Disaster strikes!  That is, I cause a disaster by not paying attention to what was going on.   I invite two of my best student workers over to sand the casings before applying the topcoat, and I accidentally give them a couple dozen casings which had only stain, not the first topcoat.  The students get them done, and I proceed to topcoat them, noticing not really registering the fact that the color is off—too yellowish.  By the end of the afternoon, the mistake is clear.  The casings look horrible—bleached, uneven in tone.  I can’t blame the students, of course, so put on a stiff upper lip and thank them.   But the only way to rectify the error is to return to scratch—strip off the new topcoat and stain.  Linda counsels me to not do anything rash.  Why not?  I feel sick.