Locust Panache

[Culprit]

I posted this pen over in the photography section, but wanted to show it here as well since I have a question and more folks will see it here.

This is a Panache with Locust wood. Do you see the dark rings on the ends of the blank where it meets the metal? Those aren't gaps, and the blank isn't undercut. Most of my wood pens get these dark ends. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm sure it has to do with my finishing technique, but I don't know what to change to avoid it.

Here's what I do: Shape the pen, and sand with MicroMesh. Apply BLO with blue shop paper towel while spinning on the lathe. Burnish it in by pinching to build up heat from friction. Build up coats of CA using delrin cone finishing bushings to allow some CA to flow over the sides and seal the ends. MicroMesh. Buff with Hut Plastic Polish. Sand ends to knock down CA that overflowed, and square it up.

My best guess is BLO absorbing into the exposed end grain? Any other possibilities? If I am right, how do I avoid it. I like the effect the BLO has on the grain before CA so I would like to keep using it, but I also want to get rid of the dark ring.

Any ideas/comments?

 

[1080Wayne]

My best guess would be that you might need to sand a bit more of the CA overflow off .

 

[Dale Allen]

Try sealing the endgrain with CA before you use the BLO.
That should keep the BLO out of the endgrain.

 

[ChrisN]

I agree with Wayne. It looks like you didn't get quite all the CA off.

 

[mikespenturningz]

If you don't get all of that CA off you can also get cracking when you press things together!

 

[Culprit]

Thanks guys. I'll try sealing the end grain before BLO, and make sure that I sand back down to the blank. I admit that I've been pretty timid sanding the end after finishing and polishing, so it is entirely possible that I didn't get it all the way down to wood.