Sounds like a pretty low stakes chicken drama.

Yeah, magnesium is the way to go for that first pass. A wood float just grabs too much, especially on a wet mix. You end up fighting it and leaving those deep grooves. With a mag, you can almost glide it and just knock down the high spots without pulling paste. Lets you set the plane way faster before you even think about a trowel.

Ever try putting your gear in a plastic bag before going inside? I used to wipe mine too until that trick saved me last time.

Yeah, my friend Sarah had the same issue with her cobalt blue. It kept coming out streaky and dull. She started mixing a tiny bit of clear frit into the color batch before loading it, just a pinch. The next piece came out so much more even, like a solid sheet of color. What colors are you working with right now?

Have you ever actually looked at what they take out in fees? I changed money at Charles de Gaulle once and it was brutal, like getting half the local rate! My friend warned me but I was stuck without cash. Never making that mistake again.