pen finish concern

Re: pen finish concern

Dane Lance

>Very few pen finishes will stand up to wear and tear over time. Any of the friction polishes, waxes or wipe on types usually wear away quickly. Time depends on the amount of handling the pen gets and the environment it is subjected to.

With that said, there are a few ways to deal with this scenario. One is to use a very durable finish, which usually translates into very glossy film types. The downside is time. Poly or varnish takes a while to dry, then you still have to smooth it. There is one way to get ultra high gloss and durability and is my personal favorite...cyanoacrylate (super glue). I have a few personal pens finished with this and one in particular has withstood over a year of daily use at work and still looks as good as the day I made it.

Another method for dealing with finish wear has more to do with the wood than the finish. Some folks don't like the ultra glossy look of the cyanoacrylate or poly, etc and prefer a more natural finish. The friction polishes do well here as do some of the fast drying wipe-ons (thinned lacquer, for example). The idea is to sand your pen barrels until the wood itself has a sheen. This is counter to the wisdom in sanding wood only to 220 or 320 for good finish adherance, but we are trying to mitigate the wear of the finish which is inevitable with pens.

Since the wood has a sheen all its own, as the finish wears, it is not as noticeable. Some experimentation may be needed to balance the sheen of the finish you apply to that of the highly sanded wood. I highly recommend you get the woodworkers kit of micro-mesh. This stuff is the best I've found for doing pens and is well worth the $40 for the kit. The grits go all the way to 12,000 and will leave a sheen on anyhting you sand/polish with it.

The last method to consider is to use stabilized wood blanks. These blanks have had resins impregnated into the wood under heat and pressure. Once you turn your pen, sand it out with the micro-mesh and it will shine as well, if not better, than raw wood with a friction polish on it and keep that sheen even after handling and time. I have not, however, managed to get an ultra glossy finish on the stabilized blanks alone...I still use the super glue for the glassy finish, but well sanded, stabilized blanks present a nice sheen and a truely natural look...and durability. I have experimented with putting a friction polish on these blanks as well as just wax alone. In the end, it works out about the same.

If you are interested in the super glue finish, I'd be happy to tell you my version of it....but there are as many "versions" as there are people that use it =)

Re: pen finish concern *LINK*

Scott Greaves, Blackfoot Idaho

>Well Jim, Ed pretty much said it all! Excellent post, Ed!

Yes, friction polishes wear in three to six months, quicker with excessive use. The trade off is that some people may not even notice that much, as the pen will pick up oils from the users hands, and develop a patina that has it's own beauty.

My favorite finish is the CA glue. And Ed is right, there are many ways to do a CA finish. One method is outlined by Greg Wilson over on Penturners.org - the link is below. Good luck with your pens!

Scott.


CA Glue Finish

Re: pen finish concern

Steven D. Russell

>Hello Jim,

Pens are subjected to somewhat harsh and hostile environments... In and out of pockets, purses, rolling around in desk drawers and in and out of sometimes sweaty hands.

The finish used must stand up well to this continual abuse, or it will fail in short order. Many finishes are used on pens, but few hold up well for prolonged periods on pens that are used regularly.

One challenge is the users own fingerprints. Fingerprints are mostly water and are acidic in nature. This presents a wet, acidic assault on the finish every time the pen is used. Even when the pen is not being used, the residual fingerprints on the surface continue to attack the finish. The chosen finish must resist this, as well as the normal wear and tear of being used.

Friction shellac finishes are easy to put on as you have found out, but may prematurely fail on frequently, or heavily used pens. On occasionally used pens, they will last much longer. One thing that will make all friction shellac finished pens last longer, is to add an acid and water resistant topcoat to the surface of the finished pen.

This is easily accomplished with the addition of a microcrystalline wax coating, over the friction shellac finished surface. Microwaxes are made from crude oil tank bottoms and the residual fraction of crude oil distillation called Petrolatum�s. They are crystal clear and pH neutral in museum, or conservation formulations like Renaissance Wax.

Microwaxes offer high resistance to water, acids, alcohols, and moderate heat and will not show fingerprints. When added over friction shellacs, (and other finishes) they add a valuable extra layer of protection to the finish and increase the durability of the subject finish.

You want a durable, yet easy to apply finish. This is a "tall order" as the durability of the finish generally increases exponentially with the difficulty of its application. It just seems to work out that way...

