Finishes - newbie here!

[steveisfound]

Hi all

New to this wood turning lark... 7 weeks in....

I have looked on the interweb and seen loads of different finishes and methods for pens....

Just turned some pens and wondered about the finishing of them....

I have tried.....

1. sand to 240 - sanding sealer 50/50 mix - sand again up to 600 - sanding sealer 50/50 mix - wet sand micromesh to 12000 - 2 coats microcrystalline wax - buff on lathe
2. sand to 240 - Danish oil - sand to 600 - Danish oil - wet sand micromesh to 12000 - 2 coats microcrystalline wax - buff on lathe
3. sand to 240 - sanding sealer 50/50 mix - sand 240 - sanding sealer 50/50 mix - sand to 600 - 2 coats carnauba wax - buff on lathe
4. sand to 240 - sanding sealer 50/50 mix - sand 240 - sanding sealer 50/50 mix - Yorkshire grit to 1000 - 1 coat carnauba wax - 2 coats microcrystalline wax - buff on lathe.

Really not sure if I am doing too much or not enough.....

Pens feel really nice and still feel like wood... if you know what I mean... but am I doing something really wrong?

I haven't tried a CA finish yet.

All comments/help/advice really appreciated!

Sorry in advance if this has been covered before....!

Cheers

Steve

 

[rayf6604]

I use nothing but CA on wooden pens but I sell them so want them to have a durable finish that will last and keep the pen looking good. Most if not all wax or friction polish finishes will wear off eventually and if not reapplied the wood will take on oils from the skin and of course dirt.

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

 

[Penpal]

Steve how do you find the Yorkshire finish mate. My last swap on the IAP in America is the USA agent for the stuff and swears by it?

Peter.

 

[wm460]

Been a few here that have been using acrylic spray lacquer, that look good in their photos posted.

 

[steveisfound]

Steve how do you find the Yorkshire finish mate. My last swap on the IAP in America is the USA agent for the stuff and swears by it?

Peter.

Hi Peter

I have tried Yorkshire Grit on one pen and one bowl so far...

Amazing stuff!

Following their instructions... Sand to 240, apply sanding sealer, then apply YG on a paper towel....lathe stationary... Then start up the lathe..you can feel the grit getting finer and finer as you rub the paper towel until there is no more "grit" feel and it feel smooth like glass...with no dust! Then apply whatever finish you like.

I have the usual sandpaper and abranet from 80 to 600 and micro mesh pads to 12000. I don't think it will replace them for all projects, but so far.....very easy to apply, use and I am pleased with the result... But be aware I have only been turning for 7 weeks, and have only turned a couple of things so far....learning every day...

Cheers

Steve

 

[Phil Dart]

You need to know Steve, that despite what anybody tells you, or what it says on the tin, a wax finish of any type, on its own has very little resilience at all. That is not necessarily a bad thing if what you are after is a natural patina on the wood. However, if you want your carefully prepared shiny finish to last, you need to consider using something on top of your sanding sealer that is more wear resistant. The three popular choices are CA, acrylic lacquer and melamine lacquer, all of which have their own characteristics. I won't discuss the virtues and merits of each one here, as its a big topic and everyone has their favourites for their own reasons. My own preference is melamine.

Before you get to to applying any of those finishes though, there are a couple of other things you might find helpful:
Sanding sealer at 50/50 will give you a very thin coating with good penetration. Neat sealer will give you thicker coating with limited penetration. Try something like 70/30 which is a good compromise between the two. In my experience, if you wipe off the excess with the grain straight away, then buff it at a low speed on the lathe with dry tissue, there is no need to cut it back.
Yorkshire grit, whilst reports say it is very effective, is wax based. Don't use it between coats of any CA or lacquer finish, as I'm sure you know that those finishes will not take to wax. Only use it if the only thing going on top of it is also wax based.
A top coating of microcrystaline or carnauba wax will only give your pen a showroom shine, and serve to keep the fingerprints off in the short term until the pen is sold (or otherwise given away). Your long term finish will rely on what is underneath the wax. The extent to which you cut back that finish and the number of coats you apply will dictate entirely how your pen looks after a few weeks of use.

 

[steveisfound]

You need to know Steve, that despite what anybody tells you, or what it says on the tin, a wax finish of any type, on its own has very little resilience at all. That is not necessarily a bad thing if what you are after is a natural patina on the wood. However, if you want your carefully prepared shiny finish to last, you need to consider using something on top of your sanding sealer that is more wear resistant. The three popular choices are CA, acrylic lacquer and melamine lacquer, all of which have their own characteristics. I won't discuss the virtues and merits of each one here, as its a big topic and everyone has their favourites for their own reasons. My own preference is melamine.

Before you get to to applying any of those finishes though, there are a couple of other things you might find helpful:
Sanding sealer at 50/50 will give you a very thin coating with good penetration. Neat sealer will give you thicker coating with limited penetration. Try something like 70/30 which is a good compromise between the two. In my experience, if you wipe off the excess with the grain straight away, then buff it at a low speed on the lathe with dry tissue, there is no need to cut it back.
Yorkshire grit, whilst reports say it is very effective, is wax based. Don't use it between coats of any CA or lacquer finish, as I'm sure you know that those finishes will not take to wax. Only use it if the only thing going on top of it is also wax based.
A top coating of microcrystaline or carnauba wax will only give your pen a showroom shine, and serve to keep the fingerprints off in the short term until the pen is sold (or otherwise given away). Your long term finish will rely on what is underneath the wax. The extent to which you cut back that finish and the number of coats you apply will dictate entirely how your pen looks after a few weeks of use.

Hi Phil

Thank you for such a comprehensive reply.

As a new pen turner.. I have been trying to just create pens with a limited skill set and was aiming for a "wood" finish, as opposed to a very shiny one. I have tried the various ways listed above to get a final finish on my first pens and have been generally happy with them. However, I haven't even considered the longevity of the finish once the pens are in use (luckily these are just give always to family who are kind enough not to complain if the finish deteriorates over time).

I haven't tried to finish in a gloss/shiny way as yet, as the turning of the pen skill set through practice is my current aim, however, I realise that if I was ever good enough to consider selling any items, then a more resilient finish would be needed.

I wanted to make sure that I wasn't either doing too many stages...overdoing it a tad...or not enough...etc..

I really appreciate the time you have taken to reply to my post and really welcome all your advice and points.

Have seen CA videos on YouTube etc... But not looked at melamine .....will have to do some research! (A good excuse to trawl the Internet instead of work...hmm...shhh!)

Only been here a day and already learning from your reply!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Penpal]

Hi Peter

I have tried Yorkshire Grit on one pen and one bowl so far...

Amazing stuff!

Following their instructions... Sand to 240, apply sanding sealer, then apply YG on a paper towel....lathe stationary... Then start up the lathe..you can feel the grit getting finer and finer as you rub the paper towel until there is no more "grit" feel and it feel smooth like glass...with no dust! Then apply whatever finish you like.

I have the usual sandpaper and abranet from 80 to 600 and micro mesh pads to 12000. I don't think it will replace them for all projects, but so far.....very easy to apply, use and I am pleased with the result... But be aware I have only been turning for 7 weeks, and have only turned a couple of things so far....learning every day...

Cheers

Steve

THanks Steve thats the first real description of YG that gives me a true idea of what it sets out to do. Thanks.

Peter.