1: NEVER, EVER put your tankard/goblet in the MICROWAVE, DISHWASHER, OVEN, ETC… Have you ever put a steak knife with a wooden handle in the dishwasher? Do you remember what happened to the handle? It was stripped of its protective coating and the wood became suddenly dull and rough, right? Imagine that happening to your new tankard or goblet that you just spent at least $80 on! Doing any of the above with void your lifetime warranty!
2: Wash with hand soap and a soft non-abrasive sponge or towel. Dishwashing liquid will strip the coating off and dull the finish quickly. Even automobiles shouldn't be washed with dishwashing liquid as it strips the clear coat! It is completely safe to use dishwashing liquid on the interior coating as it is impervious to most chemicals.
3: Depending on the woods used in your item you may notice a color fade/change. This is normal – especially if left in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Not to worry – this will not harm your tankard/goblet, it will merely serve to add to its character.
4: With proper care your tankard/goblet will last a lifetime – indeed, you may even pass it on to your children someday. MacGowan's wood products are designed and built to last! This is not a disposable item like so many others found in the big department stores today. Ours are products of heirloom quality – a quality you can take advantage of every day for years to come!
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Over the past couple of years I've been asked many questions about my functional works of art. Most of the questions are the same:
"YOU make theses?" Usually followed by, "I never would've guessed!" - Yes, I do make these, and I'm just as surprised as you are!
Or: "What kind of veneer do you use to cover these tankards?" - Each and every item that comes out of the MacGowan's studio is 110% solid wood. I never use veneer for my functional pieces for obvious reasons... and EVERYTHING I make is fully functional, so unless a customer is dead-set on a veneered tankard you will never see one here.
"Do you use Minwax or Behr stain?" - The woods I use are naturally colored and, in my opinon should never be stained. I think I'd probably h
ave a heart-attack if stain were to taint my wood. (except for the PIRATE tankards, of course) To make it easier for customers I thought you might appreciate a sort of "FAQ" section. Seems it'd be a tad smarter to have a place where both customers and potential customers can get some questions answered without having to resort to using the ole phone or "internets."
Being the manly man I am, I enjoy having real answers to real questions, especially when I don't have to look it up on the "internets." This is most certainly one area in which I can give correct and helpful answers that might actually be of some help.
Here is my "Frequently Ask Questions" section here for those of you who might want to know a little more about my hardwood creations, but were afraid to ask.
So, without further ado I present to you:
FAQs
1) What are your hardwood products made of? (I will answer several questions at once here)
This may SEEM like an obvious answer, but to some the question doesn't seem to answer itself, so I will go into greater detail for you. My HARDWOOD items are all made of various HARDWOODS - ranging from exotic to domestic, from South American to African to North American to Asian. All woods have very unique qualities including: texture; color; weight; density, etc... Some hardwood is harder than others, but all the woods I use were picked for their durability, color and beauty.
Each wooden tankard is made of various hardwoods, waterproof glue (which actually forms joints that are stronger than the wood itself), Spar Poly coating on the outside to protect it from the elements, and an FDA approved polymer on the inside that can withstand temperatures up to 400F!! (the liner is a polymer that was developed to store large amounts of beer, wine and water for the food and beverage industry) The liner is 'force cured' - simply means heat-cured (this ensures a total and complete curing of all hardening agents and chemicals) The end result is a beautiful wooden work of art that can hold piping-hot coffee or ice cold beer in any type of weather!!
2) Do you use wood cut from old-growth forests, or from endangered species?
Simply "no" to both. However - and this is a very big "HOWEVER": The wood industry is not as well regulated as other industries. The paper-trail can get a bit murky at times - even when dealing with very reputable lumber yards and exotics dealers. I make EVERY effort to purchase only woods that have come from new growth or farms when possible or from naturally felled trees. I never purchase wood that was taken from an area hit hard by deforestation or poachers - but again, it's sometimes difficult to know exactly where some wood comes from. I make every effort to ensure the wood I use comes from either farms or well regulated areas of the world, but it's impossible to know for sure where some wood is from.
