Pens Finish

I am a beginner woodturner. I have only been turning for about a year. I just recently tried making some pens. Everybody loves them! I even made a couple for some friends, however I used a friction polish which looked great when new, but after a month or so it starting to wear. The pens look dull. It happened with all but the one I made out of walnut. Is this normal? I even tried multiple coats but I makes no difference on the life. Is there something better?

Mike

Reply to
hoooptydooo
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Lacquer, CA glue, Polyurethane

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

Reply to
Chuck

I use a mixture of 25% sanding sealer 25% melamine laquer and 50% cellulose thinners and that gives a lovely finish. You can always add to that with wax/Carnuba stick etc

Paul

Reply to
Paul L

Does this last long?

Reply to
hoooptydooo

You should join the free Yahoo group on pen turning. They have tons of info on everything about making pens, and they are a great bunh.

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Reply to
Digger

Pens get handled and abused in ways that very few other wood turnings get treated. I don't know of an indestructable finish that is also desirable on a pen. I've tried a bunch and settled on two finishes for my pens. The first and most used, sand the wood using micromesh abrasives all the way through

12000 mesh. Apply several coats of walnut oil (allowing a couple of days between oilings for the drying). Top with two applications of Hut's PPP and buff with flannel. The wax wears off in about a month, but the wood is shiney underneath so it still looks good. I tell the users to apply a small amount of walnut oil once a month using the finger tips. The pens eventually darken with a nice patina and a rich warm glow that looks like an antique with geunine french polish (assuming no teeth marks on the pen).

Some woods prevent the walnut oil from polymerizing (especially canary wood). Here I use a good grade of super glue and repolish with the micromesh and top it off with PPP. This gives a super glossy finish that some folks like (I think it looks too "plasticy"). This finish generally lasts about a year in normal service. This is also about as long as the gold plating will last, so I don't feel too bad about this process. The biggest drawback is that the finish wears off in spots (of course) and allows the wood to oxidize unevenly.

I have a half-used bottle of friction polish sitting on the shelf getting old. Anyone know of a good use for this stuff?

Bruce

Reply to
Bruce C.

I want the finish to be as natural as possible. If you want a satin finish you can use the Hut waxes or any carnuba/beeswax stick combination and apply it with 0000 steel wool. For a glossy finish that is deep and rich I use cellulose sanding sealer [two coats; 1st coat removing nibs by using 400grit sandpaper, 2nd coat using 0000 steel wool], friction polish [two coats; 1st coat followed by shavings for a mild abrasive, 2nd coat buffed out], and pure carnuba wax. I use a sweatshirt like cloth and use the rough side for application and removal of excess and the soft side for a final buffing.

Many people don't know how to apply friction polish correctly. Hut does not count as a good friction polish, it wears too fast. I use Mylands or Chestnut.

This finish lasts for a long time but it's not forever. It does keep a beautiful finish until the pen develops its own patina/character.

Reply to
RonZ

Do professionally made pens have finishes that only last a year or so? I would be pretty angry if I bought a pen for someone that didn't look very nice after only a year. Especially at $20-$40 a piece!

Mike

Reply to
hoooptydooo

If you want a plastic finish, use a plastic pen blank. You're not going to put a finish on a wooden pen that is going to take constant handling and not wear off, unless you dip it in EnviroTex or something like that. If you do that, what's the point of using wood?

However, if you take the time and care to sand the wood to the highest sheen possible, (15-20,000 grit isn't unheard of) you hardly even need a finish, and the oils from the owner's hands will create a patina and soft sheen that will outlast any nasty old friction finish or other crap you could slather on there.

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

Reply to
Chuck

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