Question:

I’m curious if anyone can answer a quick question regarding Contact Master for Simply Accounting (2003 version).  As far as I know, they aren’t offering support for this program any more.  My question is as follows: in the customer record, under the "notes" tab, the default sorting is by category (we use this to log phone calls and correspondence).  Is it possible to sort this by date?  It seems only logical that the most recent entry should appear at the top (or at least at the bottom).  I can’t find any logic in the sorting order at all – new entries seem to appear somewhere below the middle of the list. Thanks in advance, Chris L.

No, Sorry you’re out of luck….

Response:

I’m curious if anyone can answer a quick question regarding Contact Master for Simply Accounting (2003 version).  As far as I know, they aren’t offering support for this program any more.  My question is as follows: in the customer record, under the "notes" tab, the default sorting is by category (we use this to log phone calls and correspondence).  Is it possible to sort this by date?  It seems only logical that the most recent entry should appear at the top (or at least at the bottom).  I can’t find any logic in the sorting order at all – new entries seem to appear somewhere below the middle of the list. Thanks in advance, Chris L.

Response:

I’m curious if anyone can answer a quick question regarding Contact Master for Simply Accounting (2003 version).  As far as I know, they aren’t offering support for this program any more.  My question is as follows: in the customer record, under the "notes" tab, the default sorting is by category (we use this to log phone calls and correspondence).  Is it possible to sort this by date?  It seems only logical that the most recent entry should appear at the top (or at least at the bottom).  I can’t find any logic in the sorting order at all – new entries seem to appear somewhere below the middle of the list. Thanks in advance, Chris L. (P.S. apologies if this gets posted twice – didn’t seem to go the first time.)

Response:

Question:

Anyone with accounting experience or accounting knowledge can introduce the following duties in details: -Data Entry, -Bank Reconciliation, -Filing, -Payroll, -Sales Tax Reports, I just want to know if accountants use accounting softwares to deal with them. Hope you can explain those detailedly.Thank you very much!

Response:

Anyone with accounting experience or accounting knowledge can introduce the following duties in details: -Data Entry, -Bank Reconciliation, -Filing, -Payroll, -Sales Tax Reports,

Maybe what you need is to get yourself down to your local book store and get a book on basic accouting.   Also you may want to look into having an outside service do your payroll.   —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone with accounting experience or accounting knowledge can introduce the following duties in details: -Data Entry, -Bank Reconciliation, -Filing, -Payroll, -Sales Tax Reports, I just want to know if accountants use accounting softwares to deal with them.

Some do, but software costs money. Not for filing, however. Whether to use software for an operation depends on how many transactions you have to deal with. If you only have a 5 employee payroll, it isn’t worth the extra expense. If you have to pay 200 people, then it would be. I used to do a five person payroll by hand using a one-write system(pegboard) and it took me about 15 minutes. The same reasoning applies to bank recs and tax returns. Software and hardware cost money. Joe Bruno Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want peace, prepare for war) Ancient Roman Motto Visit my web page for pictures, music, and accounting services http://www.msnusers.com/Joepictures2008/shoebox.msnw

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone with accounting experience or accounting knowledge can introduce the following duties in details: -Data Entry, -Bank Reconciliation, -Filing, -Payroll, -Sales Tax Reports, I just want to know if accountants use accounting softwares to deal with them. Hope you can explain those detailedly.Thank you very much!

Some accountants do. However, software costs money. If you are working on a 5 or 6 person payroll, it would be cheaper to do it manually. If you have a 100 employee payroll, you’d want the extra speed of the software. I used to prepare a 6 person payroll using a one-write system in about 15 minutes. Joe Bruno Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want peace, prepare for war) Ancient Roman Motto Visit my web page for pictures, music, and accounting services http://www.msnusers.com/Joepictures2008/shoebox.msnw

Response:

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Okay. I thought by what you meant hat you were just blowing things off so you wouldn’t have to deal with them. You were just being cautious and prudent instead. You had moral and rational standards, that’s good. Regardless of moral and rational standards, there are times when all a small scale CPA can do is walk away.  People who launder money have been known to shred more than files.  This is an area to approach with EXTREME caution. Whoa. Do you mean you feared for your safety? That is something out of the ordinary. Dang, Why couldn’t I have majored in something else?

When "Tony Soprano" drops by, you want to be somewhere else, whether you’re running an at-the-edge-of-legal "Gentleman’s Club," or a sporting goods store that is getting messed around with because one of the staff is using delivery trucks to move drugs. There are any number of reasons why just about any sort of small business can wind up associated with "underworld" folk, even if it’s not an obvious sort of nefarious business.  Gambling debts can get people into trouble, and "involved with the devil." And if a client is dealing with dangerous people, you may not want to have anything to do with discovering what’s _really_ wrong about the situation.  Figuring out that there’s $300K of money laundering taking place is well and neat, but you don’t want the police forensics department to be looking for evidence about how you met with "foul play." If you find a $40K fraud, that may be pretty nifty, and few are likely to get _too_ violent over that.  But $4M is a tidy sum that may be worth shredding "more than just files." — http://cbbrowne.com/info/linuxdistributions.html Rules of the Evil Overlord #66. "My security keypad will actually be a fingerprint scanner.  Anyone who watches  someone press a  sequence of buttons or dusts  the pad for fingerprints then  subsequently tries to enter  by repeating  that  sequence will  trigger  the alarm  system." <http://www.eviloverlord.com/

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Okay. I thought by what you meant hat you were just blowing things off so you wouldn’t have to deal with them. You were just being cautious and prudent instead. You had moral and rational standards, that’s good. Regardless of moral and rational standards, there are times when all a small scale CPA can do is walk away.  People who launder money have been known to shred more than files.  This is an area to approach with EXTREME caution. Whoa. Do you mean you feared for your safety? That is something out of the ordinary. Dang, Why couldn’t I have majored in something else?

