Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Pen Question
Steve Roxberg
>I bought a block of Carnuba wax to finish my pens with. It is very hard, I bought the one that comes with a beall buffer.
I was planning on rubbing it on the pen and then buffing with a rag. It is very hard when rubbing and I can't tell that any is getting on the pen.
Any hints, or help?
Re: Pen Question
Stuart Johnson
>I've tried rubbing the bar of wax on the pen and then using friction at a high speed. It does work but not real well. You might want to try Renaissance Wax. It will give you a harder finish. It is real soft and a small amount is applied with a cloth or paper towel. Let it dry for 30 seconds and then polish.
Re: Pen Question
Joe Pack
>The problem with soft wax is that it quickly gets "gummy" when the pen is held for any period of time; it shows smudges and prints almost immediately.
In my experience, the shine is easy to pop, but is gone in just a few seconds of handling.
I use the harder carnuba bar, just lightly rubbing the bar across the pen as it spins on the lathe, then buff by rubbing a piece of old t-shirt or tightly wound paper towel along the pen as it spins.
Re: Pen Question
Jim Shaver Oakville, Ont
>Hi Steve,
I dress the buffing wheel with the hard wax and buff the pen, usually at about 700 rpm or so..
Take care,
Jim
Re: Pen Question
Joe Herrmann
>I too would recommend buffing the pen with the Carnauba wax rather than try to do it by rubbing the wax on the wood and rubbing with a cloth. If you do decide to buff it with a rag, however, just be sure to use paper rather than cloth for safety purposes.
Joe
Paper vs. Cloth?
Steve Roxberg
>Paper is safer that cloth? I always use old t-shirts and a bag of rags,
Are they dangerous?
Re: Pen Question
Anthony
>I have used many types of finishes on pens,and the one I've found to work and look the best is:I sand down with micro mesh sheets.This gives the wood a very high gloss natural shine.Followed by thin CA glue letting it dry and buffing with 0000 steelwool.I then apply Qualasol as a padding agent,buffing it in as the barrels turn on the lathe until fully dry.The final application is a coat of renaissance wax.So far I've found this formular to work the best for me ,giving me a nice glossy hard finish.
Carnauba for pens
Fred in NC
>Carnauba is probably the best there is for pens, but of course the stick is hard to apply. I have used Renaissance Wax which is a good protectant, but in my opinion does little to enhance the shine. Renaissance Wax was developed to PROTECT museum pieces.
In general us penturners don't buff in the sense of using wheels like the Beall. Most of the buffing is done right on the lathe. One of the reasons is that the barrels are usually sanded to very fine grits, up to 12,000 Micromesh. At that point the barrel shines like glass. All that is needed at that point is a coat of wax that will enhance the shine. I have tried waxes that actually dull the finish at this point. Carnauba seems to be the best for the job.
The current president of IAP, International Association of Penturners, www.penturners.org, who is also a chemist, has come up with a very practical formulation based on carnauba. It is not in the market yet, but can be obtained directly from him. The product has been carefully tested for months by quite a few penturners, and I use it myself. You can buy a small trial size for about $4. and shipping is cheap. The trial size will do at least 50 pens.
His name is Lou Metcalf, and he just started a web site, which is not finished yet: ://www.heritagepens.com/services.html so I suggest emailing him instead.
I have no business connection with Lou, other than being a satisfied user of the product.
Re: Paper vs. Cloth?
Russ Fairfield
>The answer to that question will be found the first time it is caught on something and is wrapped around the work. Paper tears, cloth doesn't.
Re: Carnauba for pens
Bob Moffett
>What is Lou's email address?
