How do you finish your pens?

CA glue is a really durable, high gloss finish for your pens. So is woodturners polish followed by hard carnuba wax.

-- Chip -----------http://www.penmanchip.com-----------------Micah 6:8

Thanks Chip. What type of CA, thick, thin, gell? How do you apply it?

-- Eric, NorCal www.rocklinforestproducts.com

Hi Eric, I shy away from CA. I don’t like the finish; my take is that it is too shiny and “plastic” looking (it is basically an acrylic, after all). It is also very unfriendly stuff to handle. CA is very durable, though, and I do use it for stone inlay work and crack-filling in pens. On my pens, I sand to 2000 grit, then I use two drenching coats of high cellulose shellac (0000 steel wool in between), followed up with friction-applied Renaissance Wax, and then Beal system’s three steps. The final finish is Beal’s buffed-on 100% Carnauba wax. I have found it gives the pen a super-smooth glossy finish that is very luxurious to handle and plenty durable. My customers love it, and the pens I use myself every day are holding up well.
John
www.swirlsandburls.com

-- patience is a virtue ... in woodworking, cooking, and life in general

I also use CA glue…you can check out my pens in my projects and I have a video on youtube on how I put it on…very easy, very durable.

www.youtube.com/grub32

Good luck,

Grub

-- Science Teacher by Day, Wood Butcher by Night!!

I just use Crystalcoat, it is a friction polish that is easy to use and available at any woodworking supplier.

-- Carpenter assembles with hands, Designer builds with brains, Artist creates with heart!

I just use shellawax cream. I 8oz jar did about 50 pens. Not cheap at $25-30 a jar. It is easy to apply, friction finish. I know there is a top coat you can put on, but I keep it simple for the students.

I use a padding lacquer (Lee Valley’s Turners’ Polish) for all my pens and small items. I get a hard glossy, thin finish that I can apply, dry and polish in about 20 seconds. It givers me a nice shiny finish without the plastic look of a varnish.

PS: Nice bowls. The finish is very good.

-- Ken in Sharbot Lake, Ontario

Thank you all for the input. I’m going to try several of your ideas and see what works best for me. That’s what LJ’s is all about right??!!!

Eric.

-- Eric, NorCal www.rocklinforestproducts.com

I also do not care for CA as a finish. I don’t use polyurethane on furniture either. I tried Crystal HUT but didn’t get the shine I wanted. I am using Myland’s now and get a very nice shine. However, I think I like the lack of shine that Hut gave me. Looks more “natural”.

Doug

-- Doug, Carrollton, TX. www.djswoodworks.com

Wonderful turnings

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I use Crystalcoat. It’s very nice and durable.

-- You can get more with a kind word and a 2 by 4, than you can with just a kind word.

I have trouble getting the same results all the time with CA. I did try a new way and got the best finish yet. i put a coat of BOL to seal it first. I hand turned the lathe and spread 2 coats of thin ca. i used a plastic bag the parts came in. i then hit it with accelerator. i sanded it smooth with 400 then 600 grit and took a few more scratches out with hut plastic polish. i then put 3 coats using the BLO and medium ca method on youtube only at a little higher speed. the second pulley in on the fast side. that filled in any scratches left and put 2 nice smooth coats. i finished with the hut plastic polish and a coat of renaissance. i buffed it with a dollar store flanel dusting rag. the wood was redwood burl which i can never get as shiny as i’d like too.

-- Keep Your Stick On The Ice

I’ve used Shellawax paste and liquid as well as Mylands High Build Friction Polish. A bottle of Mylands is $20 and it lasts a long time. I usually do 3 to 4 coats on my turnings. If I need something a bit more durable, For the tool handles I’m made, Then I’ll apply polyurethane first on the lathe, like a friction polish, then after it dries, I brush it on to give it a final shine.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken

After 30 bowls and with at least 3 looking that good, you can’t say you are new to woodturning anymore :)

Those bowls look great!

I use a friction finish on pens.