Bowling Ball Pen Blanks

[Jim in Oakville]

Hi,

I just recieved my first bowling ball pen blanks from out All color supplier here. They look great. I turned a crimson red one for a Partiot pen. I sanded it down to 12000 on micromesh and I noticed it looked darker than I hoped and did not have the lustre I expected (say like corion or acrylic). I had sanded at about 1100 rpm and turned it at that same speed, I micro meshed dry. I turned the lathe up to 1800 rpm and dry sanded it again to 600 and then wet sanded through to 12000, it looks a bit better but still looked dark to me. I polished it a swirl and haze remover and then a fine liquid polish.

Can some one comment on my process and what I should do to get that classic Bowling Ball finish I have seen on other people's work, Like Ed's.

Thanks,

Take care,
Jim

 

[Rudy Vey]

Go a couple of days back, this issue was discussed here widely and Sheila from P of C gave an instruction how to get a good finish on them Bowling balls.

Rudy

 

[Rudy Vey]

here it is, I found it in the Help and Questions section:

Hello, everyone. I would like to offer some help on how to finish the Bowling Ball pen blanks. I am seeing a lot of folks out there on other forums with a lot of questions, so I thought some of you may have questions as well.

Because the Bowling Ball pen blank is made from a thermosetting material, it takes a considerable amount of heat to apply a good finish. But, it can be done, with great success, if you don't mind using a little extra elbow grease. By the way, this same thermosetting quality is what allows the blank to be drilled without melting or cracking it, unlike acrylics.



There are several different methods for finishing the Bowling Ball blanks. Just choose what works best for you and your shop.



I don’t own a buffing system, so I use friction polish and a soft cloth. I start sanding the blank with 400 or 600 grit, anything less than that will actually put MORE scratches in the blank. I sand with the lathe spinning, stopping between grits to sand lengthwise on the blank, while turning it by hand. When I get to around 2500 grit, with regular sandpaper, I put on one or two coats of sanding sealer, then wipe off the excess before it dries, to fill in any tiny divots or air pockets in the blank.



Then, I use one of several products to remove the fine scratches. Sometimes I use the Novus 2 Step system, sometimes I use Hut Ultra Gloss, sometimes I use EEE Ultrashine polish. Any of these will remove the very fine scratches from the blank.



Finally, I dab some friction polish on a soft cloth, and go to work. The thermosetting properties of the blank means I have to get more friction working than I would on a wood blank, so the polish can be baked on. So, I use a little extra pressure on the rag to create the extra heat I need. If the pen gets a little cloudy or dull, then I know I have to go back and get it even hotter, because the polish is just sitting on top of the blank, not actually baked on yet. Two coats of friction polish are all it takes to get a great shine.



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If you have a buffing system, you should sand to about 600 grit, use a coat of sanding sealer, then buff. You'll have to buff with the tripoli wheel pretty hard and at high speed to get all the fine scratches out, before going to the white diamond wheel. Then, apply your choice of finish.





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The Bowling Ball Blanks are made from the same exact material as the outer covering of a bowling ball. They can be polished using any conventional method after fine sanding to remove any scratches. Plastics polish, friction polish, CA glue, polyurethane, and/or waxes may be used to create a high gloss shine. Just be sure to create extra friction and heat on the friction polish, and you should not do the boiled linseed oil if you finish with CA glue.



If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 888-966-3736 or 888-Wood-Pen. You may also contact us via email at pensofcolor.com We want you to be happy with our products!

Thanks!

Pens of Color

www.pocwoodworking.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Sheila~
Rudy

 

[Jim in Oakville]

Thank You,
I had not seen that post, Now I Am very clear, Thanks for being patient and helping me out!!

Take care,
Jim

 

[Bev Polmanteer]

I put a piece of carpet padding behind the rag with the friction polish on it and hold it on until the heat is too much to hold any longer. This gets the polish really hot and it works for me.