When "Tony Soprano" drops by, you want to be somewhere else, whether you’re running an at-the-edge-of-legal "Gentleman’s Club," or a sporting goods store that is getting messed around with because one of the staff is using delivery trucks to move drugs. There are any number of reasons why just about any sort of small business can wind up associated with "underworld" folk, even if it’s not an obvious sort of nefarious business.  Gambling debts can get people into trouble, and "involved with the devil." And if a client is dealing with dangerous people, you may not want to have anything to do with discovering what’s _really_ wrong about the situation.  Figuring out that there’s $300K of money laundering taking place is well and neat, but you don’t want the police forensics department to be looking for evidence about how you met with "foul play." If you find a $40K fraud, that may be pretty nifty. — http://cbbrowne.com/info/linuxdistributions.html Rules of the Evil Overlord #66. "My security keypad will actually be a fingerprint scanner.  Anyone who watches  someone press a  sequence of buttons or dusts  the pad for fingerprints then  subsequently tries to enter  by repeating  that  sequence will  trigger  the alarm  system." <http://www.eviloverlord.com/

Response:

Affirmative on that. There is an inversely proportional relationship between culpability and fiduciary responsibility. The less responsibility you have the faster you burn. That why big firms hire lots of raw "just out of college" accounts. They have to stock up the cannon fodder incase the cat jumps out of the bag. Ever notice that those accountants sort of move off to the next job with little fanfare or kudos. Once they get a little experience and figure out the game they bail. Steve – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – With all of the problems the big firms have, I can certainly see the sense in trying to make sure first year accountants aren’t running around accusing clients of money laundering, or taking it upon themselves to call in the FBI.  I can also see some of the staff that I’ve worked with doing just that. Especially in this day and age.  I am sure we are likely to see staff participating in more whistle-blower type activities. Good staff input is vital, however mature vetting and handling is also vital.  Integrity issues can be very volatile. Extremely volatile, Jim. Even more so than the equities markets. Can easily get completely out of hand and blow up in your face. Which is why I like involving the law enforcement authorities as soon as one can confirm "reasonable assurance" of the existence of relevant deeds. Of course many law enforcement authorities are not keen on jumping in, and this means work and uncertain political outcomes. But at least they are already paid by all the taxpayers so their direct "fees" tend to be low. Many Big X forensic consultants here often still recommend that their clients NOT file criminal changes against managers caught perpetrating white collar crime. The publicity can damage the reputation of the client. Filing such charges against rank and file employees, however, meets with much more general approval by the same consultants. A. Lucien Meyers, CIA, CMA — If you receive this by error, please delete it and inform the sender. PGP Key fingerprint=F1C0 D9AE 1B18 1405 4DFA  B4CC 6DC7 FF78 C76E FB15 To Big Brother Echelon from "spook": GWB Rumsfeld cracking Soviet Sharon FSF kibo Afghanistan Qaddafi anthrax

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What to do if you suspect money laundering 17.17 [cs] If you identify what you believe is a suspicious transaction, you must immediately report it to the engagement partner and [name].  You must not, under any circumstances, challenge or disclose your suspicions to the client or to any party without prior authorization. So says Grant Thornton for the benefit of Grant Thornton. An honest person cannot tell anyone with all certaintanty what should or should not be done in such a situation. IMHO it depends on the situation and is a judgement call in the end. There are many actions that an accountant can take such as: 1. consult with an attorney, 2. write a memo and send one to the engagement partner and someonelse in the firm, and a copy to a safe deposit box reserved for that purpose. 3.  If an accountant is threatened then further steps are required which involve the proper law enforcement authorities, if one so decides. A CPA has the choice of either terminating the relationship or dealing with the client. In one situation a CPA thought it best to terminate the relationship but it took 2 years before the client actually left! That meant two long years of continued service. And even then the former client resurfaced in the role as a ‘debt collector’ that proved much more stressful. If you are a professional staff person your situation could be all the more precarious. The best and take care.

Sounds like the voice of experience. — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA   http://survivalworks.com

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What to do if you suspect money laundering 17.17 [cs] If you identify what you believe is a suspicious transaction, you must immediately report it to the engagement partner and [name].  You must not, under any circumstances, challenge or disclose your suspicions to the client or to any party without prior authorization. So says Grant Thornton for the benefit of Grant Thornton. An honest person cannot tell anyone with all certaintanty what should or should not be done in such a situation. IMHO it depends on the situation and is a judgement call in the end. There are many actions that an accountant can take such as: 1. consult with an attorney, 2. write a memo and send one to the engagement partner and someonelse in the firm, and a copy to a safe deposit box reserved for that purpose. 3.  If an accountant is threatened then further steps are required which involve the proper law enforcement authorities, if one so decides. A CPA has the choice of either terminating the relationship or dealing with the client. In one situation a CPA thought it best to terminate the relationship but it took 2 years before the client actually left! That meant two long years of continued service. And even then the former client resurfaced in the role as a ‘debt collector’ that proved much more stressful. If you are a professional staff person your situation could be all the more precarious. The best and take care. Sounds like the voice of experience.

But less than 1/2 the experience of you, Jim. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA http://survivalworks.com

Response:

What to do if you suspect money laundering 17.17 [cs] If you identify what you believe is a suspicious transaction, you must immediately report it to the engagement partner and [name].  You must not, under any circumstances, challenge or disclose your suspicions to the client or to any party without prior authorization.

So says Grant Thornton for the benefit of Grant Thornton. An honest person cannot tell anyone with all certaintanty what should or should not be done in such a situation. IMHO it depends on the situation and is a judgement call in the end. There are many actions that an accountant can take such as: 1. consult with an attorney, 2. write a memo and send one to the engagement partner and someonelse in the firm, and a copy to a safe deposit box reserved for that purpose. 3.  If an accountant is threatened then further steps are required which involve the proper law enforcement authorities, if one so decides. A CPA has the choice of either terminating the relationship or dealing with the client. In one situation a CPA thought it best to terminate the relationship but it took 2 years before the client actually left! That meant two long years of continued service. And even then the former client resurfaced in the role as a ‘debt collector’ that proved much more stressful. If you are a professional staff person your situation could be all the more precarious. The best and take care.

Response:

What to do if you suspect money laundering       17.17 [cs] If you identify what you believe is a suspicious transaction, you must immediately report it to the engagement partner and [name].  You must not, under any circumstances, challenge or disclose your suspicions to the client or to any party without prior authorization.

Response:

What to do if you suspect money laundering 17.17 [cs] If you identify what you believe is a suspicious transaction, you must immediately report it to the engagement partner and [name].  You must not, under any circumstances, challenge or disclose your suspicions to the client or to any party without prior authorization.

Which is exactly what I have told my employees under similiar circustances – tell me and otherwise keep their mouths shut. — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA   http://survivalworks.com

Response:

Which is exactly what I have told my employees under similiar circustances – tell me and otherwise keep their mouths shut. Warm up the shredder, right?

Not at all. The object is to make the case – not make a mess. Or be made a mess of – money laundering cases can be dangerous. — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA   http://survivalworks.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Which is exactly what I have told my employees under similiar circustances – tell me and otherwise keep their mouths shut. Warm up the shredder, right? Not at all. The object is to make the case – not make a mess. Or be made a mess of – money laundering cases can be dangerous. So you mean you are prudent. You make them wait until you have enough information to make a case, and to check and see if things are really truly happenings.

