5. Varnishing
The wooden pulley will eventually embedded in damp moulding sand. I varnished the wood to stop it sticking to the damp sand.
Actually, I didn't do a great job here. It really needed several coats to cover the grain of the wood and leave a smooth finish. I only gave it one. Furthermore, I left it in a cold shed overnight, so the varnish wasn't even totally dry in the morning!
Still, I never expected this would be plain sailing ...