My hardwood of preference is Lyptus®. Lyptus®, one of the hardest of the hardwoods was developed by Weyerhaeuser to meet the needs of the industry. This wood is a cross between two different Eucalyptus trees - it's very heavy and can be confused for Mahogany if judging only by color and grain pattern. Lyptus is harder than hickory (what baseball bats are made of) and is extremely durable! I even used it for my kitchen countertops!! This incredible wood is grown on farms in Brazil and because of that fact you don't have to worry about deforestation - when one tree is cut it is replaced with another. Lyptus is typically the wood I use for the bottoms of the tankards as it will be able to take punishment better than other hardwoods. It takes only 14 - 16 years for a Lyptus tree to mature, making it a quickly renewable resource.
3) Is there any kind of warranty on your products?
Absolutely! All of my food-grade products come with a lifetime craftsmanship warranty: If it starts to leak or the handle falls off I will repair or replace (at my discretion) your item. This warranty does not include owner abuse, i.e.; driving over it; using it to pound nails; using it as a digging implement; putting in the dishwasher, microwave, convection oven, conventional oven, toaster oven, slamming it in a car door, dropping it in a vat of acid or igniting it for use as kindling. As a matter of fact, owner abuse of any kind will not be covered by warranty.
I have never heard of a handle falling off, nor have I heard of any of my tankards leaking to this point - now THAT'S quality. Inevitably one somewhere is bound to form a leak… this is the way of wood. Some woods behave better than others, while some woods choose to act up after a while and as they settle into their new role as a tankard/goblet they may spring a leak at some point. But fear not my friends – I can repair the mischievous thing, and will be happy to do so for only the charge of shipping it to me - I will cover the return charge.
*The LED FaerieLight Tankards are guaranteed for life as well, but the electrical parts are warranted for only two years.
4) How can I be certain my tankard won't leak when I receive it?
Each and every tankard is tested for leaks before being put up for sale. I fill each tankard with water and let it stand for 24 hours. To date I have not had a tankard leak on me during the testing phase or after the sale, and this bodes well for my customers. I've used one of my tankards every day for 10 months and have yet to experience a problem. My own personal Tankard is used inside, outside, in the humidity, in dry hot weather… it goes from cold to hot all day long in the summer time (I work outside), I use it while working and while relaxing and have dropped the sucker many times from workbenches onto cement and it has yet to break or leak.
5) Do you mass produce your items?
No siree-ma'am! Each tankard/goblet is unique - there are no 'cookie cutters' here. Like any master craftsman I cut each piece specifically for the object it will be used for. There are no EXACT replicas or TWINS here. Each is put together by hand and clamped individually by me. Each mug is then turned and hand-sanded to ensure the best possible surface finish and then the interior coating is by hand as well - I use no means of mass assembly. I firmly believe in putting all of my focus into the item I'm making at the time. I'm a stickler for detail!
6) How many can you make a day?
Good question - I'm glad I asked! Because of the process I use I am limited only by space and hands. The most I've ever assembled in one day is 20. I can assemble 20 a day for a week and have 140 by week's end (IF I'm only making tankards) - then I have to turn them, sand them all and attach the handles and apply the liner and sealer. MacGowan's Tankards and Goblets take time to make. If I were to make one from start to finish I could have it done in three days.
7) Do you have those mugs with LED lights yet?
Yes I do! I have already sold many of them. Unless I'm going to a faire I won't have them available as a stock item – but ask and ye shall receive! I hope to have SOME available for KCRF 2008, but they will be in limited supply.
8) Do you do custom work?
Yes I do! If you have something special you'd like to have made please feel free to shoot me an email or call me and we can get together to discuss it. If it's just a special you would like me to use, or something of that nature I won't charge a design fee. Design fee for Special Tankards, Goblets, Bowls, Coffee Mugs, etc is typically around $20 - $30 depending on how difficult or time consuming it will be, but NOTHING will EVER be charged to you without prior discussion.
9) Do you like answering questions?
Of course! Not only does it mean someone's interested - it's also an ego stroker to know there's a question out there I might actually have an answer for. If per chance I'm asked a question I don't know the answer to - fear not: Not knowing an answer has never stopped me from answering anyway.
10) Do splinters hurt?
They're a tad uncomfortable for sure, but I can assure you I've never curled up in the fetal position and cried like a newborn in front of the neighbors after receiving a splinter.