That is exactly what I mean. Not only do I want to see "IF" things are happening, I want to see "HOW" they are happening.  That is much easier "BEFORE" the perp know I’m aware. — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA   http://survivalworks.com

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Which is exactly what I have told my employees under similiar circustances – tell me and otherwise keep their mouths shut. Warm up the shredder, right? Not at all. The object is to make the case – not make a mess. Or be made a mess of – money laundering cases can be dangerous. So you mean you are prudent. You make them wait until you have enough information to make a case, and to check and see if things are really truly happenings. That is exactly what I mean. Not only do I want to see "IF" things are happening, I want to see "HOW" they are happening.  That is much easier "BEFORE" the perp know I’m aware.

With all of the problems the big firms have, I can certainly see the sense in trying to make sure first year accountants aren’t running around accusing clients of money laundering, or taking it upon themselves to call in the FBI.  I can also see some of the staff that I’ve worked with doing just that.

Response:

With all of the problems the big firms have, I can certainly see the sense in trying to make sure first year accountants aren’t running around accusing clients of money laundering, or taking it upon themselves to call in the FBI.  I can also see some of the staff that I’ve worked with doing just that.

Especially in this day and age.  I am sure we are likely to see staff participating in more whistle-blower type activities. Chris

Response:

With all of the problems the big firms have, I can certainly see the sense in trying to make sure first year accountants aren’t running around accusing clients of money laundering, or taking it upon themselves to call in the FBI.  I can also see some of the staff that I’ve worked with doing just that. Especially in this day and age.  I am sure we are likely to see staff participating in more whistle-blower type activities.

Good staff input is vital, however mature vetting and handling is also vital.  Integrity issues can be very volatile. — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA   http://survivalworks.com

Response:

With all of the problems the big firms have, I can certainly see the sense in trying to make sure first year accountants aren’t running around accusing clients of money laundering, or taking it upon themselves to call in the FBI.  I can also see some of the staff that I’ve worked with doing just that. Especially in this day and age.  I am sure we are likely to see staff participating in more whistle-blower type activities. Good staff input is vital, however mature vetting and handling is also vital.  Integrity issues can be very volatile.

Extremely volatile, Jim. Even more so than the equities markets. Can easily get completely out of hand and blow up in your face. Which is why I like involving the law enforcement authorities as soon as one can confirm "reasonable assurance" of the existence of relevant deeds. Of course many law enforcement authorities are not keen on jumping in, and this means work and uncertain political outcomes. But at least they are already paid by all the taxpayers so their direct "fees" tend to be low. Many Big X forensic consultants here often still recommend that their clients NOT file criminal changes against managers caught perpetrating white collar crime. The publicity can damage the reputation of the client. Filing such charges against rank and file employees, however, meets with much more general approval by the same consultants. A. Lucien Meyers, CIA, CMA — If you receive this by error, please delete it and inform the sender. PGP Key fingerprint=F1C0 D9AE 1B18 1405 4DFA  B4CC 6DC7 FF78 C76E FB15 To Big Brother Echelon from "spook": GWB Rumsfeld cracking Soviet Sharon FSF kibo Afghanistan Qaddafi anthrax

Response:

Okay. I thought by what you meant hat you were just blowing things off so you wouldn’t have to deal with them. You were just being cautious and prudent instead. You had moral and rational standards, that’s good.

Regardless of moral and rational standards, there are times when all a small scale CPA can do is walk away.  People who launder money have been known to shred more than files.  This is an area to approach with EXTREME caution. — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA   http://survivalworks.com

Response:

Question:

Do you pronounce it like the edible stuff or as one of the verbs accompanying a photo of a British MP on the cover of a London newspaper? Kind of along the lines of the crappie (crappy vs. croppy) debate. JR

Response:

Do you pronounce it like the edible stuff or as one of the verbs accompanying a photo of a British MP on the cover of a London newspaper?

Bugger not booger.  The former is a fly, the latter is a fly fisherman living in Elkhart, Indiana. Mu

Response:

Do you pronounce it like the edible stuff or as one of the verbs accompanying a photo of a British MP on the cover of a London newspaper? Kind of along the lines of the crappie (crappy vs. croppy) debate.

Urk! "like the edible stuff"? /daytripper (some things should just never be asked

Response:

Do you pronounce it like the edible stuff or as one of the verbs accompanying a photo of a British MP on the cover of a London newspaper? Bugger not booger.  The former is a fly, the latter is a fly fisherman living in Elkhart, Indiana. Mu

S’not fair Mu,  I’m no longer a booger…….done morphed into a bugr sometime back. ) Frank the former booger Church You want the most comfortable seat in the house?  Look for the cat.

Response:

Do you pronounce it like the edible stuff or as one of the verbs accompanying a photo of a British MP on the cover of a London newspaper? Kind of along the lines of the crappie (crappy vs. croppy) debate.

What edible stuff would that be then? Mostly, its pronounced ‘woolly, as in ‘woolly and ‘buggers’ as in ‘buggers’. …except in parts of Wales where they’re sometimes called ‘welly warmers’ …or ’sheep shaggers’. Tight Threads, Tony Deacon

Response:

Hey Tony, long time no talk to!  How was Chatsworth? — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply.

Response:

Hey Tony, long time no talk to!  How was Chatsworth? — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply.

Hi Frank, The Chatsworth Angling Fair was postponed from the usual early May slot to late October because of the Foot & Mouth Disease epidemic. I went on the Sunday. There were some good tiers in the tent, including a few from Stateside (e.g. Chris Helm). It pissed down ALL day and we were wading around in six inches of mud slurry. Great fun! Fortunately, I took my little Subaru 4×4. I don’t come here quite so often these days, so Happy Christmas to you and others on this NG. Tight Threads, Tony Deacon

Response:

It pissed down ALL day and we were wading around in six inches of mud slurry. Great fun! Fortunately, I took my little Subaru 4×4. I don’t come here quite so often these days, so Happy Christmas to you and others on this NG. Tight Threads, Tony Deacon

Sounds like standard for Chatsworth.  Thats why the booth selling Wellies is at the front, near the entrance.  To you and yours Happy Christmas.         Frank Reid

Response:

In NY they refer to it as bug-ger in NC they call it boo-ger.  No accounting for local colloquiallisms. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you pronounce it like the edible stuff or as one of the verbs accompanying a photo of a British MP on the cover of a London newspaper? Kind of along the lines of the crappie (crappy vs. croppy) debate. JR

Response:

Question:

Hi everyone Is Accounting a boring or interesting subject??? Kwong

Response:

YES! Hi everyone Is Accounting a boring or interesting subject??? Kwong

-       ____       _    | ____o____/_|    |  o’

Response:

Hi everyone Is Accounting a boring or interesting subject??? Kwong

Depends on your personal disposition. — *             Ronald Lee Todd M.B.A., C.P.A.                  * *                                                             * *  Unemployed five years, and really beginning to enjoy it.   * *                                                             * *                   Ayn Rand was right                        *

Response:

I think it is like anything else — interesting for a while, then boring. Once I got tired of it, I could never get interested in it again, though. It sort of reminds of mowing the yard…. you just do it over and over and over, and it never changes. Sounds boring, doesn’t it?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everyone Is Accounting a boring or interesting subject??? Kwong

Response:

Depending on what one means by "cook the books", it may NOT be just a job. If the books are being "cooked", you would be well-advised to find employment elsewhere — yesterday. The level of exposure "employees" can have can be staggering.

