Bob Cleek

I hear you!  I've encountered the same problem.  The fact is, most of the "tools," using the term loosely, that are offered by "modeling" mail order houses are bottom-of-the-line junk.  (Yes, that means you, Model Expo and Micro-Mark!)  I can't blame them that much, though, because good tools are always expensive to buy, but cheaper in the long run.  Tool buyers are often new to a craft and hesitant to lay out the big bucks, so the retailers offer what sells... and often at rather high prices when all is said and done.
 
If I were in the market for a jeweler's saw, I'd go to any of the big commercial jeweler's supply houses.  In fact, that's where I go for any miniature tools these days.  I've found Otto Frei to have a particularly nice selection.  Here's their saw page:  http://www.ottofrei.com/Store/Saw-blades-and-Saw-Frames/ 
 
Rules for buying tools:  1) Never buy a tool unless you really need it.  2) If you are going to use the tool more than once, buy the best one you can possibly afford.  It will hold its value, be a joy to own, and improve your craftsmanship because you won't be able to blame your shortcomings on your tools!
 
Buying the best is always the most economical way to go, unless you know a cheapo throw-away tool will serve the purpose in the short haul.  And, if you amass a nice collection of really good tools, they will hold their value and perhaps make your widow's cleaning out your shop worth her while!

I hear you!  I've encountered the same problem.  The fact is, most of the "tools," using the term loosely, that are offered by "modeling" mail order houses are bottom-of-the-line junk.  (Yes, that means you, Model Expo and Micro-Mark!)  I can't blame them that much, though, because good tools are always expensive to buy, but cheaper in the long run.  Tool buyers are often new to a craft and hesitant to lay out the big bucks, so the retailers offer what sells... and often at rather high prices when all is said and done.
 
If I were in the market for a jeweler's saw, I'd go to any of the big commercial jeweler's supply houses.  In fact, that's where I go for any miniature tools these days.  I've found Otto Frei to have a particularly nice selection.  Here's their saw page:  http://www.ottofrei.com/Store/Saw-blades-and-Saw-Frames/ 
 
Rules for buying tools:  1) Never buy a tool unless you really need it.  2) If you are going to use the tool more than once, buy the best one you can possibly afford.  It will hold its value, be a joy to own, and improve your craftsmanship because you won't be able to blame your shortcomings on your tools!
 
Buying the best is always the most economical way to go, unless you know a cheapo throw-away tool will serve the purpose in the short haul.  And, if you amass a nice collection of really good tools, they will hold their value and perhaps make your widow's cleaning out your shop worth her while!

I hear you!  I've encountered the same problem.  The fact is, most of the "tools," using the term loosely, that are offered by "modeling" mail order houses are bottom-of-the-line junk.  (Yes, that means you, Model Expo and Micro-Mark!)  I can't blame them that much, though, because good tools are always expensive to buy, but cheaper in the long run.  Tool buyers are often new to a craft and hesitant to lay out the big bucks, so the retailers offer what sells... and often at rather high prices when all is said and done.
 
If I were in the market for a jeweler's saw, I'd go to any of the big commercial jeweler's supply houses.  In fact, that's where I go for any miniature tools these days.  I've found Otto Frei to have a particularly nice selection.  Here's their saw page:  http://www.ottofrei.com/Store/Saw-blades-and-Saw-Frames/ 
 
Rules for buying tools:  1) Never buy a tool unless you really need it.  2) If you are going to use the tool more than once, buy the best one you can possibly afford.  It will hold its value, be a joy to own, and improve your craftsmanship because you won't be able to blame your shortcomings on your tools!
 
Buying the best is always the most economical way to go, unless you know a cheapo throw-away tool will serve the purpose in the short haul.  And, if you amass a nice collection of really good tools, they will hold their value and perhaps make your widow's cleaning out your shop worth her while!

The one rigging tool I find indispensable is the ear polypus forceps.  (Google it to see what they look like.)  Nothing can reach inside the shrouds and grab a line better..

The one rigging tool I find indispensable is the ear polypus forceps.  (Google it to see what they look like.)  Nothing can reach inside the shrouds and grab a line better..

The one rigging tool I find indispensable is the ear polypus forceps.  (Google it to see what they look like.)  Nothing can reach inside the shrouds and grab a line better..

The one rigging tool I find indispensable is the ear polypus forceps.  (Google it to see what they look like.)  Nothing can reach inside the shrouds and grab a line better..

