several questions

[Fatstrat]

Hello again everyone,
First, Ive a question for all you mandrel-less turners out there. I am considering going to the mandrel-less method for a couple different reasons like out-of-round barrels and bushing dust contamination from sanding. Do i need bushings machined specially to accept 60 degree centers or will the regular ones for mandrels work just as well? Also, when sanding, you remove the bushings completely and just put the centers into the brass tubes, right? If so, how do you keep from rounding the edges slightly? Its entirely possible that I am way off here, but i was unable to find specifics for these particular questions elsewhere.

Second, when using micro mesh, i seem to always get small rings near the ends of the barrels because of the edges of the pads. I always sand them out with the grain, but they are reintroduced with the next MM pad. Of course the logical response is not to let the edges come in contact with the wood, but this seems more easily said than done in my experience, so im just wondering if any of you seasoned turners and clever folk have any suggestions for me. ?

Third, ive read the other posts on enduro, but nobody can seem to agree on how long to cure or how many coats. Ive used it a few times following closely the directions that came with it, sanding through MM1200 and/or MM3600 then buffing tripoli and white diamond, followed with a coat of renwax (just like the feel of it), but have gotten unsatisfactory results. It just seems a bit dull to me.

Oh yeah, also please comment on the photo or whatever else you feel like saying.

Thanks

 

[Fatstrat]

Oh, right...i know that it is slightly out of focus, especially at the nib (im still trying to figure out the proper setup for my camera) but the colors are true. Additionally, in a previous post somewhere around here i mentioned that i wanted to go with a reflective black background and although i still think its more classy that anything else ive seen, problems with contrast on darker objects and a comment from another member about complaints he's had, ive sort of turned away from that. I want photos like you would see in jewelry catalogs and basically, have not been able to achieve anything close so far, so any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks for all the help youve given so far.
P.S. I'll be posting more pics as i progress so that you can all critique my amateur work.[V]

 

[Dan_F]

I think the general procedure is to let cure for at least five days before buffing out. Someone said that using Renwax caused some problems with the finish, but I can't remember whether there was a time factor in that, or whether it always did it. I have some, but so far have only used it once, only waited one day to buff (was before I knew about the 5 day thing) and then applied Renwax (also before I heard about the problem with it). The result looked good for a day or two, then seemed to lose it's gloss pretty quickly. So far, I haven't had the patience to wait for it to cure, so have been using just the CA finish.

Dan

 

[leehljp]

Concerning the bushings: I use Johnnycnc's 60° bushings for several pens, but I do so many different pens, that I don't have his bushings for all of them. So, I use the normal bushings for the others.

Remember to remove the bushings before doing the finish sanding so that you won't get bushing dust on the blanks. I know you know this, but I wrote it for the few who would let it go over their head! [}]

 

[Russianwolf]

For sanding, you can get Delrin bushings or make your own from old cutting board material (the white plastic cutting boards). You can simply drill a hole through it instead of making a 60 degree taper.

 

[alamocdc]

For now, I use John's 60° bushings for kits that do not have step bushings like slims, 8mm Euro and Perfect Fit. I use the standard bushings for all the others, but all future bushing replacements will be made using John's bushings.