Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
finishing stabilized pen blanks
Barry In Richmond BC
>I just received some stabilized pen blanks from Arizona Silhouette. I've never turned these before. How do I finish them?
When I've turne acrylic blanks, I wet sand with 320, 400, 600, then the full micromesh range (also with water). Then I use the HUT plastic polish.
Will this work on the stabilized blanks?
Re: finishing stabilized pen blanks
Greg W. in NC
>Barry,
It really depends on what type of finish you want. Personally, I finish my stabilized blanks just like I do other woods - with CA. Here is an article by me on how I do it.
http://www.penturners.org/content/CAFinish1.pdf
Stabilized blanks, because of the resin, finish better than 'regular' wood, but they will still dull quicker without a good finish. I have found the CA finish to be the best way to get a long lasting, high gloss finish. Other options are buffed, glossy lacquer (my second choice), friction finish, oil finishes, or no finish, and let the wood develop its own 'patina', though I don't recommend this last method