber (first coats, restoration), boiled builds surface and dries in workable time (topcoats, maintenance). Cut first coats with turpentine on thirsty stock. Neither is a UV shield; they are feeders and beautifiers.

Completely real and locally worse: linseed-oiled rags self-heat as they cure, and Namibian dryness turns a bundled rag into ignition hours later — workshops have burned for a wastebasket. The rule is flat: rags dry flat outdoors or drown in a sealed water tin, every session, no exceptions, and it goes in the induction speech.

Three jars and patience: turpentine for oil-based (two-stage — dirty jar then cleaner jar, letting the dirty settle for reuse), methylated spirits for shellac, lacquer thinners for lacquers — never cross-contaminated, because yesterday’s oil in today’s spirits ruins tomorrow’s french polish. The settle-and-decant habit halves solvent consumption.

Water content: shellac dissolved in wet spirits blushes and rings — the classic french-polish heartbreak — and our methylated spirits runs consistent and dry enough for finishing work. Buy fresh for fine work (opened bottles pull moisture even here), and keep the finishing bottle separate from the burner-and-cleanup supply.