And a bit "confining". — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA http://home.att.net/~jdhcpa/mainpage.html Washington, USA

Response:

Depending on what one means by "cook the books", it may NOT be just a job. If the books are being "cooked", you would be well-advised to find employment elsewhere — yesterday. The level of exposure "employees" can have can be staggering. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Accounting can be fun at times. But when you work under a controller that like to cook the books it can become a nightmare. Treat it like anything else. Have fun it’s just a job. BW I think it is like anything else — interesting for a while, then boring. Once I got tired of it, I could never get interested in it again, though. It sort of reminds of mowing the yard…. you just do it over and over and over, and it never changes. Sounds boring, doesn’t it? Hi everyone Is Accounting a boring or interesting subject??? Kwong

Response:

Accounting can be fun at times. But when you work under a controller that like to cook the books it can become a nightmare. Treat it like anything else. Have fun it’s just a job. BW

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think it is like anything else — interesting for a while, then boring. Once I got tired of it, I could never get interested in it again, though. It sort of reminds of mowing the yard…. you just do it over and over and over, and it never changes. Sounds boring, doesn’t it? Hi everyone Is Accounting a boring or interesting subject??? Kwong

Response:

I think it is like anything else — interesting for a while, then boring. Once I got tired of it, I could never get interested in it again, though. It sort of reminds of mowing the yard…. you just do it over and over and over, and it never changes. Sounds boring, doesn’t it?

Depends on your lawn. I hit a nest of angry stinging insects once (yellow jackets – I think).  That got real exciting.  I never actually saw them – just "felt" a few of them. As to accounting – sort of like flying – interminable periods of sheer boredom interspersed with moments of sheer horror.  Contentious divorces, clients running drugs & dealing with the mob – that sort of thing.  It can get interesting. — Jim Hudspeth, CFE, CPA, CFI (Retired) http://home.att.net/~jdhcpa/mainpage.html Washington, USA

Response:

Question:

Before you do anything, faithful, you may want to read Statement of Finanical Standards #4 on loss contingencies, especially paragraphs 24 to 26.

Response:

Thanks for the information.  I decided to start with a 2% accrual.  I will watch it from here. * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

Hi, I thik its in US accounting Standards Peter

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What would be the standard calculation for a warranty accrual on a new product?  We do not have any information on actual warranty costs for this product or related products. Thanks * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

    You will have to pic a rate, say 2 or 4%.  Then when actual charges come in, you will will have to monitor if you are over or under accrued periodically.  Overtime, you will be able to develope an actual rate you can hang your hat on.  However, there will be times when there is a recall on products that you just couldn’t be aware of.  In such cases, you would be intantly under accrued until the accrual cought up with itself or you increased the rate to absorb that cost.     We do this with allowance for bad debt. 99% we are over accrued.  But, if management write-off a bunch, then we are short until the accrual catches itself.up.  Then we let it build back up.  Some months, we do not even write the entry because we would be too far over.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What would be the standard calculation for a warranty accrual on a new product?  We do not have any information on actual warranty costs for this product or related products. Thanks * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

What would be the standard calculation for a warranty accrual on a new product?  We do not have any information on actual warranty costs for this product or related products. Thanks * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

Question:

MYOB has just released its first multi-currency version, MYOB Premiere.  At about $1,000 complete, this is one of the least expensive multi-currency Canadian accounting programs.

AH HAH!   I have been wondering why on earth it got Editors Choice in pc magazines in the UK recently.   Perhaps for reasons that have no relevance to US domestic companies.

Response:

Software with multi-currency features costs a lot more than what you paid for Simply Accounting.  Accpac Plus (DOS) is about $800 PER MODULE, Accpac for Windows about $1,200 PER MODULE, I think; simple installations, just the basic modules, are at least $2,500. MYOB has just released its first multi-currency version, MYOB Premiere.  At about $1,000 complete, this is one of the least expensive multi-currency Canadian accounting programs. You can certainly get by with Simply, but it will require application of some of your accounting training – maybe you’ll have to open the text books again.  Some basic concepts are as follow: Foreign-currency assets and liabilities (bank, a/r, a/p) should be recorded in the native currency, but also translated to C$ equivalent. For each such asset and liability you will need an accompanying "translation" account.  If you have US$100 in accounts receivable, for example, the A/R Translation Account should have a balance of approximately $50 so that the 2 accounts together reflect the C$ value. Income and expenses should always be recorded in C$. Many, especially non-accountants, misunderstand "foreign exchange gains/losses".  This is NOT the difference between a US$ amount and its C$ equivalent.  It is  a gain or loss in the C$ value of a foreign-currency asset or liability resulting from changes in the exchange rate over a period of time. It is usually helpful to have a GL "bank" account called something like "Foreign Exchange Clearing". Ideally, every transaction should be fully and properly recorded when it occurs, including translation of foreign currency and calculation of exchange gains/losses if applicable.  However, it is sometimes more practical to record translations and gains/losses on a regular periodic basis, such as once each month. Application of these concepts may be unique in each situation.  If you can ask about a specific transaction, someone can probably help.  But based on your description of your experience and the vague question, I recommend you do one or both of the following: – open the accounting text books again – consult an accountant, preferably one who is relatively familiar with Simply  *AND*  multi-currency accounting. This isn’t as simple as many people assume, but once you understand the concepts and establish some standard procedures it should certainly be within your abilities (and those of Simply). Edmond Wong wrote … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I haven’t had much formal accounting training – only a couple of accounting courses I took while I was in university. Currently, I use the Canadian version of Simply Accounting v6.0, which is fine for normal day to day operations. However, there are times when I need to deal with US currency. I have no idea how to make Simply Accounting work with the two currencies. (i.e., how do I enter a transaction where I purchase $1 US with $1.50 CAN without posting a $.50 loss?), and I can’t find any mention of multiple currencies anywhere in the manual. Could someone out there help suggest a way to make this work?  or if it isn’t possible with Simply Accounting, please suggest an alternate accounting program that would suit my needs. My accounting requirements are very straight forward, and I don’t have the know-how to use anything overly complicated. Please email me the response in addition to posting it on the newsgroup. Thanks in advance, Edmond.

