May 18, 2009
Dear Journal,
I have convinced my daughter, Marie, to make the following entry. It's a little bit of what her days, working in a finish room, is all about:
I’m working in the shop again, after helping my sister, Vera, for a couple of weeks. On March 16, they were blessed with a little girl, Ella, and I had the privilege to help them – so Mom and baby could rest and recuperate. I still do their laundry occasionally, but maybe not for long anymore.
When I first returned to the shop, after being gone for several weeks, things weren’t going very smooth. It just seemed that everyone wanted something, right now! But we did the best that we could and tried to please everyone.
Right now, we are almost finished with a run of pies, jellies, hickory rockers, and serving trays. Pies and jellies are one of our favorites. They are simple and easy to finish in comparison to the rockers and trays, which are a little more time consuming. It takes more practice at spraying them.
It takes approximately three days to do a run, which consists of 15 big pieces. If there are more than that, it gets too full and I don’t like it as well.
The first day, of these three days, we do the staining. This changes the color of the wood we’re working with. Staining is a very particular part of the job – to make sure there are no scratches, glue, water spots, etc. We also have to make sure everything matches;drawers, fronts, and doors with the piece of furniture; which usually does if it is wiped off properly. Then, if time allows, we like to spray the first coat of varnish on the pieces to seal it.
The second day we do the sanding, which takes most of the day. To do a good job in sanding plays an important part in having a smooth top coat. If it isn’t sanded properly, it won’t get smooth.
The third day, we finish the sanding and then spray on the top coat. Once the top coat is on, it is pushed into a drying room and left alone for four hours. When it is dry, it should have a nice, smooth finish; very pleasing to the customer.
Now it is cleaning time! it is very important to sweep and clean before starting another run. We do not want the furniture to get dirty while it’s still wet.
We are now ready for another run, which is a kitchen!
Marie
Thank you, Marie, for sharing a week of your life.
Marie is 21-years-old now and has joined three other employees on our payroll. She is very much appreciated in our business.
Miriam
(Note: "pies" are pie safes and "jellies" are jelly cabinets)
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