There's More To Birch Than Flogging!

 The birch is a true native of the Northern Hemisphere and grows to heights of 610m. It thrived well before the last Ice Age and was among the first trees to re-colonize the land in massive tracts of forest, after the ice retreated.

The birch is often the first tree to establish itself on a new site and is tolerant of adverse conditions, such as  severe weather, frosts and the polluted environments that we often experience today. 

Birch Trees

For many centuries trees played an important part in man's spiritual life, representing a new awakening each spring. It was often the custom for example, for girls to give their partners a birch twig as a sign of love. 

The so called "Besom Wedding" which involved the couple jumping over birch twigs was recognized as legitimate. On midsummer nights birch boughs were often hung over doors to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Birch was also used in more practical ways. For example, birch bark was stitched together to make food receptacles, canoes for hunting and the pitch was made into glue to fix flint arrow heads and spears onto their wooden shafts.

Polmac Hamper Boxes Made From Birch Ply

In spring, birch sap was used to make mead and the fresh cambial tissue was used to make a nutritious bread. Birch tea is an ancient and powerful remedy used to combat such ailments as gout, rheumatism and arthritis.

The sawdust from birch wood was used for smoking fish and is a practice which endures to this day. The bark was used to tan hides and as a roof covering to keep the rain out, much like the way roofing felt is used today.

Birch wood is quite soft and fairly easy to work and has a wonderful, silver-bar like quality which is highly prized that Polmac uses for making customized, wood boxes where specified. The wood can also be pulped and used for making writing paper.

Birch is a tough, robust wood which is also used to make the best quality, narrow gauge plywood, which is ideal for manufacturing round boxes such as hamper and shaker boxes.

Birches are fast growing and are often used to screen less hardy species, especially on windy higher ground. 

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European Walnut - The Dark Knight Of Woods!

Polmac (UK) Ltd uses locally sourced linden and alder wood as our base woods, because they have good grain character, are readily available and are ideal for making custom-made boxes.

However, we also use other woods, such as beech, birch, poplar and pinewood and occasionally more exotic hardwoods such as European walnut.

European walnut is a truly amazing wood. It cuts and planes exceptionally well, has soft, silky dark mineral lines and a finish that positively glows.

European Walnut Slabs

Walnut is among the darkest of native European hardwoods, with rich dark and light brown colouration, filled with beautiful natural features such as knots, splits, cracks and shakes that give it that un-mistakeable robust, rustic quality.

A good cabinet maker will use walnut for furniture making and gun stocks. The dark colour, deep lustre and smoky pattern of the wood is highly regarded for the most high class of applications.

European walnut trees can grow to a height of over 25m. However, the maximum lengths of timber that can be achieved is 3.5 m, although longer lengths can be obtained from it's American walnut cousin.

The wood is generally cut into 40mm, 60mm and 80mm thickness live edge slabs. The remaining wood can be used for such things as kitchen worktops.

The timber is air dried for an an extended period and then carefully kiln dried to achieve an 8% moisture content, providing the desired wood stability.

Polmac (UK) Ltd recently used European walnut to manufacture bases for scale models of a certain proposed premiership football stadium in North London that we're not allowed to mention. 

The assembly is part of a sponsorship programme by the club to provide funding for the new stadium and there is no doubt the choice of European walnut will give it a winning edge!

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When England Joined The Euros!

The Euros kick off in Paris this summer to spark a month of exciting football, with 24 teams battling it out to succeed Spain as champions of Europe, starting with France as the host nation v Romania.

This time around there's a good deal of interest and optimism in the UK, because all the home nations excluding Scotland have qualified.

Polmac Euro 2016 Football Boxes

As ever, football fans in England are getting excited but for far too long England have approached the finals with lots of optimism but with very little else.

Their hopes always seem to be dashed by strange refereeing decisions, out-dated tactics and of course poor penalty taking skills. (We must surely be due a penalty shoot-out win by now).

Once again, England are pinning their hopes on an emerging generation of young gifted players.

They certainly have the talent but can they conjure a performance that gets the team beyond the usual quarter final exit. Many people doubt it!

