TurtleTom
Member
Yes, that's the worry. But back to basics a sec here, why sand wet in the first place? Why not just do it dry? I've never wet sanded a pen before.
Is damp better than wet?
CA finish - tips and tricks
- Thread starter Drewboy22
- Start date
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Yes, that's the worry. But back to basics a sec here, why sand wet in the first place? Why not just do it dry? I've never wet sanded a pen before.
Is damp better than wet?
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jttheclockman
Member
Wet sanding is done on cars all the time. A liquid will make the sandpaper last longer,clog less. and glide smoother. Also less scratches.
I seal the ends of wood pen blanks with a dab of thin CA before sanding. If i need to touch up before assembly it is very easy to do.
I even go as far as using lemon oil when I wet sand my woodworking projects that use exotic woods. because of the tight grain and the oils it just a natural to do. They polish to a mirror shine.
I seal the ends of wood pen blanks with a dab of thin CA before sanding. If i need to touch up before assembly it is very easy to do.
I even go as far as using lemon oil when I wet sand my woodworking projects that use exotic woods. because of the tight grain and the oils it just a natural to do. They polish to a mirror shine.
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TurtleTom
Member
I got a laugh out of it, I googled lemon oil to learn a little about it and there was a post citing 10 reasons to use lemon oil. I'm saying to myself I'll post this for a laugh and get him John with it, but lo and behold Dr. Axe's #6 of the 10 best uses for lemon oil is 6. wood and silver polish. Who would argue with Dr. Axe? Not me.
Would the lemon oil eventually clog the sanding pad or do you frequently use soap and water to clean the pad?
How much life do you get from these pads?
Drewboy22
Member
I have heard people use Walnut oil for wood working but this is the first time I heard Lemon Oil. Learn something new everyday
So without using CA you will use the oil and wet sand as a polish that way or do you still use CA?
Skie_M
Member
You can use it either way ... the oils will lubricate the sandpaper and help carry the sanding detritus away to prevent scratching of the surface by the larger particles.
When using it on bare wood, the oils work their way into the wood helping to preserve it. Lemon oil is a natural antibacterial.
When using it on an acrylic, it just helps keep the surface cleaner and helps wash away that sanding residue. Using it on a CA finish is the same as using it on an acrylic.
Walnut oil is a nice alternative to using boiled linseed oil ... I'll have to pick some up to try someday, but for now I still have over 3/4 of a can of Minwax Stain and Seal and I like the effect it has on the wood in darkening it just a little (natural color). It gives it a "wet" appearance right before I seal it permanently with CA.
When using it on bare wood, the oils work their way into the wood helping to preserve it. Lemon oil is a natural antibacterial.
When using it on an acrylic, it just helps keep the surface cleaner and helps wash away that sanding residue. Using it on a CA finish is the same as using it on an acrylic.
Walnut oil is a nice alternative to using boiled linseed oil ... I'll have to pick some up to try someday, but for now I still have over 3/4 of a can of Minwax Stain and Seal and I like the effect it has on the wood in darkening it just a little (natural color). It gives it a "wet" appearance right before I seal it permanently with CA.
jttheclockman
Member
I have heard people use Walnut oil for wood working but this is the first time I heard Lemon Oil. Learn something new everyday
So without using CA you will use the oil and wet sand as a polish that way or do you still use CA?
Tom and Andrew
I group your questions together because they are related. Lets take a step back. When I do pens I use CA on all my wood pens. I feel the CA gives a depth to the grain. Unless a client strickly wants to feel the wood then I will Danish oil the wood blank and skip the CA. I sand and polish using the wet method. I use water on polishing CA. The CA seals the wood so lemon oil will do nothing. Can it be used absolutely. It is a lubricant. Now if i made the client a wood pen and only used Danish oil then I will polish with lemon oil. The oil will get into the grain and give it a slight hue which warms the look of wood unless they want a holy blank then no oil, no Danish oil but use a coat of waterlox clear. Again this does the same thing as above.
Now I make so many more things other than pens and use exotic woods a lot. I love how it can accent a piece. In this case I will Danish oil the wood and polish it out using lemon oil. I use Formby's lemon oil. Now As with pens I will polish with MM pads. I have a set of sheets just for this.
The oil does not clog the pads, it does help preserve them longer, and as I said it helps glide smoother. I do not clean the sheets at all. I let them dry and have them ready for the next project. The sheets clean as you dip in the oil just as the MM pads clean when dipped in water.
Take it another step further and I use water based lacquer on many projects too. Sometime there are a few nibs or stray overspray and I knock this back with the MM sheets and the lemon oil again. Never dry sanding. The only time I dry sand is when I am building a project and need to clean up or level off a surface. When the finish is applied all dry sanding stops in my shop.
Here is a couple examples. The pen rack is made from Rosewood and yellow heart. Danish oil and polished with the MM sheets and lemon oil. I think you can see the sheen.
The second example is desk watches. These were sprayed with a water base lacquer and then polished again with lemon oil and MMsheets. Hope this helps clear that up.
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TurtleTom
Member
John and Skie, thank you for clearing this up for us.