Wood Care
The most damaging thing that typically happens to wood is exposure to light. Exposure to
sunlight is the worst, but all light will discolor wood. It will either "yellow" or "bleach" The
wood. The more watts it is exposed to the quicker this will happen. I use shellac as a finish
on all of my pieces. Shellac is the "UV protector" added to thousands of products. It slows
down the effect of light but does not stop it.

Wash all of my wood products with soap and water (do not submerge, or leave piece wet).
The water quality dose matter. Distilled water is the best, water with a high mineral content is
the worst. A gentle soap is the best, NEVER use a soap with any sort of abrasive in it as the
abrasive will remove the finish. To rejuvenate the shine and luster simply apply a fine
furniture wax or bee's wax.

NEVER
* Use anything that comes from a spray can.
The reason why these products leave such a shine is because they are actually strippers.
They remove the top skin of finish until, eventually, they leave the wood unprotected. They
do not "replenish natural oils", nor would you want it to if it could (this would cause the wood
to expand and crack).
* Use anything labeled as "furniture cleaner."
These are almost always strippers too. They work to remove wax build up but can inhibit the
future application of wax.
* Use an abrasive pad.
Doing any of the above mentioned things Voids all warranties, written or implied, even if it is
not the cause of the problem. It destroys the wood making it impossible to salvage.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS
* Electrostatic dusting rags (Be careful not to scratch the piece with the dust being removed.)
* Distilled water
* Clean, white, cotton cloth (Even paper towels are abrasive and will leave tiny tiny scratches that will make the finish look cloudy.)
* Soap: Wood soap, soap for delicate fabrics, or dish soap (Without abrasives of coarse)
* Clear fine furniture paste wax (If it is less than $10.00 a can, it's not good enough. Also, make sure the wax does not contain toluene.) We recommend Black bison. In that order. Cleaning too much can cause damage.

WAX BUILD UP
Wax build up will never occur if the wax is applied properly. Follow the directions on the can.
Wax has a solvent in it that dissolves the old wax when the new wax is applied. Wax build up
usually occurs when the new wax is not "wiped clean". If the new coat of wax can be
smudged with you're finger it needs to be "rubbed out" more. If wax build up does occur use
soap and as a vary last resort, wax remover. If wax remover must be used remember it is a
stripper and can damage the piece, use it sparingly.

DESCRIPTION OF FINISHES
1-Cyanoacrylate (plugs and eyelets)
2-Beeswax (plugs only)

Cyanoacrylate Finish
Cyanoacrylate finish is a wonderfully lustrous and durable finish. Its pore filling ability and hardness make it the perfect finish for wood jewelry.

What is Cyanoacrylate?
Cyanoacrylate adhesive has two mainstream uses; in the household and in the operating room. It is the principal ingredient in most super glues. The medical community uses it to “glue” people back together. For example, this article posted on www.sciencedaily.com from the Baylor College of medicine talks about it being used for vascular surgery. “When you sew blood vessels together for a graft, they sometimes leak.” Said Dr. Alan Lumsden, chief of the vascular surgery section of the Michael E. DeBakey department of surgery. “In this trial, we will seal that leak, or basically “super glue” it together.”

Why should I get a Cyanoacrylate finish?
To answer that question we must examine why wood should be finished in the first place. Wood is a natural product and is in a sense still “alive”. Wood is like a sponge. It is vary porous and likes nothing better than to soak up liquids. The liquid it absorbs causes the wood to expand, just like a sponge, but wood is not as flexible as a sponge. If it absorbs the liquid unevenly it will crack and “check”. Temperature changes make the effect worse because the liquid itself will expand and contract. Woodworker's dry there wood to a 6-8% moisture content before working the wood to prevent checking. Now the problem is how to keep it dry. Two methods have been employed to deal with this. The first method that was used was oil. If the oil was present the water wouldn't get in as much. Being that oil was less harmful then water, oiling the wood was better than nothing, but still, bacteria like to live in oil. Then the film finishes appeared. The woodworker could now “seal” the liquids out. No water, no oil,yippy, minimal movement.

Now we get to Cyanoacrylate. Being that it is an adhesive it starts as a liquid and penetrates deep into the wood, it fills the pores and voids in the wood were bacteria and mold like to grow. It hardens and forms a barrier that starts inside the wood and continues to above the woods surface. With a shell like that moisture exchange is minimized. Additionally it is “glue” and adds strength to the jewelry.

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Beeswax Finish
The Beeswax Finish is 100% pure, all-natural beeswax. It is melted on the wood and polished until it shines. It is a natural product and may cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Unfinished jewelry is available upon request. Please send email to info@eccentricwood.com if you are interested in unfinished jewelry.