However, Roy Hodgson's team enter the tournament unbeaten in the pool stages with plenty of momentum and with a favourable group-stage draw, including Russia, Wales and Slovakia.

Germany will go to the finals as favourites, as they have a very strong squad and are the world champions but they are not invincible as England proved recently.

The question is can England be as ruthless and consistent as Germany when it comes to high-pressure games in tournament finals? That's the question!

France will be a great place to hold the European football tournament even though the question of security has overshadowed the build-up.

Fans will enjoy the country's culture, food, wine, history and a lot more besides from the famous sights of Paris to the sun-soaked cities of Nice and Marseille in the south.

For those lucky enough to be going there, a brilliant summer awaits. Let's hope all our expectations are fulfilled!

Polmac (UK) Ltd has a link with the Euros albeit tenuous when one of our employees attended as a volunteer helper when they were held in Poland and Ukraine.

So, in celebration of England's participation in the 2016 Euros and in expectation of a long-awaited win, we've manufactured some multi-coloured, wood confectionery boxes containing chocolate footballs and including a printed English flag on the lid.

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Re-Cyling - An Opportunity To Save Resources & Preserve The Planet!

When the Council truck takes your household rubbish away, you're probably glad to see it go and not think about it again until the next time. But the story doesn't end there because your rubbish has to go somewhere and this could be to a landfill site or an incinerator.

Unfortunately, landfill sites are open eyesores. They also stink to high heaven, attract vermin such as rats and pollute the land.

Landfill Site

Among the worst features of landfill is that the energy and resources used to create the materials we discard are wasted. At least incinerators reduce the amount of waste that has to be buried and generate useful heat energy. The downside is that incinerators pollute the atmosphere which can affect climate change.

The problem is we live in a disposable society, so we have a tendency to buy new things rather than repair and re-use the old. This is partly due to the development of cheap materials like plastic.

For example, a lot of men nowadays buy disposable razors rather than the old style, re-usable wet razors and women buy disposable nylon stockings.

A few years ago I was involved in the refurbishment of an old Victorian building in London and was amazed to discover that the external wall cavities were full of site waste - broken bricks, pieces of wood and old newspapers etc. Nothing it seems went to waste in Victorian times.

We're all in the habit of throwing things away. But the disposable society we're living in can't last for ever because of the environmental problems we're storing up for the future.

For example, there's so much plastic waste in the oceans, it's now becoming part of the food chain with the potential for serious and long-term health problems.

Wood is a traditional material that can and has been re-used for centuries and we can learn from it's use. Waste wood can be converted to new wood products like wood flooring and garden decking. Old wood, railway sleepers can be used as building timbers.

Waste wood, with the addition of adhesive, can be shredded to make composite panel materials like chipboard, blockboard and mdf. It can also be made into garden compost or used as a fuel. Slivers of wood can be used as a cheap packing material (wood wool)

A recent study concluded that over half the rubbish we discard can and should be recycled. This means that we could be making a tremendous reduction in the amount of raw materials and energy we use and helping to preserve the planet at the same time.

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Wood Screws - Versatile & Effective Fastners!

Millions of wood screws are made every day and in such varieties, finishes and sizes that we take them for granted. However, without these versatile and extremely effective fasteners, many industries, particularly the furniture and building industry would grind to a halt!

So what are screws and how did they develop? Well, a screw is essentially a threaded shank that grips the wood and is normally made from metal with some kind of 'driving' feature at the top.

Phillips & Posidriv Screws With Bits

In the 1st Century, screws were made from wood and used to fasten two objects, usually wood together. At the time, they were extensively used in olive and wine presses.

Metal screws were invented in the 15th Century and today are the norm. They are used to fasten a wide variety of modern materials including wood, plastic and metal.

Screw drivers are used to drive the screw, using downward or sideways pressure and can have various interchangeable bits depending upon the type of screw being used.

The flat bladed bit used in a carpenters brace first appeared in 1744 and was the precursor to the traditional screwdriver. Hand held screwdrivers first appeared in the 1800's.