Just hearsay here, but I've heard nothing but good things about them over the years.  Little Machine Shop seems to be oriented towards serious machinists, which is a good thing.  They have a wide range of machines and tooling.  It's a demanding market.  If an outfit isn't pretty good, they aren't going to be in business long and TMS has been around for a while now.
 
As for buying Sherline, or any "micro" machines, I'd offer the observation that it's really important to get as much information up front as possible.  (Which you are doing here.)  I'd suggest you check out the "home shop machinist" type forums and ask your questions there.  Those guys have a huge amount of knowledge to share when it comes to machine tools.  While I won't call myself a machinist by any stretch of the imagination, the advice I got was to get the biggest machine I could fit in my shop (and afford) and to get good used "old Amurricun 'arn" which is a lot less expensive than questionable new Chinese stuff.  I scored a late-model Craftsman/Atlas 12" X 42" with all the tooling anybody could hope for thanks to Craigslist and I've been very happy with it. (The tooling it came with is probably worth three or four times what the lathe itself is worth.) I paid probably a third of what a basic Sherline or Taig set up would run.  The Atlas isn't the top choice for doing serious production machining because it is somewhat light weight for a 12X lathe, but it's entirely serviceable if you don't get impatient and try taking 1/4" cuts!  It does anything I need for modeling, as well as general shop use and properly set up is as accurate as I will ever be able to need..  The big advantage is that the tooling is standard and readily available.  There's plenty for sale used as well, which means big savings.  Figure to spend at least as much on even basic tooling as you do on the machine itself.  That's where the problems I've heard of arise with the Sherline and Taig type of machinery.  Sherline's tooling, at least when I checked it out, was pretty much all proprietary.  In other words, if you want a widget, you will have to by a Sherline widget because none of the standard widgets will fit on your Sherline machine.  That makes the Sherline hugely more expensive.  Somebody may want the Sherline and that makes the expensive justifiable for them, of course.  I'm not saying Sherline makes a poor machine, one way or the other, but If you buy a machine that is based on standard tooling, i.e. standard Morse tapers, standard T-nuts and so on, you will probably be a lot happier and a lot richer.  The thing to remember about machine tools is that an accurate big machine will do small work, but a small machine can't do big work and the small machines don't cost all that much less, either.

Just hearsay here, but I've heard nothing but good things about them over the years.  Little Machine Shop seems to be oriented towards serious machinists, which is a good thing.  They have a wide range of machines and tooling.  It's a demanding market.  If an outfit isn't pretty good, they aren't going to be in business long and TMS has been around for a while now.
 
As for buying Sherline, or any "micro" machines, I'd offer the observation that it's really important to get as much information up front as possible.  (Which you are doing here.)  I'd suggest you check out the "home shop machinist" type forums and ask your questions there.  Those guys have a huge amount of knowledge to share when it comes to machine tools.  While I won't call myself a machinist by any stretch of the imagination, the advice I got was to get the biggest machine I could fit in my shop (and afford) and to get good used "old Amurricun 'arn" which is a lot less expensive than questionable new Chinese stuff.  I scored a late-model Craftsman/Atlas 12" X 42" with all the tooling anybody could hope for thanks to Craigslist and I've been very happy with it. (The tooling it came with is probably worth three or four times what the lathe itself is worth.) I paid probably a third of what a basic Sherline or Taig set up would run.  The Atlas isn't the top choice for doing serious production machining because it is somewhat light weight for a 12X lathe, but it's entirely serviceable if you don't get impatient and try taking 1/4" cuts!  It does anything I need for modeling, as well as general shop use and properly set up is as accurate as I will ever be able to need..  The big advantage is that the tooling is standard and readily available.  There's plenty for sale used as well, which means big savings.  Figure to spend at least as much on even basic tooling as you do on the machine itself.  That's where the problems I've heard of arise with the Sherline and Taig type of machinery.  Sherline's tooling, at least when I checked it out, was pretty much all proprietary.  In other words, if you want a widget, you will have to by a Sherline widget because none of the standard widgets will fit on your Sherline machine.  That makes the Sherline hugely more expensive.  Somebody may want the Sherline and that makes the expensive justifiable for them, of course.  I'm not saying Sherline makes a poor machine, one way or the other, but If you buy a machine that is based on standard tooling, i.e. standard Morse tapers, standard T-nuts and so on, you will probably be a lot happier and a lot richer.  The thing to remember about machine tools is that an accurate big machine will do small work, but a small machine can't do big work and the small machines don't cost all that much less, either.

