My first full size pen (El Grande in maple burl)

[dmott]

Turned my first full size pen. El Grande in a piece of maple burl.

Been trying to find ways to make finishing faster. Accidentally sanded through the CA finish in quite a few spots with my usual method (3 thin coats, about 6 medium, then another 3 thin. then 220 grit up through plastic polish).

SO, i tried to use only thin CA glue (about 7 or 8 coats), skip all sanding and go right to my 1) rubbing compound, 2) ultimate compound, then 3)plastx.

As far as I can tell the finish is perfect. Funny how frustration and impatience can teach you new tricks sometimes.

 

[dmott]

I was also pleasantly surprised that the El Grande is a "easier" kit to make than the flat top. I assumed the flat top would be a little "easier" since it has the same size hole for both tubes and its a little smaller, but the tenon cutting required a lot of focus (especially the one where I forgot to cut it until after i finished my pen with CA ).

I assumed the El Grande had this, and the "streamline el grandes" had some weird directions as well.

The basic El Grande is simple, pretty foolproof. The two different size barrels just turned me off for some reason, but not anymore.

 

[RogerH]

Finish looks really nice to me. And congrats on first full size pen.

My hat is off to you-all I can ever accomplish when I try to use thin CA as a finish is to get it ALL OVER, and mostly on my fingers and hands. What is your trick for the stuff not to get everywhere?

FYI, I just use medium ca, usually 8-10 coats, depending on how much I like the pen I'm doing (!) and then use the MM, and finally plastic polish. In the 200 or so pens I've done, I think I've sanded through 2. I guess I must put on heavier coats than you do.

Not having to use the MM does sounds intriguing. I wonder how your finish will wear, as it seems to me that 7-8 costs of thin CA is probably not nearly as think of the same number of medium.

Thx for sharing. Great pen.

 

[dmott]

Well when I started using shop towels (blue paper towels), i noticed a huge difference in time before the CA sets. Im sure you've noticed the smoke coming off the towel before; shop towels barely do this, and it takes about twice as long for it to happen.

I fold my towel up real thick and in a long strip so i get multiple uses. Then just the standard towel beneath the blank, squirt the glue directly to the blank and get one good pass in. Since ive started using the shop towels, I even have time to rub it back and forth probably 4-5 times, getting it as smooth as probably the lower micromeshes would.

For future pens ill probably still do a few layers of medium, but this pen should have already been sealed from the first attempt at my finish. So i was assuming that all 8 coats of my thin CA built up, with none absorbing in the wood.

My next try will be 2 thin coats, 2 medium coats, then probably 7 or 8 thin coats before my rubbing compounds.

Finish looks really nice to me. And congrats on first full size pen.

My hat is off to you-all I can ever accomplish when I try to use thin CA as a finish is to get it ALL OVER, and mostly on my fingers and hands. What is your trick for the stuff not to get everywhere?

FYI, I just use medium ca, usually 8-10 coats, depending on how much I like the pen I'm doing (!) and then use the MM, and finally plastic polish. In the 200 or so pens I've done, I think I've sanded through 2. I guess I must put on heavier coats than you do.

Not having to use the MM does sounds intriguing. I wonder how your finish will wear, as it seems to me that 7-8 costs of thin CA is probably not nearly as think of the same number of medium.

Thx for sharing. Great pen.

another by the way, if I have a real thick layer of CA (or what I think is thick), I can never go straight to micromesh. Maybe you get it smoother than me on application, but unless I wanted to spend A LOT of time sanding with micromesh I just start back down at 220grit, or maybe 400 if I did a good job getting the medium CA on smooth.