Student Easels

Student and Undanded easels are the same as my normal easels but with a lesser standard of finish. The student model is ready to use, but it needs to be oiled for longevity. The wood is medium sanded. The easel is to be oiled by you. Structurally and functionally it will be the same as a regular easel, but the surface will be a little coarser. You could also use a Unsanded easel immediately, but I strongly suggest you need to at least sand the edges and oil the easel.

The purchaser of a these easels is expected to do some work on the easels to finish them off. The easels will work the same as a fully finished easel, and you can use it without any more sanding (corner sanding is strongly recommended for unsanded easels) but for longevity, the easels must be oiled, instructions provided. It is easy to do but a little messy, using Olive Oil with a little Turpentine mixed in. Oil your easel and it is an easel forever.

Please note that I spend a lot of time sanding easels and by skipping the sanding I can offer these reduced, prices, in reality the sanding is only cosmetic and I do it as it elevates the finished standard of my easels, which many purchasers prefer.

Unsanded versions of A frames and H frames. These are the same easels but with no sanding whatsoever. The wood will be dressed (planed smooth) but the edges and ends will be sharp right angles. If you buy an unsanded easel you should at least sand down the sharp edges and oil the wood. If you buy a student counterweight the critical areas will be fine sanded. If you buy an unsanded counterweight easel you MUST sand to instructions provided.

Student model ABHL1800S 1.8 metres tall, no top mount frame 42x19mm. The wood will look whiter than this as photo taken indoors without a flash.

Student Model HBH1800S with optional tray. Please note the pale colour of the wood. When oiled this will go a golden brown. If not oiled it will end up a miserable gray, after a number of years, and slowly keep on deteriorating. Oiling prevents deterioration and lasts for a very long time and is very easy to top up.

Student Model HBH1800S with no tray Castors normally supplied with this model as standard, but had not been fitted to this one, saving the purchaser a few more dollars.

Counterweighted HCH2000S -

Current model H frames do not have front cross bars on the bases.

The finish is dressed, in that it has been sent through a planer or thicknesser. First sand down the right angles and ends with 100 grit paper. Then you should sand with some 150 grit Aluminum Oxide sandpaper (gray coloured, the grit number is on the back). then 180 grit, which will produce a good smooth finish, you can go to higher numbers with finer sandpaper, but it can be a lot of work.

To get a nice, very smooth finish then sand with 240 and for super smooth sand with 400. IE Start with a low number then finish with a high number. Hardware stores have a big range of Sandpaper. I use a 125mm random orbital sander, which gives a very good finish and is easy to use. Beware of using a normal orbital sander. Hand sanding is really hard work!

Use olive oil with 30% turpentine added. Wear thin Latex gloves, which you buy in bulk packs at any supermarket. Soak a rag in the oil mix, wipe the easel all over. Make sure you oil the ends of each piece of wood. You can then let the oil soak in and dry over night. If you want to use the easel immediately you should let it soak for at least 10 minutes then wipe over with a dry rag.

The olive oil will last many years. If the wood looks dry, just dampen a rag with olive oil and wipe over. Do this and your easel will virtually last forever. After a lot of use and if the knobs seem tight put a drop of Light Machine Oil (sewing machine oil, available at supermarkets) on the threads, this may be required after a couple of years heavy use. I am unsure how long Olive oil will last. I made a CD case for myself in 2002 and olive oiled it. The case has never been re oiled and it is like I oiled it last week. It has never been in full sun.