Easy; That Hand Rubbed Look//and CA Highway Robbery

So I decided to use this Penofin Marine Oil Finish stuff. It is reputed to be good, and proclaims itself to be The Best. It also says, right there on the can, "for that hand rubbed look".

That implies that you just put the finish on as normal and that's all there is to the hand rubbed look. Well, on the back of the can there is much information. Included in all that fine print are the instructions on what one must do to achieve "that hand rubbed look".

Surprise! What you do if you want more of the hand rubbed look than normal is to apply however many coats it takes with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. You hand rub the stuff in. I'd never have guessed that to achieve that hand rubbed look you actually have to hand rub it.

They trust you, so they tell you the inside scoop. You just have to repeat the process until all the fibers are fully --something---penetrated, I think. And all the gaps filled. Wood work is sexy work.

It is like a product that promises that wind blown look, then on the back of the shampoo bottle it tells you to tie yourself to the Card Sound bridge in the Keys during a hurricane.

Even so, the Penofin Marine is good stuff. Oh, but did I mention you have a wait a long time between these 400 grit rub sessions? You do the deed, the rub off all the excess with "clean" cloths" (yea right), which actually leaves it dry to the touch, but it is a trick so you let it dry a few hours, or better yet over night. Rosewwod oil from trees chopped down by virgins is tricky stuff.

I've applied maybe five coats of hand rub to a couple of different pieces, and am just now getting toward that hand rubbed look. Am I patient, persistent, artistic, or just plain nuts?

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Holy smoke!! Talk about highway robbery!! I just received my official renew your registration notice from the greedy state of California. I've bought more than one car in the past for what they charge to renew a single license plate. Apparently they decide what your car is worth, then charge you accordingly. Another of those progressive taxes.

It is odd that in a state which doles out more welfare than any other, that they would institute taxes which hurt those with least money most of all. If you were to give a person of meager means a car, you'd be sending him to the poor house if California decided it was worth more than ten grand, or less I guess.

Everywhere else just charged a set renewal fee because they already nailed you when you registered it the first time. This was an unexpected couple of hundred plus. That's what you pay for good weather, seaside and nice country. Maybe since so little else is wrong people decided to bankrupt the place and make things a little more interesting. It's human nature. Just being free in a good place isn't enough. Have to find ways to complicate it and create drama.