finish

Redheart, Yellowheart and Bocote. I definitely learn with time, but that whole kitless thing is a much tougher journey than I thought it will be. How do you CA finish kitless pens without glue getting stuck to the ebonite parts? I tried to tape them, but the tape ended up glued together to the...

Hi, I have been turning pens for many years now and recently been noticing a problem with hazing on the CA finish. Using Starbond Heavy-thin and Medium, Blue Shop towels and NO accelerator. I leave the the CA finished blanks for 24-48 hours to cure and don’t notice any issues. After Wet...

Hey guys, I have been fiddling with Nikko ebonite for some time and I always get different results while finishing it. To be more exact - I cannot get ebonite to be pitch black and besides that, there are black spots visible under strong light. My method of finishing is wet sanding from 320 -...

I am trying to achieve a high gloss finish on a wood pen. My procedure thus far is: (a) make a little puddle of BLO in a rag (b) put some medium CA in the puddle (c) apply to the pen blank at 3600 RPM. (d) repeat the above steps 5-7 times. The above gives me a nice satin finish, but not a...

Hello again, I have a repeating problem in several of my pens: There are small scratches on them. Hope you can see it in the picture attached. Also, the CA finish seems to be of different thicknesses on the same pen. Some parts are "glassy" and shiny, while other still feel "woody", with...

Hello, Tried to turn a pen from Holly. (As part of a set for a wedding, the second pen will be turned from Gabon Ebony). Instead of getting a whitish pen, I got all of this bluish / greyish mud over the wood. I suspect that those spots are the remains of my blue shop towels. Never had this...

Hi, After I'm finished turning the blanks, I sand, then clean the blank with little bit of alcohol, apply 8 layers of CA finish, micro mesh it, and apply little bit of Renaissance wax. I understood from some people that one may also polish the blank after the CA is applied. I've never done that...

I built a chrome wrench pen a while back and turned the other pen yesterday. The Breast Cancer pen has some flaws that I didn't notice until I started to hit it with the MM. The tool dragged on the tool rest and chattered a bit. Got some ridges from the chatter. Need to clean up the tool rest...

I just bought an air brush set. I can use it for some WWing projects on the to-do list. Has anyone had experience with air brushing pen blanks? Finish used or paint? Advice? Many thanks. FWIW, Youtube has a lot of videos for this but I would like something more specific on pen blanks.

My wife bought some leather scraps at Hobby Lobby yesterday. She thought the tan and black colors would make a good contrast for a blank. I have looked at some of the threads in the library and want to ask some additional questions. In addition to a contact cement or white glue, has anyone use...

I just finished scanning a WWing website and the mention of lacquer finish caught my eye. I would like to add to my finish methods of CA and BLO. Best way to apply? I have seen it in spray cans at Lowe's. Any particular brand that you recommend? Any "tricks" to having a good finish? Thanks in...

I have done a couple of pens with BLO and it gives a nice satin finish. I was turning a blank earlier and came up with a question. Is it better to apply BLO at room temperature or can it be heated a bit for better application? Best way to heat? Thanks in advance.

I am pretty new to pen turning. I have been experimenting with some different finishing technique using BLO and CA finish. I have been wanting to move away from it because I am having trouble getting a consistent finish and occasional cloudiness. However I really like the way the oil makes...

I am turning my first doe grunt call and the documentation on the kit says to use an oil finish of my choosing on it. Just thought I would get some opinions on what might be the best oil finish for this type of project.

Hello Everyone. I want to start by saying I have learned a lot by reading through your posts and tips. I have been an IAP member for only a short time, but have been turning pens since 2004. I only wish I had discovered this site years ago as I could have avoided some bad habits. I recently...

I read in entirely the process that Mike recommended using this product. But I have a few questions between two of their products. Would you recommend buying both the Walnut Oil/Carnauba Wax /Shellac Woodturning Finish and Pens Plus or would it be overkill? Would one replace the other? I am...

Hi, I have just recently started to make pens, and facing this CA finishing problem. After watching hundreds of clips on YouTube about CA finish, since they all make it appear to be an easy process, I decided to give it a try. The problem I am having is as soon as I apply the CA...

Thought first. then a question. I am a self-taught pen turner. Woodworking for over 40 years now and started something new about 3-1/2 years ago - penturning. I love it. Perhaps I am not as fast as some of the more experience turners on here. I use a CA finish on all wood pens I make...

Is euro varnish a good finish for turned wood items...specifically pens and turned coffee travel mugs w/ steel inserts? Any info/ insight appreciated!

Hi guys! This is my first post here, and I'm a little new at wood turning in general... but here goes: A week or so ago, I decided to turn a bunch of blanks to compare various finishing products and techniques, and to learn how to use them. So far, I've tried polyurethane, boiled linseed...