Traditionally, screw drivers were used manually but today carpenters and joiners often use hand held power drills, as it's quicker and easier. Like the traditional screwdriver, different screw bits can be used to suit the screws being used.

The first, crude, screw cutting machine was invented in 1770 by an instrument maker called Jesse Ramsden. This resulted in further technological developments and in 1797 Henry Maudslay invented a machine that made it possible to mass produce screws.

Flat head screws have one slot. Raised head and round head screws are more decorative and are used where the head needs to be above the surface of the wood. A countersunk head means that the screw will be flush with the wood surface.

In the 1930's the Phillips screw was invented and is still being used today. The Phillips screw has a plain crosshead which is cut deeper into the head and was designed to increase 'grip'.

The Phillips company subsequently collaborated with the American Screw Company and developed the pozidriv screw, which has more indentations for even better grip and does not 'torque out'

The pozidriv screw is the most widely used wood screw today and is used with a pozidriv screwdriver that fits the screw perfectly.

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Wood Finishing Techniques - Lacquer Spraying!

Lacquer spraying for gloss, semi gloss and matt lacquers evolved in the 20th century as a quick, easy to apply and durable wood finishing technique. As automation evolved, so did the application of wood finishes.

Polmac (UK) Ltd uses lacquer spraying to finish it's customised, wood presentation boxes, particularly where large production runs are involved, as it's the most efficient and economical method of finishing wood boxes. 

Lacquer Spraying Polmac Wooden Boxes

Most woods can be sealed with a proprietary lacquer sealer before applying the finishing coats. However, careful surface preparation is crucial if a top quality lacquer finish is required!

After sealing, 3 or 4 light coats of lacquer can be applied. When dry, each coat is then lightly sanded ready for a final finishing wet coat, carefully avoiding over-spraying which may cause runs.

If runs do occur, the best remedy is to wait until the lacquer has dried. Then carefully scrape with the flat edge of a razor blade, slowly shaving them down. Finally, the runs are lightly sanded and re-sprayed as necessary.

When moisture in the air becomes trapped in the lacquer finish, 'blushing', which is an unsightly blemish that looks like a white foggy haze, may occur. This can be avoided if the humidity does not exceed 65 % when spraying.

Each spray coat should be lapped by 50 % and the spray path kept parallel with the object, as swinging the spray gun back and forth can produce uneven coverage.

The flow of the lacquer from the spay gun should be adjusted to achieve a smooth, even spray pattern.

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Branded Presentation Packaging: Boosts Product Sales & Profits!

The purpose of branded, presentation packaging is to provide extra value to your customers and your business by creating a memorable and shared experience. By creating extra value, your customers will also pay more and boost your bottom line profits.

There are two levels of packaging. The first is the presentation packaging that your customer actually sees which provides that all important first impression.

Premium Quality Branded Perfume Boxes

The second is the physical distribution of your product/s. Your product/s are packed in corrugated cardboard boxes, palleted and then transported. 

Corrugated cardboard is the material of choice for most companies because it's relatively cheap and provides good impact resistance during transportation.

For additional protection, Polmac wood presentation boxes are first wrapped in white paper to avoid 'scuff'  marks, packed in 5-layer corrugated cardboard outers and then palleted ready for international transportation.

Presenting your product in an attractive, visually appealing way and at reasonable cost is something that needs to be considered at the earliest opportunity.

Branded, presentation packaging matters because it's your client's first impression and influences their general perception of your company.

The goal of building a long-term, sustainable brand is to bring customers back time and time again. This is extremely important because it's invariably cheaper to get existing customers to purchase again than it is to find new customers.

Consumers are more likely to make repeat purchases from a company that provides premium quality packaging for it's products.

They are also more likely to share an image of a presentation package on social media, if it's unique and memorable.

People like sharing their experiences. So, the value of premium quality presentation packaging extends far beyond your customer's own experience, because it drives loyalty and promotes brand awareness.

Providing memorable branded presentation packaging leaves your customers delighted with an experience they'll want to share and can give your product/s that all important competitive edge, in order to get repeat business and attract new customers.

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