Response:

Question:

*Unforcast clouds happen*.  When moist air meets falling temperatures, pilots should monitor the temperature/dewpoint spread with care and be prepared to encounter an unforcast layer, especially over the many regions of the country where wx reporting stations are sparse.

This is very true, and anyone who doubts it is a fool. One night when I was returning to DC from Ohio the forecast was a VFR pilot’s dream. Clear skies, no clouds forecast, visibility unrestricted, and a wide temp-dewpoint spread. I spent the first half of the flight watching the lights of distant cities. Suddenly I felt like I was in the middle of a disco. Flipping off the strobes and turning on the landing light showed that I was in the middle of a very dense cloud. Had I been VFR this could have been catastrophic. As an instrument rated and current pilot operating on an IFR flight plan, I merely flipped the landing light back off and started logging actual. — Reece R. Pollack CP-ASMEL-IA — N1707H Piper Arrow III (based KGAI)

Response:

*Unforcast clouds happen*.   This is very true, and anyone who doubts it is a fool. One night when I was returning to DC from Ohio the forecast was a VFR pilot’s dream. Clear skies, no clouds forecast, visibility unrestricted, and a wide temp-dewpoint spread. I spent the first half of the flight watching the lights of distant cities. Suddenly I felt like I was in the middle of a disco. Flipping off the strobes and turning on the landing light showed that I was in the middle of a very dense cloud. Had I been VFR this could have been catastrophic. As an instrument rated and current pilot operating on an IFR flight plan, I merely flipped the landing light back off and started logging actual.

One question: did you contact FSS and offer a pirep?  Pireps can clue pilots who are still on the ground to the presence of clouds several hours before the clouds show up on satellite and persuade the wx briefers to change the forecast.  A pirep of unforcast clouds is a definate gift to those who may be less well equipped to handle a chance encounter! One comment: a VFR encounter with unforcast clouds can be anything from "not much of a deal" to a fatal accident.  It need not be catastrophic.  It is in the control of the pilot, how prepared he or she is to deal with the situation.  As we know, an instrument rating does not confer automagic ability to deal with clouds unless the plane is equipped with working gyro instruments, and the pilot is current and capable.  Nor does the lack of an instrument rating preclude ability to deal with an unforseen situation safely. Snowbird

Response:

I agree, the logged activity suggests a lack of proficiency to handle much beyond an uneventful flight under ideal conditions. The thing that went wrong is just what the previous thread was about, except the poster of that anecdote was able to handle the situation. In this case it seems to be a major element in the causal chain.

Well, OK – I think we’re arguing semantics.  The previous poster was able to handle the situation because he was current and proficient. It’s a situation that a current an proficient pilot SHOULD be able to handle, even a low time VFR-only pilot.  There is specific practical training provided to handle that situation.  But a pilot who, for one reason or another, is not proficient (severe lack of currency, fatigue, illness, drugs/alcohol, whatever) will likely not handle what is a routine situation in night flying even though he may be quite capable of flying under ideal conditions.  Let’s face it – any idiot can fly under ideal conditions, and many do. It’s when the shit hits the fan that it counts. BTW – I got some email and the gist of it is that we are speculating in a vacuum – which I started and I’m sorry I did- that most of the 25 flights were very recent, that many of them were with instructors, and showed a sharp pilot who unfortunately opted to launch after participating in a mountain rescue and was absolutely dead tired.  I find this just as likely – fatigue can  be just as bad as lack of currency in destroying pilot proficiency. Michael

Response:

With regard to proficiency, I don’t know.  I personally can tell if I don’t fly for a week and after a month I make myself shudder, but I posted about this once before and was informed by several people that many pilots, especially younger ones, can not fly for months and be just as proficient as they were when they got their ticket.  Am I a marginal pilot who loses it fast, or do other pilots simply not notice some of what they’re losing, I don’t know.  Maybe both.

I’m the same way.  In November, I went from flying 10-15 hours a month to flying once a week.   My flying sucks.  It’s just awful.  I was coming in on final the other day in a 172.  I had put about 30 degrees of flaps in on base, but I was too high and slow on final.  I put in the rest of the flaps, which helped the descent angle, but brought my airspeed down to 55.  Then I got "stuck" – I couldn’t slip since I was so slow, but I was still way too high.   Finally, my CFI said, "You probably should just point the nose down." Sure enough, it worked. And I felt like an idiot.  I make mistakes like that when I’m not current.  It’s almost scary…. I did splurge a month or so ago and flew 3 hours in one week – sure enough, I was doing just fine as soon as I knocked all the rust off… I think people who do all their training flying once every couple weeks are fine with doing that afterwards – they’re used to having to de-rust every time they get in an airplane, and they find ways to deal with it.  I’m not used to it, and I’m downright scary when I’m not current… Tina Marie (who did an intro helicoptor flight on Sunday – gawd, they’re a lot of work!) —     skydiver – PP-ASEL       *   An apostrophe does not mean, "Yikes! http://www.neosoft.com/~tina  *   Here comes an ’s’!" – Dave Barry

Response:

completely.  It seemed to me to be tempting fate to come up and bite me in the butt one day to do this trip very often without the IA.  As you rightly

My first thought when reading this sentence – "Why would it be any better if he had his mechanic with him?" Tina Marie —     skydiver – PP-ASEL       *   An apostrophe does not mean, "Yikes! http://www.neosoft.com/~tina  *   Here comes an ’s’!" – Dave Barry

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Tina, Come on now, get with the program.  It’s not even A&P anymore.  It’s AMT (IIRC) and if they have their inspectors authorization it should be AMT/IA (at least that’s what my friend told me was in the letter the FAA sent him). IA is for Instrument Airplane. John Stricker — why I had to put it in.  If one of you real humans wants to contact me: "I didn’t spend all these years getting to the top of the food chain just to become a vegetarian" In article

t, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – completely.  It seemed to me to be tempting fate to come up and bite me in the butt one day to do this trip very often without the IA.  As you rightly My first thought when reading this sentence – "Why would it be any better if he had his mechanic with him?" Tina Marie —    skydiver – PP-ASEL       *   An apostrophe does not mean, "Yikes! http://www.neosoft.com/~tina  *   Here comes an ’s’!" – Dave Barry

Response:

One comment: a VFR encounter with unforcast clouds can be anything from "not much of a deal" to a fatal accident.  It need not be catastrophic.  It is in the control of the pilot, how prepared he or she is to deal with the situation.  