I hear you!  I've encountered the same problem.  The fact is, most of the "tools," using the term loosely, that are offered by "modeling" mail order houses are bottom-of-the-line junk.  (Yes, that means you, Model Expo and Micro-Mark!)  I can't blame them that much, though, because good tools are always expensive to buy, but cheaper in the long run.  Tool buyers are often new to a craft and hesitant to lay out the big bucks, so the retailers offer what sells... and often at rather high prices when all is said and done.
 
If I were in the market for a jeweler's saw, I'd go to any of the big commercial jeweler's supply houses.  In fact, that's where I go for any miniature tools these days.  I've found Otto Frei to have a particularly nice selection.  Here's their saw page:  http://www.ottofrei.com/Store/Saw-blades-and-Saw-Frames/ 
 
Rules for buying tools:  1) Never buy a tool unless you really need it.  2) If you are going to use the tool more than once, buy the best one you can possibly afford.  It will hold its value, be a joy to own, and improve your craftsmanship because you won't be able to blame your shortcomings on your tools!
 
Buying the best is always the most economical way to go, unless you know a cheapo throw-away tool will serve the purpose in the short haul.  And, if you amass a nice collection of really good tools, they will hold their value and perhaps make your widow's cleaning out your shop worth her while!

I hear you!  I've encountered the same problem.  The fact is, most of the "tools," using the term loosely, that are offered by "modeling" mail order houses are bottom-of-the-line junk.  (Yes, that means you, Model Expo and Micro-Mark!)  I can't blame them that much, though, because good tools are always expensive to buy, but cheaper in the long run.  Tool buyers are often new to a craft and hesitant to lay out the big bucks, so the retailers offer what sells... and often at rather high prices when all is said and done.
 
If I were in the market for a jeweler's saw, I'd go to any of the big commercial jeweler's supply houses.  In fact, that's where I go for any miniature tools these days.  I've found Otto Frei to have a particularly nice selection.  Here's their saw page:  http://www.ottofrei.com/Store/Saw-blades-and-Saw-Frames/ 
 
Rules for buying tools:  1) Never buy a tool unless you really need it.  2) If you are going to use the tool more than once, buy the best one you can possibly afford.  It will hold its value, be a joy to own, and improve your craftsmanship because you won't be able to blame your shortcomings on your tools!
 
Buying the best is always the most economical way to go, unless you know a cheapo throw-away tool will serve the purpose in the short haul.  And, if you amass a nice collection of really good tools, they will hold their value and perhaps make your widow's cleaning out your shop worth her while!

Yep, sounds like what we call "contact cement" here in the US.

I hear you!  I've encountered the same problem.  The fact is, most of the "tools," using the term loosely, that are offered by "modeling" mail order houses are bottom-of-the-line junk.  (Yes, that means you, Model Expo and Micro-Mark!)  I can't blame them that much, though, because good tools are always expensive to buy, but cheaper in the long run.  Tool buyers are often new to a craft and hesitant to lay out the big bucks, so the retailers offer what sells... and often at rather high prices when all is said and done.
 
If I were in the market for a jeweler's saw, I'd go to any of the big commercial jeweler's supply houses.  In fact, that's where I go for any miniature tools these days.  I've found Otto Frei to have a particularly nice selection.  Here's their saw page:  http://www.ottofrei.com/Store/Saw-blades-and-Saw-Frames/ 
 
Rules for buying tools:  1) Never buy a tool unless you really need it.  2) If you are going to use the tool more than once, buy the best one you can possibly afford.  It will hold its value, be a joy to own, and improve your craftsmanship because you won't be able to blame your shortcomings on your tools!
 
Buying the best is always the most economical way to go, unless you know a cheapo throw-away tool will serve the purpose in the short haul.  And, if you amass a nice collection of really good tools, they will hold their value and perhaps make your widow's cleaning out your shop worth her while!

Yep, sounds like what we call "contact cement" here in the US.

