Bleeding Cherry

[Ray Ostrow]

When finishing a piece of cherry the metal from the bushings bled into the wood creating the ends to look dark. Any ideas how to avoid this?

 

[hewunch]

use delrin bushings, clean blank with Denatured Alcohol, or acetone, or accelerator.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Ray,

Finish your pieces between centers (off of the bushings).

Should take care of the issue you are describing.

Mrs.

 

[Ray Ostrow]

Thanks, I'll check it out......

 

[KenV]

And Ray -- with a bit of practice you will be able to avoid abrading away the metal from the bushings by better finish work with the tools and higher grit abrasives not being as agressive in creating metal dust. I can often sand the pen and barely touch the bushings with abrasives.

You can give them a coat of wax which will help while you are learning. The wax will help keep them from being caught into the finishing (and being finish welded to the pen tubes).

Note that you need good sanding technique with the plastic bushings too -- they will abrade away faster than metal.

The Ugly is that one oftem spends more time on the surface preparation and finishing than on the turning itself. But then I am looking for near perfect finishes and fits.