More pen finishing questions

[jking]

I'm a bit confused. I've started getting into turning pens. I haven't turned much else, yet. I've gotten alot of different information about finishing turned projects.

I went to "The Woodworking Shows" when they were in town a month or two ago. I went to some classes on finishing & pen turning. The guy doing the pens never used anything above 400 grit sand paper & made what appeared to be perfect pens. He used friction polish on one pen & a friction polish/laquer finish on another (it was a several step process). I've bought the micro mesh kit (up to 3600 grit) & while this is better than sandpaper, I can still see dull/shiny rings on the wood after the finish is applied. MM seems to be popular with the pen turners here, but, I've had an aquaintance who does a fair amount of turning tell me I should be using buffing wheels. This seems a bit awkward for pens...

My other confusion is in the finishes themselves. At "the woodworking shows" the guy doing the finishing classes (general finishing, not specific to turning) mentioned that laquer is one of the least durable finishes available. The guy doing the pen classes praised laquer for its durability. The guy at my local wookworking store told me either the friction polish or laquers were fine because you don't really want to completely seal the wood. Alot of the pen turners here seem to like CA glues for finishes.

As you can see, I'm not really sure who's giving accurate information. Maybe they're all right if you want different options.

[kwgeorge]

I have learned in woodturning that many things are very subjective and opinions vary greatly. This does not necessarily mean that anyone is wrong but rather people just do things differently. The choices you make are ultimately yours and you would do a lot better getting as much information possible on any given subject and then decide what works best for you. With that said there are many possible ways to put a finish on a pen but to me I prefer durability on a turning intended to be used and not just looked at. Now I do not wish to start a debate on this but it is my opinion and just my opinion that a CA finish looks like plastic and I myself don’t care for the finished look.

What I will do is to tell you what I do on a pen that has really been successful for me and I have many pens out that get used everyday for some years now.

1) Sanding, depending on how good your finish cut was is to what grit you start out with. Most of the time I can start at 400 grit and then go to 600 grit. Occasionally I will have to start with 220 grit. It is important that you stop the lathe and sand with the grain before increment to a higher grit else you will end up with concentric rings in your finish.
2) First polishing, I like to use a Micro polish on my pens and other small turnings. I use EEE Ultra Shine but Renaissance Wax from Woodcraft is about the same. Basically this stuff is a micro abrasive (Rotten Stone in the case of EEE) in a wax carrier. You apply a small amount with the lathe off and then turn the lathe on at a higher speed and buff. You continue this until the wax carrier is gone. You will know as nothing will be picked up by the cloth anymore.
3) Finish, for a final finish I like Deft Gloss right out of the can. You just simply slop it on and after a few seconds wipe off the excess. I then turn the lathe on for a few minutes and just let it spin. After that polish with a soft cloth for a bit.
4) Buffing, personally I like to finish off by buffing my stuff on a soft buffing wheel and I normally do that in the same direction as the grain prior to removing the pieces from the mandrel. This will do away with any rings left from the finishing step.

Anyhow that is what works for me and as I said it is not necessarily the right way but rather my way.

Ken

[final_t]

My two cents:

I echo some of what Ken mentions, renforcing the comment about sanding with the grain first (sometimes that is *all* I do) and also bump his general idea that everyone has their own "process" and that works for them and they like it.

If you find the look to plastic-like, one suggestion is to use BLO/CA/BLO/CA alternating layers. This should give a softer feel that you might like.

I'm still experimenting, and currently trying a sanding sealer first to see if that fills the pores better than CA. I haven't gotten them filled up and level as much as I like yet.

Personally, I sand to 1000 grit starting at either 220 or 400, depending on the surface, then going up to white buffing compound first before doing 3-4-5 layers of CA, sanding each one down and working it back up again.

Top finish is Hut's PPP brown, then white, then topping with a good quality carnuba car polish. What I'm basically shooting for is no visible sanding marks - the rings you're getting - and a deep gloss. But that is *my* preference, others will have their own, and subject to to change

[jking]

Ken, final_t
Thanks for your replies. I'm asking alot of questions right now because, SHMBO has commisionned several pens for Christmas presents & I need to order some additional supplies.

I was considering buying the MicroMesh kit that goes up to 12000 grit. If I'm reading your responses correctly, it looks like I might be better off spending my money on either EEE or something similar?

Ken, have you used the Mylands melamine laquer product? Would this be a comparable product to Deft? I've used Deft (spray can) on small shelves & crafts before, I'm just curious if the Mylands might be better in this application.

Thanks again.

John

[Jim Boyd]

These pens were done using the following steps.
1) Sand with 220 thru 400 making sure to sand with the grain between grits.
Wipe off blanks when changing grits.
2) Sand with micromesh thru 12000.
3) Spray with Deft hi gloss [3 or 4 coats}while on the lathe but turning by hand. Light coats. Let dry to touch between coats. Let final coat dry over night.
4) Wet sand with micromesh thru 12000.

First pic no flash, second with flash

[Lonnie in Orlando]

Question and comment ...

Question:
How does lacquer hold up against skin moisture?

Comment:
I use a single edge razor blade to flatten CA. Hold at about the same angle as a card scraper --- experiment to find the best angle. May need to hold it pretty close to the edge if it starts to chatter.

- Lonnie