Not to hurt feelings here, but...  Those of us "of a certain age" can remember the time when every boy's education in how to hone and dress a fine edge on a cutting tool began around age seven or eight when he was given his first pocket knife, an item of personal kit every male carried in his pocket for the rest of his life.  Sadly, with all the metal detectors around, few men carry pocket knives anymore and few mother's would tolerate their seven year old son having a pocket knife of his own.  (I suppose they are strictly forbidden on the grounds of any grammar school these days. Parents today seem ignorant of the fact that what "can put your eye out!" is really the most fun when you're a kid.)  Consequently, outfits like the good folks at Lee Valley have made quite a business of selling all sorts of slick gizmos that promise to ensure success in an endeavor which, up to maybe fifty years ago, most kids had mastered by age ten or twelve.  Strange how one generation can master operating a personal computer without a second thought, but can't sharpen an edged tool without all sorts of guides and machines and so on.
 
Honing guides are like training wheels on a bicycle.  They ensure greater success on a first effort by the inexperienced, but encourage dependence.  I'd encourage folks to take off the "training wheels" and learn to sharpen "freehand."  It is an easily acquired skill, regardless of whether you rely on an Arkansas stone, a Japanese waterstone, a "diamond" stone, or even a piece of emery or aluminum oxide paper taped to the (flat) top of a table saw or whatever and giving it a few licks on a strop or steel.  There's lots of instructional videos on YouTube for those who don't have grandfathers to show them how to sharpen an edge and fettle and adjust a plane, spokeshave, or whatever. (The trick is "feeling" for when the bevel is flat on the abrasive surface and keeping it there.)  This was the second thing any apprentice learned, after how to sweep the floor.  You can spend lots of money on electric shop vacuum systems, honing guides and machines and the like, or serve an "apprenticeship" learning the basics instead of buying tools sold to make people believe they will make them better craftsmen.  Unfortunately, the woodworking hobby seems to be going the way of golf, where slick marketers are always trying to sell you a club that's going to improve your game.  Don't let them play you for a sucker!
 
(Okay, rant over!)

Not to hurt feelings here, but...  Those of us "of a certain age" can remember the time when every boy's education in how to hone and dress a fine edge on a cutting tool began around age seven or eight when he was given his first pocket knife, an item of personal kit every male carried in his pocket for the rest of his life.  Sadly, with all the metal detectors around, few men carry pocket knives anymore and few mother's would tolerate their seven year old son having a pocket knife of his own.  (I suppose they are strictly forbidden on the grounds of any grammar school these days. Parents today seem ignorant of the fact that what "can put your eye out!" is really the most fun when you're a kid.)  Consequently, outfits like the good folks at Lee Valley have made quite a business of selling all sorts of slick gizmos that promise to ensure success in an endeavor which, up to maybe fifty years ago, most kids had mastered by age ten or twelve.  Strange how one generation can master operating a personal computer without a second thought, but can't sharpen an edged tool without all sorts of guides and machines and so on.
 
Honing guides are like training wheels on a bicycle.  They ensure greater success on a first effort by the inexperienced, but encourage dependence.  I'd encourage folks to take off the "training wheels" and learn to sharpen "freehand."  It is an easily acquired skill, regardless of whether you rely on an Arkansas stone, a Japanese waterstone, a "diamond" stone, or even a piece of emery or aluminum oxide paper taped to the (flat) top of a table saw or whatever and giving it a few licks on a strop or steel.  There's lots of instructional videos on YouTube for those who don't have grandfathers to show them how to sharpen an edge and fettle and adjust a plane, spokeshave, or whatever. (The trick is "feeling" for when the bevel is flat on the abrasive surface and keeping it there.)  This was the second thing any apprentice learned, after how to sweep the floor.  You can spend lots of money on electric shop vacuum systems, honing guides and machines and the like, or serve an "apprenticeship" learning the basics instead of buying tools sold to make people believe they will make them better craftsmen.  Unfortunately, the woodworking hobby seems to be going the way of golf, where slick marketers are always trying to sell you a club that's going to improve your game.  Don't let them play you for a sucker!
 
(Okay, rant over!)

