Jim,
Thanks for your comments. I agree with you about the chrome bullet pen. It was with the first batch of pen kits I bought. The redwood is much shinier than the picture shows, but the macassar ebony is flat. My process was: sand down to 600 grit. A little bit of BLO on a rag. Then hit it with a dry rag to help it dry. 2 thin coats of CA - put 3 to 5 drops on a thick paper towel/shop rag and smooth it on for about 5 to 10 seconds, wait 10 to 15 seconds and repeat. 2 medium CA coats - hold rag against pan blank and dribble about 5 to 7 drops on each blank, work it smooth for 10 to 15 seconds. Wait about a minute and repeat. Then 2 to 4 additional coats of thin CA - 3 to 5 drops onto a rag and smoothed onto the blank for a handful of seconds -waiting 15 to 20 seconds between coats. Let cure overnight. Sand with Micro Meash up to 12000. Put on a wet coat of polish and let dry for a minute ir two (lathe is not on). Then buff at a high speed with a cotton rag.
Wayne - thanks for your comments. The other side of the pen has a really good shine, but the side in the picture is a bit off. I will have to do something with the lighting where my lathe is - just 2 incandescent bulbs right now. I didn't even notice the litte pin holes until after the pen was assemble and I was in a room with more light.
Thanks for the help!!
Dave
Dave; You mite try sanding your blank down to 12,000 to start with. Your finish is only going to be as good as your underlying base. Are you running the lathe at a low speed when you apply your finish or turning it by hand ?
I would suggest NOT using a shop towel or cotton rag to apply your finish. CA is called instant glue for a reason, if it grabs the rag, your hand could be in danger. Use some type of paper towling, if it catches it just tares and will not pull your hand into the spinning lathe. I have never used BLO so you will have to look in the library for the correct way to apply it. With the lathe running at a low speed I start with a coat of gap filling CA, holding the toweling under the blank and drip the CA unto the blank as I move the towling from left to right. One sweep with a few drops of CA should be enough, just make sure all surfaces are covered evenly. Mist with acelerator, let it spin for 5 seconds and wipe dry with clean toweling. Do not use thin CA and acelerator for your finish, it will turn cloudy or white. Repete this process 4 to 6 times or until you are happy with the results. You can add coats or sand right away, no need to wait. Speed up your lathe and go back through your MM to 12,000. Add a few drops of polish spread across your blank and use a clean piece of toweling to buff to a shine. Make sure after the first MM sanding and the last that you wipe down your blanks with a tac rag to remove any fine dust. Besides my shop lighting I have a goose neck lamp mounted over my lathe. As I turn my blanks over by hand, any imperfections will show up and can be addressed at that time. Also runnng your finger or fingernail over your blanks will bring out bumps and cracks your eye can't see. Everybody has their own method of finishing, thats just mine. I have changed my ways of doing things after reading articles in the library and seeing hints and tips from our fellow turners on this site. Thanks to all !! Jim S