Thanks again for all of the kind comments. The wood on this pen is called Amboyna Burl. It's awesome for turning and is really beautiful finished. To apply the spray lacquer, I start by sanding to 600 grit and then turn the lathe off. I then cover the threads and knurled knob on my mandrel with tape. I spray a little lacquer in the air to make sure it's coming out correctly and I then spray the length of the pen (spraying from left to right or vice versa) from four to six inches away, rotate the pen spray, rotate, spray, etc. until the pen is covered. The viscosity of the lacquer allows for some running, which is great to get the pen evenly covered. This can work against you if you're not careful. Too much spray will cause running, not enough will cause a dusty, gritty finish. Once you get the hanf of it, though, it's really easy. As soon as I'm done spraying I immediately start rotating the pen by hand, using the handwheel, for about five minutes to allow the lacquer to set. If you have a lathe that can drop down to 30 RPM or less, just do that. You can easily build up additional coats but I've found that one good coat really does the trick. It's amazingly durable, totally resists fading and fingerprints and you can give a glass like shine or a nice satin natural look (like on this pen). Starting today, actually, the Masters Magic Spray Lacquer is on sale to members of this group. Our webmaster should have a link up later today on the bottom of our site where members can login, using the word IAP and they'll have access to certain sale items. This link will say Pen Turners Club Members. Just let me know if there are any questions. Thanks again!
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