Easy finishes?

For the tool rest get a threaded insert.

Dave Smith, Longview, WA

>Hi Rob,

I have put threaded inserts into two different Jet tool rest. The insert is steel and will not strip out like the cheap cast iron tool rest.

Finishes darken wood and bring out the figure. Unless you use lacquer tung oil is about as light as you can get for a finish. My preference is Rockler's gel polyurethane. It builds fast(43% solids), drys fast and buffs to a nice luster. This polyurethane is not as yellow as wipe on poly. I have and still use Witch's brew made with either BLO or tung oil.

Good luck.

Dave Smith

Nothing more permanent than a temporary fix in Longview, WA.

Re: Easy finishes?

Jim R

>The clearest finished I have ever used is waterbased polyurethane. I think one brand is called polycrylic. I have used it on lots of woodworking projects but not on any pens. It is virtually colorless and dries fast enough to put two or three coats on in one day, depending on the temperature. It is so colorless that I have had trouble telling where I have applied second coats. It seems to me someone has posted on using this for pens but I don't know what the verdict was. I think I may try it on a pen.

Re: Thanks,

Rob in Kansas

>Thanks Dave & Jim,

Last night I got a guy to drill & tap the other side for the existing set and the original side for a larger one. I'll remember the steel for next time.

With that done I got a third bowl done last night. It was dry sycamore that didn't have spalting in it. I learned that dry wood isn't as nice to turn as green. Talk about dust everywhere!

I've used Tung oil on my walnut furniture and other small boxes, but this was the first time I'd used any sycamore or anything spalted. Some of it is a creamy white, some light brown and of course the black lines. The tung oil really brought out the white by darking the rest of it. Others said they liked it, but I don't know if they were being nice or what. While I love Tung on my other things in this case I wasn't thrilled. I was hoping there was something else that was just as easy. I have access to an hvlp spray gun, I'll try poly or plane lacquer next week and see how I like it on the sycamore.

Rob

Polycrylic on pens

Fred in NC

>I have been using Minwas Polycrylic as a pen finish for a couple years. I use blonde shellac as sanding sealer at 400, finish sanding, usually to 2000, and apply several coats of Polycrylic right on the lathe. 2 yr old pens still look nice.

For oily woods the application of shellac is very important. Wiping with alcohol before the shellac gets rid of some of the oil, and aids in penetration. For these I put an extra coat of shellac or two after sanding to 600.

My birch lathe cabinet was finished with 2 coats of blonde shellac, and 2 of Polycrylic. Very smooth.