3 for the day. Two of my best so far...

[G1Pens]

This is three pens I did today. The two Sierras are probably my best to date. Fit is spot on and the finish is as close to perfect as I have gotten. Both are olive one. The first is Bethlehem olive wood and the second is Jerusalelm olive wood. Finish on both pens is CA/BLO using Rick Fairless's method (video in library). There is no sanding and no MM after the last coat of CA/BLO. I did "polish" it with EEE and a soft cloth at about 1200 RPM. Finish has a satin sheen and really feels good.

The third pen is a Euro done in sycamore. I am not really happy with this pen because of the wood. The sycamore just looks dirty to me. This is a case of the pen looking better in the picture than in person. Does sycamore just have that look? I did everything the same on this one as the two Sierra OW's and they don't look dirty.

 

[Drstrangefart]

If the sycamore has a very open grain, it could be from sanding. Dust and particles get packed into the open areas and make a darker area. I haven't played with sycamore yet, so I'm just tossing a guess out there.

 

[michael j flett]

they look fantastic well done

 

[G1Pens]

I guess the sanding thing could be it. I used DNA to clean the pen while sanding.

 

[bobjackson]

Good looking pens. I like them.

 

[Curtis]

Nice pens. my first pen was the wall street chrome and satin and i just got in 3 of the chrome wall streets, i like the chrome one better, the gold looks good 2

 

[1080Wayne]

You have to be very careful to not sand the bushings while sanding the tube , as it invariably causes what you are seeing . To get more control of the sandpaper , try using 1 inch wide strips , on the underside of the spinning tube , left hand over the mandrel holding the top end and right hand underneath with the bottom end (unless you`re in that segment of the population that likes to do everything backwards , in which case you may want to reverse hands .)

 

[Donnie Kennedy]

I turn a lot of sycamore, and it'll suck up a funky color in a heartbeat. Especially if it's an older piece. I'd guess that when you wiped it down with the DNA, the wood just wicked the dust and whatever other nastiness that was left over from sanding.

I have stopped using black wet/dry and he red colored sanding cloth on it because of that very problem. Even the good sandpaper will leave a little color behind and it'll give you that dirty look. Steel wool is another no-no for me when working with sycamore because it'll stain it too.

 

[ctubbs]

What type of paper did you sand with? I ask because I made the mistake of trying some sand paper from HF. It looked and felt good, but when I started to use it, the grit would come off the paper and get caught in the pores and look just like your sycamore. I have switched back to name brand (3M, Norton, others) and no longer have this problem. I have turned sycamore and not had that problem. It is usully a beautiful timber. Best of luck and hope this helps. May the New Year bring no problems similar to this.
Charles

 

[Donnie Kennedy]

I'm a big fan of Klingspore Gold, or a second option would be Zinc Stearate.

 

[G1Pens]

Thanks for all the feedback. I learned a little in the process and that is good. I like to keep learning.....which being a newbie is not hard to do....