Crosscut pecan

This pen is made from a lovely piece of crosscut pecan wood that @Edgar sent me with his PITH pen. It is my first attempt to modify a slimline and i think it came out really nice. I used pens plus as a finish although the pores would be filled better with ca; on the other hand i didn't want the plastic feeling of ca. Choices, choices.
I struggled to take proper pictures,the grain of that wood is crazy, hope you like it, cheers

Very nice. I agree that at times having a finish that allows a more natural feel is appealing, as well as NOT filling all the pores. I frequently prefer to have a more 'natural' feel off the pen - certainly sealed, but not made into a solid surface. (I use Wipe On Poly, Oil based).

Very nice, Mike. I agree with Mark James. My go-to finishes are Wipe-On-Poly or Myland's Friction Polish followed by Hut PPP wax

I love the radial/end grain, and how the pores are visible. Very pretty.

Edgar said:

Very nice, Mike. I agree with Mark James. My go-to finishes are Wipe-On-Poly or Myland's Friction Polish followed by Hut PPP wax

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Is mylanda friction polish a build up finish? I don't like polys and similar varnishes. Thank you for your advice.

MedWoodWorx said:

Is mylanda friction polish a build up finish? I don't like polys and similar varnishes. Thank you for your advice.

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They call it a High Build Friction Polish, but I rarely ever use more than one coat. I generally sand wood to 400 grit, then grab a wad of shavings in my fingers and burnish the wood with that rather than continuing to sand. Then I usually apply a coat of Myland's Sanding Sealer, rub that in with the lathe off, then use a paper towel to remove all excess. They a light coat of the friction polish with the lathe off, then use a paper towel to apply pressure to the the blank while it's turning to bring out the shine. Then coat is with carnauba wax and burnish that with a wadded paper towel. It may not be as durable as CA or poly, but it's fast & easy and I like the look and feel of it.

From Myland's instructions: "Sold world wide as the market leading Shellac Based Friction Polish. It is applyed in small amounts while the wood is turning with a lint free cotton cloth. When the desired build is achieved, finish with the edge of a carnauba wax stick while turning and burnish with a dry cloth."

MedWoodWorx said:

Is mylanda friction polish a build up finish? I don't like polys and similar varnishes. Thank you for your advice.

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Most friction polishes are called "high build"...however, when I was trying to figure out what that meant myself in the past, it seems that "high build" means that you get a bit heavier/thick (but not necessarily THICK) "single" coat in a single application, not that you build up multiple coats into a very thick coating like CA. High build also means that the finish coats the wood nicely, without sag, drip, etc. in that single coat.

That has been my experience with friction polishes as well...if you do try to build them up layer by layer like CA, for one each layer of a shellac based finish just blends with any prior. More importantly, you eventually seem to get too much of the finish on the wood, which can cause problems. I generally coat generously, friction polish it in, then use very sparing amounts for subsequent refinement of the finish if any dull or dry spots show up.