Try this one for limited production runs.  Perhaps it will work. (It will depend on the metal you want to cut the disks out of.)  Take a piece of tubing made of metal harder than the metal you want to cut your disk out of. (Or, at least, anneal the disk material, which you should probably do in any event.)  The tubing should have an inside diameter the same as the size of the disk you want.  Cut the tubing square across (or grind the end flat.)  Then grind the edge of the tubing at about 60 degrees, forming a sharp edge at the end of the tubing, which will be a circle the same size as the inside diameter, and hence the same size as the disk you want.  Put the tubing in your drill press.  (Put it far enough in the chuck that it will not "whip" or flex.)  Put your disk material on a block of wood.  Drill the disk material with the tubing "hollow point drill" you have made.  Apply pressure slowly and evenly, but not so much that you deflect the disk sheet material. (Rig an effective method of holding the disk material sheet.)  Use lubricating oil (WD-40 should be fine.)  You should be able to cut a disk the same diameter of the inside of the tube every time.  Keeping the cutting edge of the tube at right angles to the disk material goes a long way towards ensuring success.  When you've got enough disks, remove the tube and poke the stack of disks out of the "hollow point drill" tube.  I've done this frequently with a variety of materials, but can't ensure it will work with the material you are using.  The keys are having a harder "drill" than the material you are cutting and patience.

Yes, dust vacuums do have their place and if you are extensively using power tools they become something of a necessity unless you can work outdoors or have fans that will circulate the air, and thus the micro-dust, out of your shop.  That said, the problem of dust is hugely reduced in direct proportion to the reduction in power tool use.  A sander is not really a shaper, but most use them for this purpose.  On the other hand, for example, a plane takes a shaving that doesn't add a bit of dust to the air.  A knife or a chisel doesn't add dust to the air, either.  On the other hand, a router, table saw, wood lathe and so on make a real mess!  It's a bit of a trade off, I suppose.

Try this one for limited production runs.  Perhaps it will work. (It will depend on the metal you want to cut the disks out of.)  Take a piece of tubing made of metal harder than the metal you want to cut your disk out of. (Or, at least, anneal the disk material, which you should probably do in any event.)  The tubing should have an inside diameter the same as the size of the disk you want.  Cut the tubing square across (or grind the end flat.)  Then grind the edge of the tubing at about 60 degrees, forming a sharp edge at the end of the tubing, which will be a circle the same size as the inside diameter, and hence the same size as the disk you want.  Put the tubing in your drill press.  (Put it far enough in the chuck that it will not "whip" or flex.)  Put your disk material on a block of wood.  Drill the disk material with the tubing "hollow point drill" you have made.  Apply pressure slowly and evenly, but not so much that you deflect the disk sheet material. (Rig an effective method of holding the disk material sheet.)  Use lubricating oil (WD-40 should be fine.)  You should be able to cut a disk the same diameter of the inside of the tube every time.  Keeping the cutting edge of the tube at right angles to the disk material goes a long way towards ensuring success.  When you've got enough disks, remove the tube and poke the stack of disks out of the "hollow point drill" tube.  I've done this frequently with a variety of materials, but can't ensure it will work with the material you are using.  The keys are having a harder "drill" than the material you are cutting and patience.

Try this one for limited production runs.  Perhaps it will work. (It will depend on the metal you want to cut the disks out of.)  Take a piece of tubing made of metal harder than the metal you want to cut your disk out of. (Or, at least, anneal the disk material, which you should probably do in any event.)  The tubing should have an inside diameter the same as the size of the disk you want.  Cut the tubing square across (or grind the end flat.)  Then grind the edge of the tubing at about 60 degrees, forming a sharp edge at the end of the tubing, which will be a circle the same size as the inside diameter, and hence the same size as the disk you want.  Put the tubing in your drill press.  (Put it far enough in the chuck that it will not "whip" or flex.)  Put your disk material on a block of wood.  Drill the disk material with the tubing "hollow point drill" you have made.  Apply pressure slowly and evenly, but not so much that you deflect the disk sheet material. (Rig an effective method of holding the disk material sheet.)  Use lubricating oil (WD-40 should be fine.)  You should be able to cut a disk the same diameter of the inside of the tube every time.  Keeping the cutting edge of the tube at right angles to the disk material goes a long way towards ensuring success.  When you've got enough disks, remove the tube and poke the stack of disks out of the "hollow point drill" tube.  I've done this frequently with a variety of materials, but can't ensure it will work with the material you are using.  The keys are having a harder "drill" than the material you are cutting and patience.

