clearing blanks

[Curtis]

anyone use spray clears like minwax spar urethane? i have been trying ca and blo and have been haveing trouble doing it right, i will keep doing it till i get it right but was just wanted to see what you guys think

 

[its_virgil]

Until you get the CA finish worked out I would suggest lacquer. Lacquer is a hard finish and will buff to a wonderful shine. The only drawback is that lacquer takes time to fully cure...up to two weeks depending on the temp and environment. I'm sure that most clear finishes have been tried and hopefully someone will help you out on the others. Want some excellent reading on pen finishes? Spend some time reading Russ Fairfield's finishing material on his website at http://www.woodturnerruss.com
Do a good turn daily!
Don

anyone use spray clears like minwax spar urethane? i have been trying ca and blo and have been haveing trouble doing it right, i will keep doing it till i get it right but was just wanted to see what you guys think

 

[ctubbs]

I have some plexaglass soaking in acetone right now and tried applying it to a cedar blank last night. I think it holds promise, but it is going to take some trial and error, LOTS OF ERROR from the looks of what turned out, to get it ready for prime time. Until it works much better, it will continue to be CA/BLO for me, as bad as it stinks.
Lacquer should be a no fail finish if you take your time. Do be careful. The thinner used is flammable and burns real good. Like above, it does take some time to fully cure. It also tends to wet all the layers of finish below the top layer so watch for runs. Do not get in a hurry. Lacquer can be unkind if applied too thick or quickly. It can be a beautiful and long lasting finish when applied correctly. Just my experience in the body shop. YMMV
Charles

 

[phillywood]

Curtis, in order for you to get good at CA finish why don't you try to pick up whole lots of extra blanks that you can get for free like native wood or something that you have plenty of or didn't cost you a lot and then based on center to center turning or mandrel turning (drilling your hole) turn them round and try to apply finish on them. this way you pay your way towards mastering the technique and also you can use those round blanks for tool handles and if you don't get them too skinny then you can re-round them again and apply the finish again til you are comfortable using your technique on your better pen. this way you have something to reference to and also didn't cost you the kit and the expensive blank.

 

[bitshird]

Wipe on Poly also makes a nice finish and is pretty durable as well, it does work better in warm environments, some of the Australian pen turners use it as do a few of our brethren to the north and with 10 or 15 coats it gives a finish the will rival a good CA finish, or Deft Spray Lacquer, great stuff, you can spray about every 20 minutes and let them sit for about 10 days and buff and you have an excellent finish the Deft Gloss cans are wonderful, we even use it on bowls and tool handles.
I'd avoid Spar Varnish, it takes forever to dry, Lacquer dries nearly instantly WOP takes an hour or two in my area the Aussies can recoat it about every 20 minutes if they leave the blanks out side in the sun!!

 

[Curtis]

thanks for the info. i have been just messing a round with old wood i bought for other stuff, i have been useing acrylic for the few pens i have made.

 

[KenV]

A few years back IAP had a member who was a strong advocate of Enduro Acrylic (now sold by general finishes --

Ernie at BearTooth Wood sells it in small repackaged plastic bottles. I use it from time to time - fast recoats but does take a few days to cure out before sanding/buffing. Search on Enduro to see some of the posts.

I miss Wayne's posts -- he worked hard to get good finishes that would bring bling.

 

[okiebugg]

Brush Lacquer

Brush Lacquer is a wonderful very viscous semi-liquid that I have used in years past. Instead of having to spray it onto your project, I make a tampon from cotton diapers (Google Tampon) and apply the lacquer with the project on the lathe at lower speeds. Several light applications work better than heavier applications because light apps can be slowly cured with friction ........to a point. That point is a go-nogo situation that is arrived at with experimentation on scrap turnings

I have large bowls that I turned 25 to 30 years ago that are still looking fine.

 

[fernhills]

I have tried MinWax Aerosol Spray Lacquer. No sanding between coats, drys fast, can recoat severeal times in day. I have done one pen so far and the finish holds up well. i still have it and use it daily at my computer and it held up. The only thing is that i have a basement shop and it is kinda strong when you spray. I did it outside in the spring so i wouldn`t have the spray smell in the house. I could probably spary it in the garage in the winter and bring it inside to dry because it is only the spray that smells. Carl