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We have certainly had our fair share of wild storms this past month. Our hearts and prayers go out to the many who lost everything in the tornados. On May 22 we had a devastating storm hit not too far from our home which devastated Joplin, MO. It looks like a dump for as far as you can see. The brunt of the storm passed us just two miles to the north of us. Winds here reached 70-80 miles per hour with golf ball size hail. We count ourselves lucky to have dodged a huge bullet. We really appreciate all the calls and emails we received checking on us. We have such great customers!
Really the only good thing Mother Nature provided was a fresh supply of turning wood to be salvaged. The brush dump near our house is literally brimming with prime pickins.
That neighbor you have down the street with the big tree in the yard with the giant burls on it that fell over, I'll bet they will let you have it in return for helping them clean up the mess. Don't just do it for the burl though. We should all help out when and where we can. Helping one another out is just the American way.
Whatever you pick up, be sure to seal the end grain with a good sealer to help prevent checking during the drying process. I use Anchorseal but there are other alternatives that work just as well. Make sure you get the endgrain sealed off good and as soon as possible after cutting to preserve the beauty of the wood. Air dried or kiln dried, there is no difference. The real difference is properly dried and not properly dried, bottom line.
It's warming up outside and it's a great time to get some Polyester Resin pen blanks made up and put away to turn this fall and winter when the weather is too cold to pour resin outside.
We have acquired a source for a high quality casting resin at the right price. We now have the Premium Non-Yellowing Casting Resin for $13.99 per quart or two quarts for $26.00. You will not find it anywhere else for less.
The resin comes in a metal quart can with a 1/2 ounce of hardener. Most sellers give you 1/4 ounce of hardener and you never seem to have enough. With twice as much hardener you are assured to have enough to last for the whole can.
This price is for the resin and hardener only. The price of the full casting kit has lowered also to $29.99 for June. If you need the whole casting kit we have them in stock at www.woodnwhimsies.com/kastkit.html.
If you like to use more catalyst and set things up super quick, we sell the catalyst separately in a one ounce size for $2.85. Warning, using additional catalyst will set your blanks up quicker but will result in a more brittle final product, and the resin may capture a few bubbles in suspension. To help get the bubbles out, set your mixing cup down into some hot water. This will heat up the resin and thin it down so the bubbles come to the top much easier.
We have also added the individual parts of the Kasting Kit to our site. Now if you only need corks, stoppers, molds (in various sizes) or mixing cups there is no need to buy the whole kit anymore or let your Resin go to waste due to lack of the one or two little items.
We also have translucent and opaque dyes in stock for coloring your resin. They are Castin' Craft brand and are great for giving your custom casted blanks just the right amount of bling. The dyes will be here on Monday, 6 June and Tracey will get them on the site as quickly as she can.
Tracey's Two Cents Worth:
No Need to have both barrels loaded when you send a note if you feel you have an issue.
We try extremely hard to make sure what you receive is exactly what you ordered. There are times when you may get a kit with a missing piece or Tim goofed (because surely it can't be me!)and pulled or packed the wrong item. (We switch duties to keep on our toes) A quick email with your Order or Sale number and issue, I promise, will get you taken care of quickly. I know you'd rather spend 2 hours turning than two hours composing an Essay full of zingers because you think that is the only way you'll get resolution. We are absolutely NOT that type of company. I handle all the complaints myself from reading, checking against your original order, which I keep for several months, to packing, labeling and putting in the mail. It's that important to me and honest, I am happy to take care of an issue with a short sweet note. So don't fret if you need to contact us and don't think you have to have gotten an A+ in your creative writing class during your High School days to let us know you need assistance. We'll make it right because happy customers are repeat customers. Without you, our pack of 9 (Yes there are 8 other 4 legged babies in our home besides, but I guess we all know who daddy's favorite is) don't get any kibble!
Thanks and keep those Inlay suggestions coming! | 
