Pen finish tips

As a start...

BubbaBob

>...I use Behlen's Woodturner's Finish.

The same thing will happen over time as you noted with the briwax, but that's OK with me.

Personally I like the aged, burnished look of a pen that has been constantly oiled and rubbed by the users fingers over time. The Behlen's I use is sort of a transition finish to keep the pen looking good as the "natural" finish is applied by the users fingers.

BubbaBob

My 2 cents

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Mike,

Shellac based friction polishes look fantastic after they are applied at the lathe. But they will wear off. One solution is to give the pen a coat of Renaissance Wax. This will help the finish to last a bit longer.

However, a better solution is to switch to a more durable finish. Lacquer based sealer, like Myland's Cellulose Sealer, or Penn State Industries Lacquer based Gloss Sealer work great. They are applied in the same fashion as the Shellac friction polish. But the trick is to let them harden before buffing and applying the Renaissance wax. I usually allow 10 to 15 minutes of hardening time. The waiting issue really isn't a problem for me. When I'm in "production" mode, I work on (2) lathes at once. While one pen is drying on my big Jet lathe, I'm starting another on my Delta Midi.

Another solution is to use CA Glue as a finish. But that's a whole nother' ball of wax.

I would recommend that you check out Penturners.org. They are an almost limitless repository of information regarding pen turning. There are several down-loadable articles on finishing locating in their "Tips and Tricks Directory".

Good luck,

Dominic

Re: Pen finish tips

RonZ

>Hi Mike,

I'm sure you'll get other responses but I'll post here what works for me and how I do it. I use Myland's sanding sealer, Myland's friction polish and carnauba wax. Melamine is also an option. It's more of a mat finish and is more water resistant. Directions as follows:

I call this the English finish as that's where I learned it and where the finishes come from.

I sand with 180, 220, 320, 400. For fine detailed work I start at 220 or 320 depending how well I and the tool have done the job. I never go past 400 as any higher will close the pores and will hinder the taking of the finish. I use a paste wax I made of paraffin oil and paraffin wax between grits [paraffin oil and beeswax for better works] except for between 320 and 400 so the sanding sealer will take. This does several things. It nurtures the wood, cleans dust from the previous grade paper, acts as a lubricant when sanding and helps reduce the dust in the air.

Then I use Mylands cellulose sanding sealer and de-nib with 400 sand paper [you can leave this step out if you're in a hurry]. I apply a second coat of s.s. and follow with 0000 steel wool. Now it's time for the friction polish. I re-use my rags and keep them damp so it kind of works like a rubber in french polishing. I apply the 1st coat while the lathe is off to make sure I get an even coat. Then I turn the lathe on at fairly fast RPMs and use the application rag to spread the finish. It needs to heat up in order for the finish to set. If you have good light overhead, when you move the cloth from side to side briskly [this is the 'friction' part of the polish] you'll see the rings disappear. I then [thanks to Russ Fairfield] burnish it with postal brown wrapping paper instead of shavings. This is said to be around 1500 grit. The male/soft side of Velcro works the same way. Next, I keep the cloth folded up and put some f.p. on and wipe while the lathe is on fairly fast and repeat. This is the 'high build' part of the friction polish. I then use a sweat shirt cloth on the soft side to give the f.p. a final buffing. I then apply a thin layer of carnauba wax and melt it in using the rough side of the cloth with the lathe going fast. I use the same cloth over and over again so this might add character but at the very least it is charged with wax for the net time around. Once the wax is melted in and there are no rings present, I give a final buff with the soft side of the cloth.

By the way, while it might seem like a long time, I think this is the best and fastest finish and I usually complete it within a couple of minutes.

Melamine

You follow the steps in the previous instructions up until and including the sanding sealer process. Instead of using the friction polish, you use the melamine. You wipe on the finish and let it dry [it should take about a minute or less depending on the weather, humidity and temperature]. Cut the coat back with 0000 steel wool and repeat the process to apply a minimum of three coats. To have a semi-gloss finish, leave it as is and don't cut back with the 000 steel wool. To get a full matt finish, cut back the final coat with 0000 steel wool. For a satin finish [sheen], use the 0000 steel wool to apply the carnauba/bee paste wax. When the paste has dried, buff.

Re: Pen finish tips

Fred in NC

>Paraffin wax = paraffin in the US.

Paraffin oil = kerosene in the US. However, sometimes it refers to mineral oil. The way I understand it is being used to soften the paraffin. Paint thinner, turps, mineral oil, etc could be used as well.

Re: Pen finish tips

EagleS.C.

>I'll ditto RonZ's method on the Mylands and I also sent you an e-mail.

Re: Pen finish tips

RonZ

>AT least here in Israel paraffin wax is a solid wax sold here either in blocks or chip that I use to make my paste. Paraffin oil here is mineral oil. Kerosene here is called neft or naptha. I don't use thinners as it smells while the mineral oile does the joib just as good in this case. I have been here for 25 years and I'm forgetting my English, sorry.

Re: Pen finish tips

EagleS.C.

>I may be mistaken but naptha and kerosene are two different animals.

I believe naptha is lighter fluid.

Re: Pen finish tips

RonZ

>I'm not disagreeing with any of you I'm stating what the names are heree. Some are original names and others are poor bastardizations of the English language. The Hebrew word for a gun magazine clip is cartridge which is the bullet in English. The back axel on a car is called back axel but the front axel is called the 'front back axel'. This is what I deal with here and that was the point I was making. I'll never forget the first time I took a cab an asked to get to my University which was on Lincoln st. across from the YMCA. I told the cabby that and he didn't understand me. I tried as best as I could to describe the location and finally he says 'aahhhh, Link-colon st. across from the Imka.' I said buddy these are American inventions and that's not how they are pronounced. Don't even ask me how they pronounce Pines st. =o)