My New "Hybrid" Finish

[Todd in PA]

I turned this pair of fountain pens from Amboyna Burl, and Teal Dyed Maple Burl. The teal was stabilized wood, and the Amboyna was not.

I did one thing differently, which I have been doing on all my wooden pens. After turning to the finished diameter, I add 2 coats of green ultra-thin Gluboost (CA). Then I remove all the visible cyanoacrylate very gently using a square carbide as a scraper. The shiny top coating is removed, but the ultrathin remains impregnated in the surface of the wood. Then I proceed with my PensPlus finish regimen: Wet sand using walnut oil and micromesh, then apply PensPlus, and friction polish, two coats.

It certainly raises questions I can't answer.
Wouldn't the CA prevent the walnut oil from penetrating? Probably.
Would an already stabilized wood need the additional treatment of CA? Probably not.
Would the UltraThin step benefit an already lustrous wood like Rosewood or Amboyna? I think so.

But I can't argue with the results. The wood has a smoother feel and harder surface for finishing. These pens have a shine and touch that is half way between a CA high-gloss and a warm friction finish. It's a tiny amount of product, and minimal amount of time to add this step. I feel it's worth it.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Hippie3180]

Woah! Those are gorgeous! That teal dyed Maple burl is amazing!

 

[Woodchipper]

Thoughts? Hmm. Amazing and my complements on your technique for finishing. And a nice pen. Makes me want to take up needlepoint.

 

[mark james]

Your duet is wonderful. My only concern is the final steps with Pens Plus as a lasting finish. However, I admire your results; thanks for sharing.

 

[ZanderPommo]

I think they look gorgeous, but I'm very curious to know how the finish holds up so please report back after a year of hard use. We would love to know.

 

[Kalai]

Very nice pens, great job. Aloha.

Kalai

 

[johncrane]

works well id say,

 

[leehljp]

To me, the way I see that I, or someone else, has nailed the finish- it is that pristine straight light reflection from one end to the other. Perfect Light reflections don't lie.

 

[Lew]

Love the pens, and I'll be very interested to see what the experts say about using the walnut oil after the GluBoost. I haven't used GluBoost yet but I'm starting to lean in that direction since so many of the experts are advocating for it.

 

[egnald]

Great pens and very interesting finish. The Amboyna in particular - simply gorgeous. I might have to give it a go sometime. I have a Padauk keychain that I used Pens Plus on a couple of years ago and it has held up pretty good considering I carry it in my pocket with keys and stuff nearly every day. - Dave