I found a local wood turning club in Barrow-in-Furness last night. It's above a church and I think I was expecting a small stuffy lecture room and that would be it. I was pleasantly surprised to find a large quite busy friendly place with almost every woodworking bit of machinery I could think of including over a dozen lathes. Mainly small Jet lathes. What I thought odd was that nobody was using BLO/CA or just CA to finish pens or other work. I asked but the preferred method seemed to be sanding sealer then wax. Specifically Microcrystalline Wax. I must admit so far I have tried a honing compound I got at Axminster Warrington last time which doesn't seem to produce the results I would expect. I have tried the BLO/CA method without too much success also. Would be interested to know what others are using.
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Pen finishing
- Thread starter Wrongway
- Start date
Penpal
Grand Master
One coat of CA after sometimes U Beaut EEE see my three pens on today and it lasts I use a brown hard wax stick light coat from Liberon. Fads in finishing come and go make your own method work for you.Complex methods do not work on all materials.
Peter.
Peter.
I only ever use polish on my pens I dont like the rotten fumes from ca I am testing craft coat at the moment and I must say I am very imprest with it I made a pen and finished it with this stuff and have been chucking it about on my workbench in with lumps of corian and other bits of metal and so far it is as good as the day I made it I am well imprest with it so far
Craft Coat / 2oz - Water Based Exotic Wood Finish - Craft Coat - Finishing Products - Shop
Craft Coat / 2oz - Water Based Exotic Wood Finish - Craft Coat - Finishing Products - Shop
That looks a very interesting material. I don't like the CA fumes myself which is why I suppose I am trying to find alternative methods which are as good. Reading the details on the link you gave, it looks like there are a number of methods of applying Craft Coat. One seems to be apply and let dry for a few hours and the other is using it a bit like a friction polish. Which have you found best and how are you applying with the lathe spinning or stopped.
Get yourself down to Poundland and buy some Prodriver scratch away, brilliant stuff for polishing pens with ca finish.
No fumes, one tube will last my lifetime, keep your gob shut though it don't taste like toothpaste that I used before.
No fumes, one tube will last my lifetime, keep your gob shut though it don't taste like toothpaste that I used before.
Probably tastes better than the pile ointment did.
You use that on a CA finish or instead?
chas_41_uk
Registered
It depends on the finish I want. But I always put a coat or two of sanding sealer on.
For a hard glossy finish I use CA (at least 6 coats if not more) finished off with Autosol and/or T-Cut
Otherwise it is friction polish and/or Microcrystalline Wax.
If its an acrylic pen then upto 12,000 grit Micro-Mesh then finished off with Autosol and/or T-Cut
But it is horses for courses everyone has their own preferred way of doing it
For a hard glossy finish I use CA (at least 6 coats if not more) finished off with Autosol and/or T-Cut
Otherwise it is friction polish and/or Microcrystalline Wax.
If its an acrylic pen then upto 12,000 grit Micro-Mesh then finished off with Autosol and/or T-Cut
But it is horses for courses everyone has their own preferred way of doing it
I take the top off a fresh bottle of ca and fill it to ¾ with acetone, that's my sealer.
Then as much ca as i fancy or can bare, the blank is already at 600 grit before any of this.
I then apply a coat of Ajax or pummis powder and finish with toothpaste or scratch away.
I have no complaints and a shiny sometimes minty finish, fine for pen chewers they get clean teeth and fresh breath.
Try it, you won't be paying through the nose for the latest must have init?
Then as much ca as i fancy or can bare, the blank is already at 600 grit before any of this.
I then apply a coat of Ajax or pummis powder and finish with toothpaste or scratch away.
I have no complaints and a shiny sometimes minty finish, fine for pen chewers they get clean teeth and fresh breath.
Try it, you won't be paying through the nose for the latest must have init?
Lons
Fellow
I used to play golf with a guy who carried a tube of Anusol with him everywhere, poor chap had many an inquiry as to why.
I applied 4 coats with the lathe running at 900 rpm but dont buff it to long or it looses its shine then I applied the last coat of the lathe and left it on the bench till I finished the next one
Les ELm
Executive Member
MINWAX WBOM Clear Polyurethane using Dipping Method gives me an odor free, quick, durable consistent finish each and every time with very little sanding.
Works great for me.
Les
Works great for me.
Les
handmadekrafts
Apprentice Member
Hi there I like to use Microcrystalline Wax to finish so you get little/ next to no fingerprints on your pens. I recently gave friction polish ago on my wooden pens. It was made by Chestnut but i was not really expecting much but I was impressed.
Cheers for that. I am giving most things a go to see what I prefer. I ordered some friction polish the other day so looking forward to giving it a try. Already have some Microcrystalline Wax.