Agreed. I will tell you that if anything will upset your sense of balance, it’s the strobes alternating from side to side. Your visual clues to "up" and "down" are based on light coming from above, and when the light alternates from side to side, it seems like the world is rocking from side to side too. As we know, an instrument rating does not confer automagic ability to deal with clouds unless the plane is equipped with working gyro instruments, and the pilot is current and capable.  

I once climbed into a cloud in a Pitts S2B. We were trying to gain enough altitude to do spins, and were climing in 500 foot steps. The cloud certainly looked like it was still a couple of thousand feet above us, but then the world suddenly vanished. I immediately tried to switch to the gauges, but there weren’t any. None. If there’s a T&B, it’s in the back cockpit. My instructor calmly said "don’t do anything except pull back the throttle." When we decended out of the cloud a few seconds later I was glad we were in an aerobatic aircraft as we were certainly in an aerobatic attitude. Nor does the lack of an instrument rating preclude ability to deal with an unforseen situation safely.

I’m a big proponent of instrument ratings, but I worry about those people who get their ratings "just in case" but don’t maintain proficiency. I think this generates false confidence, and makes it even more likely that you’re going to exceed your capabilities. — Reece R. Pollack CP-ASMEL-IA — N1707H Piper Arrow III (based KGAI)

Response:

Come on now, get with the program.  It’s not even A&P anymore.  It’s AMT (IIRC) and if they have their inspectors authorization it should be AMT/IA (at least that’s what my friend told me was in the letter the FAA sent him).

I didn’t know that had changed yet – I thought it was still a proposal. Tina Marie —     skydiver – PP-ASEL       *   An apostrophe does not mean, "Yikes! http://www.neosoft.com/~tina  *   Here comes an ’s’!" – Dave Barry

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Tina, I *think* the designation has changed, but the new requirements to be one are still in NPRM.  A friend showed me a letter he got from ICT FSDO that mentioned the change but I’m not sure now if it was a "do it this way" letter or a "this is how we’d like it to be in the future" letter.  I’ll try to remember to ask him next time I"m in the shop. John Stricker — why I had to put it in.  If one of you real humans wants to contact me: "I didn’t spend all these years getting to the top of the food chain just to become a vegetarian" In article

t, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Come on now, get with the program.  It’s not even A&P anymore.  It’s AMT (IIRC) and if they have their inspectors authorization it should be AMT/IA (at least that’s what my friend told me was in the letter the FAA sent him). I didn’t know that had changed yet – I thought it was still a proposal. Tina Marie —    skydiver – PP-ASEL       *   An apostrophe does not mean, "Yikes! http://www.neosoft.com/~tina  *   Here comes an ’s’!" – Dave Barry

Response:

I think people who do all their training flying once every couple weeks are fine with doing that afterwards – they’re used to having to de-rust every time they get in an airplane, and they find ways to deal with it.  I’m not used to it, and I’m downright scary when I’m not current…

        It is quite amazing how quickly you lose the ability to do things that you don’t practice.  I did my PPL about 10 years ago and the night rating about 5 years ago.  My routine flying was just fine and I did the occasional simulated dead stick, which was broken off at 500′AGL         When I started my commercal ticket I realized that I had forgotten how to fly.  I went up with the instructor and was able to take the forced approaches under 500′ AGL and was zipping right over the field every time.  My precuationary’s were a big mess.  Oddly enough my instruments were great, go figure.         The point is that every pilot should make a point of doing frequent practice of every manouver.

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I did the occasional simulated dead stick, which was broken off at 500′AGL

At 500 AGL you broke off the stick?  Doesn’t that make the plane difficult to control???

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Snowbird, One of the biggest factors in my deciding to get my Instrument rating was because a frequent trip for us is Central KS to Western SD and back.  Quite frankly, I have never been completely comfortable on that trip at night VFR, even though I made the trip at night several times. Going across parts of NE along that route, if you go direct, there are very few yardlights, traffic, etc and if the vis is sub-par at all, they are gone completely.  It seemed to me to be tempting fate to come up and bite me in the butt one day to do this trip very often without the IA.  As you rightly pointed out, any night flight has the potential to become an Instrument flight, and here I was going out over an area that I had a damn good idea was going to become one, even on a CAVU night.  Even though I NEVER had any problems, it just wasn’t a smart thing to do VFR only. I’m sure there are many other areas of the country that are very similar. Eastern WY comes immediately to mind.  Areas of the SW.  Western CO-into Nevada.  All pretty desolate country. Old man fate may still bite me one day through one means or another, but at least I’ve improved the odds a little in my favor. John Stricker — why I had to put it in.  If one of you real humans wants to contact me: "I didn’t spend all these years getting to the top of the food chain just to become a vegetarian" I guess my personal take on the situation is this: I am concerned about flawed pilot knowledge.  Judgement is only as good as the knowledge upon which it’s based, after all. I think pilots should be aware that: *Any* night flying has the potential to require sudden transitions to instruments due to loss of horizen and visual clues.  This is true even over relatively populated areas on CAVU nights, if one happens to turn to a direction with no visual clues. *Any flight between layers* is essentially instrument flight.

<<<VALID POINTS SNIPPED TO AVOID THE BANDWIDTH POLICE – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Snowbird

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Looking at the preliminary report it seems the accident was sadly preventable.  I had a few questions after reading the report, but they were about details more than the cause.  The cause seems pretty clearly related to that previous thread…

Does it really?  I think the real cause is spelled out quite clearly: From http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/99A041.htm: Examination of the pilot’s logbook revealed that from November 1991 to December 1998, the pilot logged a total of 25 flights. During that time frame his logbook reflected a total of 0.4 hours of simulated instrument, and 4.7 hours of night. I think that says it all.  A pilot who flies, on average, once every 100 days over the course of years, is simply a crater looking for a grid reference.  He can barely manage the normal tasks of a normal flight and will make a smoking hole the first time anything goes wrong. I feel sorry for the pilot, sorrier still for the passenger – but honestly, I would not get in an airplane with a pilot who was flying once every 100 days for the past 7+ years unless I was qualified in the aircraft and had access to the controls, especially at night. Michael

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The cause seems pretty clearly related to that previous thread… Does it really?  I think the real cause is spelled out quite clearly: From http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/99A041.htm: Examination of the pilot’s logbook revealed that from November 1991 to December 1998, the pilot logged a total of 25 flights. During that time frame his logbook reflected a total of 0.4 hours of simulated instrument, and 4.7 hours of night. I think that says it all.  A pilot who flies, on average, once every 100 days over the course of years, is simply a crater looking for a grid reference.  He can barely manage the normal tasks of a normal flight and will make a smoking hole the first time anything goes wrong.