One finish you may want to consider is a spray lacquer like Masters Magic. It is easy to apply and offers a good, hard lacquer finish that is not complicated to execute, or too time consuming. It will produce a high lustre and does not require advanced finishing protocols.

I prefer to use binary epoxies for my up-market pen designs (retailing for $250.00 - $3,500.00+) in lieu of cyanoacrylate-based finishes. CA finishes offer good resistance to the environment a pen will encounter, but the epoxy based finishes, IMHO, are superior. They offer the best level of lustre, protection and overall visual and tactile response of the super durable finishes currently available for pens.

The epoxy finishing protocol is difficult and time consuming and I do not recommend it for your consideration within the tight parameters of your posting. Your decision will no doubt be influenced by sales price, or market demands and your ability to execute the chosen finish within the time allowed.

Ultimately, you must balance these with your desire to produce a pen finish that will be easy to apply and durable at the same time. This is no easy task! Good luck to you and all the best to you and yours!

Better Woodturning and Finishing Through Chemistry...

Steven D. Russell

Eurowood Werks Woodturning Studio and Advanced Research Laboratory

The Woodlands, Texas

Machinery. Tool and Product Testing for the Woodworking and Woodturning Industry

Re: pen finish concern

RonZ

>For me it depends on the application. I personally don't like CA because it's messy and leaves a plastic like finish. I only use it in unstable woods. The same can certainly be said for varnishes.

With that said, I sand to 400, use Mylands cellulose sanding sealer, followed by 0000 steel wool and then Mylands high build friction polish applying multiple coats. I then finish off with pure carnauba wax to protect the friction polish. This gives an almost 3 dimentional appearance to the wood grain. Also, it's best to let it dry about a week before use. This lasts longer than f.p. alone and I explain to the customer that this finish will wear with time and develope it's own patina with use.

From left to right burmese teak, goncolo alves, cocobolo, and cocobolo with sap wood.

Re: pen finish concern

RevDoug

>You might even want to read through Russ's Corner to the left of your screen. He makes a pretty convincing arguement for His methods. Even if you decide to go another way, you will be all the wiser for having read through his thoughts of finishing.

Re: pen finish concern

Dane Lance

>Steven,

Do you have a website showcasing some of your high end pens? I'd really like to see your work.

Thanks!

Re: pen finish concern

Steven D. Russell

>Hello Dane,

My high-end/up-market pens are inlaid with precious metals and gemstones as the majority of my clients are women.

Regretfully, I do not have a website up and running as yet. :-( It has not been a high priority for me, as I feel it will not do much to sell my high-end work. Turned wood art is a "touch me - feel me" kind of thing and a 72 dpi photograph will do it little justice, IMHO.

Although I do feel a website would would be valuable to sell production work and as a communication tool, I have not made it a high priority. Hopefully, I will have a website up later this year, maybe by the end of summer. It will be more of an educational tool though... Take care and all the best to you and yours!

Better Woodturning and Finishing Through Chemistry...

Steven D. Russell

Eurowood Werks Woodturning Studio and Advanced Research Laboratory

The Woodlands, Texas

Machinery, Tool and Product Testing for the Woodworking and Woodturning Industry

Re: pen finish concern

Dane Lance

>Understood. I agree, high-end anyhting is very much a touch me, feel me sort of thing. It's part of what makes it high-end.

I am still interested in your high-end pens though :-)

Are you willing to share more information? Specifically, the hardware, for example. Are your pens created from the hardware kits that most pen makers use, or do you make custom hardware (or have it made for you)?

Can you share some information on inlaying precious metals into wood?

I guess I am being nosy, so if you think your methods are proprietary and important to your business, then I fully understand you not wishing to divulge this information.

Thanks!

Re: pen finish concern

Steven D. Russell

>Hello,

I will have an article in Woodturning magazine later this year that details some of my gemstone and precious metal inlay work. Look for it late summer, or early fall. This should give you a good idea of how to get started. Take care and all the best to you and yours!

Better Woodturning and Finishing Through Chemistry...

Steven D. Russell

Eurowood Werks Woodturning Studio and Advanced Research Laboratory

The Woodlands, Texas

Machinery, Tool and Product Testing for the Woodworking and Woodturning Industry