Finishing Pens : beginner's questions

[radhak]

Warning - newbie doubts ahead, so please step slow.

After a looong time in the garage, my lathe was finally put to use, and I turned a pen yesterday! Yaaayyy!! (I know, pics needed; but only when I am 'finished' !)

Used birds-eye maple, for slimline style.

And after reading a lot of stuff on the internet, I tried using the CA/BLO method to finish it. I thought that might give me the glossy feel that might look good. (Maybe not - open to suggestion).

I think I am half done by now, but how'd I know ?
- How many coats am I supposed to put? I did three - is that too many? not enough?
- And should I sand in between? I did, with a 1000 grit, and each time it dulled the piece - is that okay?
- do I need higher grit sandpaper?
- what is thin CA? I used Gorilla's Cryanoacrylate glue.
- So now, how long should it dry, if at all?
- And how do I bring it to a close (I did not want to say 'finish it') - do I need anything from the automotive store?

As you can, lotsa questions, and more that I don't know I don't know! So is there a simple process to this?

To save you the time, maybe you could point me to one single source (web or book) that I could follow to get educated?

[BigguyZ]

Congratulations! Welcome to the cult!

I highly reccomend checking out the IAP forum at Penturners.org. They have a library there that's full of PDFs and videos, and you'll see stuff that will really inspire you.

But to answer your questions... There's really no one way to finish a pen. As long as it's consistent and clear, you're good! Slim pens are actually one of the hardest pens to do well, since there's so little "meat" on the tube. Cigar pens are actually easier for a beginner.

As far as how much to add, that depends mostly on the look you want. Some people like a deep glossy finish, some will only use a couple thin coats. The goal is to protect the wood. One thing I would note- you should be done when your final diameter is that of the fitting you're using. I don't use bushings- I use calipers and a technique called turning between centers (there's an excellent tutorial on the IAP site). So if the nib is 0.423", I'll aim for my finished diameter to be 0.318"-0.428". Takes some practice, but don't think it's too tough. It's mostly a matter of patience.

Dont' forget to try the different thickness' of CA. It comes in thin, medium, and thick. They have different working properties, and will apply differently. I use medium.

I don't sand between coats. It's not necessary. For sanding, I use 220 then 320 on the wood. Then I add the BLO if I want to enrich the color or pop the grain. Then I burnish the BLO with a rag to help cure it. Then I let it sit for a day or two to cool and dry. Then, I add the CA. I usually bring my diameter to about 5 thousands of an inch below my goal, then build up a finish to 3 or 4 thousands above my goal. Then I wet sand with Mineral Spirits, and use 320 or 400 grit wet/dry paper. Then I go to the Micro Mesh pads. They come in a set of 11, and you can get them from woodcraft or rockler. After the last grit of MM, I use 3M Perfect-It III rubbing compound for the final polish.

But again, ask 100 pen turners, and you'll get 100 techniques. I also use nitrile gloves and a finger to apply my CA. Some people use paper towels. But I don't want the towel to become part of the pen!

I also use aerosol accelerator between coats. This will cure the CA pretty much instantly. At least enough to polish the surface. After that's been done, I take the barrel off the lathe and set it aside. It should be dry to the touch. It'll harded even more in a day, and then be pretty much done. However, it will gass off some of the solvents, so do not put the pen in a container for at least 2 or 3 days. Otherwise the finish could become cloudy.

[radhak]

Big, thanks for all that detail! That IAP is a very large resource indeed! I have around a dozen different type of blanks to turn, and I intend to use each to learn something, so I could get good enough to gift my pens, to begin with!

I now realize the cigar type of pen would have been better for me - as it is I prefer that shape personally! Next batch, for sure!

And that pen you posted is awesome! I can use it for inspiration!

[jking]

^^^Good information by BigguyZ^^^

I have had inconsistent results with CA finishes. Most of my problems have been because I haven't figured out a way to get a smooth coat of CA, I end up doing quite a bit of sanding. I've sanded through the CA in spots before & then had to fix the mistake. I've not tried the CA/BLO technique, yet.

It's a good idea to take a piece of wood & practice turning techniques. I think the same goes for finishes. Take a piece of wood & practice turning & then practice finishing.

[Richard in Smithville]

A forum I like is http://www.penturnersparadise.ca/ .

When I finish with blo/ca, have applied as many as 20+ thin coats- sanding with micro mesh every six layers. The key to curing the ca is building friction heat while appying. There are plenty of video's on utube that cover this.



EDIT: this clip is where I got my start from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orcgOf4siqc

[phrog]

BigguyZ, Beautiful pen. What kind of nib is that and where do you get it? Thanks.

[BigguyZ]

phrog- it's a standard fountain pen nib from the Jr Gent II kit. You can get it from Woodturnerscatalog.com. But if you sell to a fountain pen connoisseur (read Snob), then you'll want to get a better quality nib that doesn't say DAYCOM on it.

Also- the reason I dont' sand between coats is I've found it waaay too easy to get scratches that don't fill in and dust captured within the finish. That's a bummer. I've never had coats not adhere to eachother, and that woudl be the only reason to bother sanding between coats, IMHO.

[phrog]

I forgot to mention BigguyZ, that is also beautiful wood and a terrific job you did with it.