finishing

Hello, What's the best procedure for polishing Ebonite to achieve high gloss finish? Also, how do you clean and soften Ebonite threads? My barley move! Many thanks, Amihai Fishman.

Hello, How do you hold your kitless works on the lathe? I use a collet chuck and a tailstock live center, but with the live center attached, I can't work on the outer side of the pen. If I don't use a live center, the work wobbles too much for turning or applying finish. I'm afraid it might...

Good morning all, I hope you are all doing well! I've been making pens as gifts for friends and family, and am looking for an additional way to personalize them for each individual. I had the idea to wood burn their name or a VERY short and small note on each one, prior to the finishing...

Hello, I'm used to turning wood. In fact, wood is the only material I've turned so far. As part of my attempts at kitless pen making, I've tried to turn Ebonite without much success. I've several questions, which I hope you could answer: What lathe speed is best for turning Ebonite? I turn my...

Never heard of it until today. Does anybody use it?? Melamine Lacquer Pen Finish

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...

Hi, After I applied several coats of CA finish (and before final sanding and polishing), I noticed cloudy spots on one of my Redheart barrels (the second came out good). I think that I applied too much CA in one coat, but I wanted to ask the pros just in case I missed something. (I did sand...

Here's the lowdown: my garage where I turn and finish pens with a mini lathe isn't temperature and humidity controlled. It seems like every time I knuckle down to make a pen, it decides to rain in central Ohio and the humidity has affected my CA finishes at times. What I'd hope to do is turn...

Hi I have just had a go at turning a stabilised banksia pod cast in resin (opticast 2000 - polyurethane resin). While the colour combination is awful i decided to put a CA boiled linseed oil finish on it. While the finish was fine after the micromesh, i notice a day later that the pod appeared...

I've only been turning pens for a little while. I started last year and turned for about a month, but due to health and lathe issues I didn't really get going again until late May this year. When I first started I used CA glue on most of the pens I made (all slimline). In all honesty, I was...

Just finished a set of pens for gifting during the holidays (or maybe sale)... It’s weird how your favorite pen in a set can change from blank to turning to finishing and finally assembly.

Since it was only $9 with same day delivery and I love tinkering I ordered a DPDT switch so as to make my lathe reversible. That being said, has anyone noticed a real advantage of being able to reverse direction for sanding? Seems like you'd have to look through a microscope to see the fibers...

Probably a very dumb question, but they say the only thing dumber than a dumb question is the dumb guy who doesn't ask it. I keep seeing mentions of wet sanding. I'm a newbie with only 8-10 pens under my belt, but I'm trying to learn as many techniques as possible. My first five pens were...

Out of everything I have learned and heard from the MPGS to the Hartville meetings and on the forum people have a slow speed drying rack for finishing Mark James was a excellent piece cheap and affordable. This hit me last night or the day before. As a child i played with KNEX that my...

I have been using thin CA to finish pens for some time without a problem. However recently I found 4 pens where the CA finish is cracking. I have reviewed many posts and see many methods of application but am still confused. I have been using 10 coats of thin CA with activator. As a test I now...

I am new to turning pens , and want to try and get the best possible finish on acrylics. Do you sand through 12000 micro mesh at a high or low speed? Heavy pressure or light preasure? Any feedback would be a great help. Thanks guys and gals

Ok I need some advice on the do's and don't of finishing mammoth tooth pens. What's the procedure and what is the finishing technique for it?

The way I've been doing it is to add 2 layers of thin CA, then run through my micromesh pads lightly once. Then I add a medium CA coat, run through the pads again, then another coat, pads, and so on, until I'm happy with the finish. Question: Do I need to be sanding with the micromesh in...

I'm very new to pen turning, having recently completed my fourth pen. An ongoing issue that I am having is with my ca finishing. I use the lathe on its lowest rpm (500) to apply the ca. I drip about 3 or 4 drops while my paper towel is under the blank. Then I wait 1 or 2 minutes for it to dry. I...

I'm pretty new to the forum and pen turning. I've made close to 50 pens and pencils so far with varying degrees of success. I use CA finishes often, Pens Plus on the rest. I've taken to using the Wood Doctors method of sanding thru all the grits of MM using walnut oil as a lubricant. This...