Buffing stabilized wood

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Dan Masshardt

Dan Masshardt

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I Like working with good stabilized blanks when I get them.

Sometimes I apply ca still, other times I just polish it up as best I can on the lathe, but it's just not quite there to my satisfaction - buffing with no added finish.

No problems with ca or acrylic really.

So, who is getting a fantastic finish on stabilized wood alone?

I'm getting buffing wheels to give that a go. I also want them for other things.
 
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Everyone should get fantastic finishes on bare stabilized wood. The only real need for any type of finish product is for chips and the like.

I have seen a good number of low quality stabilized products and more often than not would not hold a good finish. Some tips on spotting horrible stabilizing jobs is if it's wet and it changes colors, if it still smells like wood.
 
edstreet said:
Everyone should get fantastic finishes on bare stabilized wood. The only real need for any type of finish product is for chips and the like. I have seen a good number of low quality stabilized products and more often than not would not hold a good finish. Some tips on spotting horrible stabilizing jobs is if it's wet and it changes colors, if it still smells like wood.
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Thanks Ed - I have used both types of stabilized wood. ;-). I'm talking about pro stabilized here mainly.

I can get a very good polish and it might be all that there is.

Maybe ca finish is like crack to me. I'm hooked on the look!
 
I turn a lot of stabilized blanks, they always finish very well. Did some buckeye burl yesterday that, after the finishing cut with a razor sharp skew, had no need for finishing. Has a completely different feel than unstabilized wood.
CA is still my choice for a finish on wood; It can be worked in so many ways for gloss, matte or something in between.
 
Here's a pen I did with no finish added.
 

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That burl looks like a good choice for stabilizing. Nice job on the buffing Dan! How does it "feel" (I know, very subjective!!!) vs a CA finish?
 
Jim Burr said:
That burl looks like a good choice for stabilizing. Nice job on the buffing Dan! How does it "feel" (I know, very subjective!!!) vs a CA finish?
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It defiantly has that silky feel. It feels great. Different than ca. But I happen to like how ca feels too.

I guess the lack of high gloss is a good trade off for the durability and lack of potentially problems with ca.
 
But wasn't the original question about HOW to make the finish right? Our experience with "silky" finish was to sane it to 1000 grit, then take white jewelers rouge. Just rub it on while the lathe is turning, then take a lint free cotton rag (again, while lathe is running) to "wipe it off". Voila - perfect finish if the stabilizing was done by a pro.

Sharon
 
This is a timely thread for me. I am just really getting started. I have never turned stabilized wood before, but I will be turning my first stabilized blanks tonight or tomorrow, and have been wondering about the finish. I was thinking that I would just sand up through 2000 grit before picking up MM @ 2400 grit and working my way all the way up to 12000. At that point I was just thinking that since the wood is stabilized (maple burls from PSI) I would just leave them like that, no additional finish. and they ought to have a nice luster, since everything does after MM. Am I thinking correctly about this?
 
Dan Masshardt said:
I Like working with good stabilized blanks when I get them.

Sometimes I apply ca still, other times I just polish it up as best I can on the lathe, but it's just not quite there to my satisfaction - buffing with no added finish.

No problems with ca or acrylic really.

So, who is getting a fantastic finish on stabilized wood alone?

I'm getting buffing wheels to give that a go. I also want them for other things.
Click to expand...

Good Day Dan,

This is what I use for stabilized wood and acrylics:

1. Flitz Polish (for metal, plastic and fiber glass
2. Mequiars Plastx (clear plastic cleaner and polish
3. Hut Ultra Gloss (plastic polish


Here is the method I use:

put product on a paper towel, with machine off, wipe long wise,
then with new paper towel, turn machine on, put the same product on, when done, use a soft cloth with machine on and buff.....

Do this for each products 1 - 3

Won't need to buff them when finished......

Hope this helps
 
maverickgal said:
Our experience with "silky" finish was to sane it to 1000 grit, then take white jewelers rouge. Just rub it on while the lathe is turning, then take a lint free cotton rag (again, while lathe is running) to "wipe it off". Voila - perfect finish if the stabilizing was done by a pro.
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Heck, you CAN go up to the extent mentioned by gimpy and others, but by simply using 5 different sandpaper grits (120, 240, 400, 600, and 1,000), followed by the white rouge - it comes out feeling like a newborn baby's hiney! Nothing more needed - unless of course you just like more work! :eek:

Sharon
 
maverickgal said:
Heck, you CAN go up to the extent mentioned by gimpy and others, but by simply using 5 different sandpaper grits (120, 240, 400, 600, and 1,000), followed by the white rouge - it comes out feeling like a newborn baby's hiney! Nothing more needed - unless of course you just like more work! :eek: Sharon
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Do you have a good source for the white rouge to try? Available in any local stores typically?
 
Remember Dan...any little holes, dimples, divots or major/minor inclusions will suck up the White whatever and then you have to dig it out...same with Huts, or who/what ever finish you may like.
Personally, as with many of my customers, they like the little dimples in a finish as long as it follows the blank. Although there are times a perfectly smooth and finished blank is what's needed.
 
Dan Masshardt said:
Do you have a good source for the white rouge to try? Available in any local stores typically?
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The link that edstreet gave has the white rouge also: (White Buffing Compound Large - Standard Buffing Compounds - Buffing/Polishing - Caswell Inc). And Jim, in reference to the tiny white specks you'd get IF (and note emphasis on IF) - if my memory is correct, we just squirted a little alcohol on it while running, and it came out. At least that's what I seem to recall - we rarely ever had pits in them by the time we got to the rouge stage - that's what all the sanding was about! :biggrin:

Sharon
 
You could do liquid, but the sticks are SO easy and super cheap on a "per use" basis. Never tried the liquid, but don't really see any advantage in it... May be some I haven't thought of though...
 
maverickgal said:
But wasn't the original question about HOW to make the finish right? Our experience with "silky" finish was to sane it to 1000 grit, then take white jewelers rouge. Just rub it on while the lathe is turning, then take a lint free cotton rag (again, while lathe is running) to "wipe it off". Voila - perfect finish if the stabilizing was done by a pro.

Sharon
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Nope...that wasn't the question Sharon.
 
To be clear on something, my polished stabilized wood finish feels fantastic. No issues there.

And it looks good.

It's just not ca look. Which is okay. I'm coming to believe that's how it is and is supposed to be.

Does anybody have a buffed stabilized finish that would easily be mistaken for ca - on appearance only - not feel. ?
 
JMHO...not every pen needs a CA finish Dan...whatever that may be. There are to many variables and "this and that's" to be left with only a "CA" finish. You can put 10 coats of something on something and then what? Put 10 coats of CA...CA finish...10 coats of WTF...wtf finish. Maybe you could experiment with a few things and put up some results?
 
Jim Burr said:
JMHO...not every pen needs a CA finish Dan...whatever that may be. There are to many variables and "this and that's" to be left with only a "CA" finish. You can put 10 coats of something on something and then what? Put 10 coats of CA...CA finish...10 coats of WTF...wtf finish. Maybe you could experiment with a few things and put up some results?
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Jim - I agree I don't need a ca finish on everything

I want to be capable with several different methods depending on the wood and the pen

I'm perfectly willing to accept stabilized wood for what it is and appreciate it I just want to get the most I can out of it and not waste time trying to get something out of it that it cannot offer
 
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