Actually I think the real cause is one level deeper than even that. I agree, the logged activity suggests a lack of proficiency to handle much beyond an uneventful flight under ideal conditions. The thing that went wrong is just what the previous thread was about, except the poster of that anecdote was able to handle the situation. In this case it seems to be a major element in the causal chain. But the first step in that chain was not the lack of logbook entries (we’re assuming that there was no unlogged flight time), nor the loss of visual references over unlit terrain in possibly restricted visibility, nor fatigue after a long day climbing (and the possible emotional effects of assisting in rescuing another climber). It was the decision to launch under those conditions. The report hints at "get home itis" with the comparision of the forecast for that night with the forecast for the next day.  But there was still a warning flag for that night, there was a forecast of clouds below the level of the highest terrain in the area.  Yes, it was legal VFR, but it was also predictably uncertain that any specific location and altitude would be above minimums.  Launching a night flight to go over a layer scattered to broken and under an overcast looks like a decision fraught with peril even given reasonable currency and proficiency, because it’s too close to IMC with no good way to assure inadvertent VFR into IMC won’t follow.   The *real* cause was flawed judgement in starting the engine, and that’s more fundamental than even inactivity.  IMHO, of course! –Brucem ps – some interesting arithmetic is to look at the logged flights, and figure what’s left after accounting for the BFRs and practice for them!

Response:

<… I agree, the logged activity suggests a lack of proficiency to handle much beyond an uneventful flight under ideal conditions. The thing that went wrong is just what the previous thread was about, except the poster of that anecdote was able to handle the situation. (…) The report hints at "get home itis" with the comparision of the forecast for that night with the forecast for the next day.  But there was still a warning flag for that night, there was a forecast of clouds below the level of the highest terrain in the area.  Yes, it was legal VFR, but it was also predictably uncertain that any specific location and altitude would be above minimums.  Launching a night flight to go over a layer scattered to broken and under an overcast looks like a decision fraught with peril even given reasonable currency and proficiency, because it’s too close to IMC with no good way to assure inadvertent VFR into IMC won’t follow. The *real* cause was flawed judgement in starting the engine, and that’s more fundamental than even inactivity.  IMHO, of course!

I guess my personal take on the situation is this: I am concerned about flawed pilot knowledge.  Judgement is only as good as the knowledge upon which it’s based, after all. I think pilots should be aware that: *Any* night flying has the potential to require sudden transitions to instruments due to loss of horizen and visual clues.  This is true even over relatively populated areas on CAVU nights, if one happens to turn to a direction with no visual clues. *Any flight between layers* is essentially instrument flight. *Any* flying under an overcast or in haze has the potential for inadvertant VFR into IMC, day or night.  All it takes is a situation where there’s nothing to see (dark ground, greyish water), such that the obstruction to visibility called "clouds" can’t readily be discerned.  There is nothing to give depth perspective, and by the time you start wondering if the haze is thickening to clouds up ahead, you might be *in* a cloud. *Unforcast clouds happen*.  When moist air meets falling temperatures, pilots should monitor the temperature/dewpoint spread with care and be prepared to encounter an unforcast layer, especially over the many regions of the country where wx reporting stations are sparse. Now if a pilot knows these things, and wilfully lifts off anyway without being prepared to meet them, I would agree completely that bad judgement is involved. But I think a lot of pilots, especially low time pilots, don’t know these things.  We learn to study wx briefings and stay away from the clouds they contain, but maybe we don’t learn to treat briefings with the skepticism they deserve.  We might fly at night over a populated area where the ground lights are lovely and the flying is smooth and maybe we don’t learn how tough night flying can be when the horizen vanishes and the only visual clue is a line of lights 45 degrees off horizontal and your ears start screaming "YOU’RE TURNING FOOL!" while you’re straight and level.  We learn to assert that pilot error is involved, every time a pilot flies VFR into IMC and maybe we don’t learn to think about, what conditions make IMC hard to see-and-avoid? The difference between a pilot who flies a lot and one who lets the certificate gather dust is, a pilot who flies a lot will hopefully gain knowledge about all these things while proficient enough to meet the challenges they pose. It’s easy to look at someone else’s decisions in hindsight, and critique them.  In fact, if we start with a premise that accidents almost always involve pilot error, critique of that pilot’s judgement is guaranteed.  But maybe it’s not judgement, maybe it’s knowledge. With regard to proficiency, I don’t know.  I personally can tell if I don’t fly for a week and after a month I make myself shudder, but I posted about this once before and was informed by several people that many pilots, especially younger ones, can not fly for months and be just as proficient as they were when they got their ticket.  Am I a marginal pilot who loses it fast, or do other pilots simply not notice some of what they’re losing, I don’t know.  Maybe both. I read that accident report and the excerpts of the wx briefing they reported, and I thought to myself "God bless that pilot, he thought he was doing everything right and that forcast suckered the h**l out of him."  BTDT, lived to post about it. Snowbird

Response:

Question:

Can anyone give us some tips for staining wood evenly?   My husband and I have tried applying the stain to different projects with rags, regular bristle brushes, and foam brushes.  We’ve tried putting the stain on with brushes and wiping it off with rags.  We’ve tried sealing the wood first, and we’ve also tried putting the stain on plain wood.  We’ve used Varithane and Behr products.  Every time, we end up with uneven stain and *a lot* of marks (like brush marks) that make the project look bad.  The problem is usually worst around shelving and other joints. Help!  We’re almost ready to give up and start staining individual wood pieces *before* putting them together.  Either that, or just going with the wood’s natural color and using a finishing oil or a urethane top coat. Is there a trick to applying stain?