Try this one for limited production runs.  Perhaps it will work. (It will depend on the metal you want to cut the disks out of.)  Take a piece of tubing made of metal harder than the metal you want to cut your disk out of. (Or, at least, anneal the disk material, which you should probably do in any event.)  The tubing should have an inside diameter the same as the size of the disk you want.  Cut the tubing square across (or grind the end flat.)  Then grind the edge of the tubing at about 60 degrees, forming a sharp edge at the end of the tubing, which will be a circle the same size as the inside diameter, and hence the same size as the disk you want.  Put the tubing in your drill press.  (Put it far enough in the chuck that it will not "whip" or flex.)  Put your disk material on a block of wood.  Drill the disk material with the tubing "hollow point drill" you have made.  Apply pressure slowly and evenly, but not so much that you deflect the disk sheet material. (Rig an effective method of holding the disk material sheet.)  Use lubricating oil (WD-40 should be fine.)  You should be able to cut a disk the same diameter of the inside of the tube every time.  Keeping the cutting edge of the tube at right angles to the disk material goes a long way towards ensuring success.  When you've got enough disks, remove the tube and poke the stack of disks out of the "hollow point drill" tube.  I've done this frequently with a variety of materials, but can't ensure it will work with the material you are using.  The keys are having a harder "drill" than the material you are cutting and patience.

Yes, dust vacuums do have their place and if you are extensively using power tools they become something of a necessity unless you can work outdoors or have fans that will circulate the air, and thus the micro-dust, out of your shop.  That said, the problem of dust is hugely reduced in direct proportion to the reduction in power tool use.  A sander is not really a shaper, but most use them for this purpose.  On the other hand, for example, a plane takes a shaving that doesn't add a bit of dust to the air.  A knife or a chisel doesn't add dust to the air, either.  On the other hand, a router, table saw, wood lathe and so on make a real mess!  It's a bit of a trade off, I suppose.

Yep, silicone sprays are death to fine finishes in the shop environment.  The silicone "dust" gets into the air and settles on things.  Then it transfers to the finish surfaces and coatings (particularly varnish) will form "fisheyes" wherever they come in contact with the slightest bit of silicone.  (It seems to affect the surface tension of the coating material.)  Just don't go there!

Not to hurt feelings here, but...  Those of us "of a certain age" can remember the time when every boy's education in how to hone and dress a fine edge on a cutting tool began around age seven or eight when he was given his first pocket knife, an item of personal kit every male carried in his pocket for the rest of his life.  Sadly, with all the metal detectors around, few men carry pocket knives anymore and few mother's would tolerate their seven year old son having a pocket knife of his own.  (I suppose they are strictly forbidden on the grounds of any grammar school these days. Parents today seem ignorant of the fact that what "can put your eye out!" is really the most fun when you're a kid.)  Consequently, outfits like the good folks at Lee Valley have made quite a business of selling all sorts of slick gizmos that promise to ensure success in an endeavor which, up to maybe fifty years ago, most kids had mastered by age ten or twelve.  Strange how one generation can master operating a personal computer without a second thought, but can't sharpen an edged tool without all sorts of guides and machines and so on.
 
Honing guides are like training wheels on a bicycle.  They ensure greater success on a first effort by the inexperienced, but encourage dependence.  I'd encourage folks to take off the "training wheels" and learn to sharpen "freehand."  It is an easily acquired skill, regardless of whether you rely on an Arkansas stone, a Japanese waterstone, a "diamond" stone, or even a piece of emery or aluminum oxide paper taped to the (flat) top of a table saw or whatever and giving it a few licks on a strop or steel.  There's lots of instructional videos on YouTube for those who don't have grandfathers to show them how to sharpen an edge and fettle and adjust a plane, spokeshave, or whatever. (The trick is "feeling" for when the bevel is flat on the abrasive surface and keeping it there.)  This was the second thing any apprentice learned, after how to sweep the floor.  You can spend lots of money on electric shop vacuum systems, honing guides and machines and the like, or serve an "apprenticeship" learning the basics instead of buying tools sold to make people believe they will make them better craftsmen.  Unfortunately, the woodworking hobby seems to be going the way of golf, where slick marketers are always trying to sell you a club that's going to improve your game.  Don't let them play you for a sucker!
 
(Okay, rant over!)

Yep, silicone sprays are death to fine finishes in the shop environment.  The silicone "dust" gets into the air and settles on things.  Then it transfers to the finish surfaces and coatings (particularly varnish) will form "fisheyes" wherever they come in contact with the slightest bit of silicone.  (It seems to affect the surface tension of the coating material.)  Just don't go there!