Response:

There are a couple of ‘tricks’ to applying stain, depending on the stain type & wood type.   I’m guessing that you’re using pine and pigment oil stain. From your brief description, it sounds like the problem may be poor surface preparation.  Sand all the pieces prior to assembly, and make sure you don’t skip any grits.  With pine, you might use 100 grit to remove all marks & make it level, then follow with 120, 150, 180, and 220.  Then use 220 again for final sanding after assembly.  If you are staining end grain, it will be a darker color.  You can help by sanding the end grain to a higher grit, like 320 or 400, or by sealing it before staining.   With blotch-prone woods like pine, it helps to either seal with a washcoat of shellac, or use a ‘wood conditioner’ before staining.  ’Wood conditioner’ is nothing more than a 10:1 mix of mineral spirits to linseed oil. It makes no difference what tool you use to apply the stain — brush, rag, or whatever.  Just be sure to wipe off *all* the excess. BTW, there’s nothing wrong with staining prior to assembly, as long as you don’t stain the glue surfaces.  This eliminates the spots that occur when staining over the areas where the glue sqeezed out. Also, leaving the wood its natural color is a valid choice. Some opinionated people around here would even call it a heroic choice.  But don’t pay any attention to that.  Some of *them* eschew stain, but actually use polyurethane!  There’s just no accounting for taste.  ;o) Here, leezard, leezard… Hope that helps.  If not, give us a few more details regarding the project, wood type and your procedures. Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can anyone give us some tips for staining wood evenly? My husband and I have tried applying the stain to different projects with rags, regular bristle brushes, and foam brushes.  We’ve tried putting the stain on with brushes and wiping it off with rags.  We’ve tried sealing the wood first, and we’ve also tried putting the stain on plain wood.  We’ve used Varithane and Behr products.  Every time, we end up with uneven stain and *a lot* of marks (like brush marks) that make the project look bad.  The problem is usually worst around shelving and other joints. Help!  We’re almost ready to give up and start staining individual wood pieces *before* putting them together.  Either that, or just going with the wood’s natural color and using a finishing oil or a urethane top coat. Is there a trick to applying stain?

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can anyone give us some tips for staining wood evenly? My husband and I have tried applying the stain to different projects with rags, regular bristle brushes, and foam brushes.  We’ve tried putting the stain on with brushes and wiping it off with rags.  We’ve tried sealing the wood first, and we’ve also tried putting the stain on plain wood.  We’ve used Varithane and Behr products.  Every time, we end up with uneven stain and *a lot* of marks (like brush marks) that make the project look bad.  The problem is usually worst around shelving and other joints. Help!  We’re almost ready to give up and start staining individual wood pieces *before* putting them together.  Either that, or just going with the wood’s natural color and using a finishing oil or a urethane top coat. Is there a trick to applying stain?

Some woods stain much better than others. Pine, an inexpensive wood commonly used for shelving and such, is one of the most difficult woods to stain evenly. I suggest using a stain controller. If you don’t know what that is, ask at a GOOD paint store. I also suggest reading some of the many good articles by Bob Flexner and others on finishing. You might want to do a search on the Wood Magazine web site, www.woodmagazine.com Steve Decker

Response:

Can anyone give us some tips for staining wood evenly?<

I have found that spraying stain, two or three light coats, using a standard compressor/spray gun gives the most consistently even finish.  Works especially well on softwood.

Response:

: I’m guessing that you’re using pine and pigment oil stain. : From your brief description, it sounds like the problem may be poor : surface preparation.  Sand all the pieces prior to assembly, and make : sure you don’t skip any grits.  With pine, you might use 100 grit to : remove all marks & make it level, then follow with 120, 150, 180, and : 220.  Then use 220 again for final sanding after assembly.  If you are : staining end grain, it will be a darker color.  You can help by sanding : the end grain to a higher grit, like 320 or 400, or by sealing it before : staining.   : With blotch-prone woods like pine, it helps to either seal with a : washcoat of shellac, or use a ‘wood conditioner’ before staining.  ’Wood : conditioner’ is nothing more than a 10:1 mix of mineral spirits to : linseed oil. I have a follow-on question concerning the mechanics of this.  I built my first project (a pine bookcase – looks pretty bad, but not much worse than you might expect for a first project with minimal tools and less experience).  I sanded all parts before assembly as you describe above.  I didn’t actually apply stain until after I had glued up the main frame, however (I wanted to make sure everything fit together like I thought it would).  The problem I had was that the sides and back ended up pretty blotchy, despite my use of a wood conditioner.  I suspect this is because the surfaces were vertical when I put the conditioner, causing runoff.  All of the surfaces which were horizontal when stained looked OK. So how do I do this?  Is the answer to stain piece by piece, with the part currently being done one its side (and if so, how do I get an even color over the whole piece – won’t I end up leaving the stain on some parts longer than others?).  If not, how do I do get an even coat of stain on vertical pieces?   Thanks for the help. — matt laswell                  –              laswell at jump dot net

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I never had that problem, Matt.  For the wood conditioner to be effective, it does have to soak in thoroughly.  That would require a little more ‘babysitting’ for the 15 minutes soaking time, going back over the area with the oil several times.  It’s easier to do in the horizontal position, but entirely possible in the vertical. Shellac is still an option, since it dries almost immediately, but you won’t get a dark color from the stain. Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a follow-on question concerning the mechanics of this.   … The problem I had was that the sides and back ended up pretty blotchy, despite my use of a wood conditioner.  I suspect this is because the surfaces were vertical when I put the conditioner, causing runoff.  All of the surfaces which were horizontal when stained looked OK…

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(re: vertical pieces of the work piece getting a streaky finish due      to run-off of the wood conditioner) : I never had that problem, Matt.  For the wood conditioner to be : effective, it does have to soak in thoroughly.  That would require a : little more ‘babysitting’ for the 15 minutes soaking time, going back : over the area with the oil several times.  It’s easier to do in the : horizontal position, but entirely possible in the vertical. : Shellac is still an option, since it dries almost immediately, but you : won’t get a dark color from the stain. Thanks for the suggestions.  OTOH, Amazon.com delivered my copy of Flexner’s book today, so I’ll hopefully register higher on the clueometer in the near future. — matt laswell                  –              laswell at jump dot net

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Question:

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You might want to check out West Marine’s home page. It’s located in the Global Shopping Network and has most of their products online. url=  http://www.gsn.com/

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Hi Kurt: West Marine’s Fax # is 408-728- 4360 They also have a toll free # 800-538-0775 For Technical Info 800-538-0775 They have agreat catalog and if you will call the toll free number they will send you one. Also for those international viewers, they have an international #408-728-4430. Hope that helps….Lloyd

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Hi, could anyone PLEASE e-mail me the fax numbers to Defender or West-Marine. Or if you know another place where I could get the Garmin 45 even cheeper. I guess the fax numbers should be in their product catalogues. Thanks, Kurt —                                   ^^^                                  (o o)         | Kurt Lundqvist, Lic.Techn., Laboratory Manager                |           | Voice: +358-21-654456, Fax: +358-21-654791                    |           | Abo Akademi University, Process Design Laboratory             |               | Biskopsgatan 8, 20500 Abo, FINLAND                            |                                 /|   |                                ooO   Ooo    

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