Stabilized wood

[TXTurner]

I just made my first post-slimline pen, a Jr. Gent II from CSUSA, using a piece of stabilized box elder, which I also purchased from them.

I've sanded twice - from 220 through the 12000 micromesh and still have a few very small pits or nicks.

Is this par for the course or is it why some of you do a wet sanding with CA, to build up a slurry to fill those? I don't know if I can do that now, as I'm pretty much down to the bushings.

Any thoughts/help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[thewishman]

I fill with the 320 grit paper. Get a little dust on the paper then a drop of CA and work it up each barrel, repeat as needed. Sometimes it takes a few cycles to get them all filled in. If you cannot afford to get the dust from the blank, use some leftover dust (the only good thing about having no dust collection system.)

Good luck!

Chris

 

[TXTurner]

Originally posted by thewishman

I fill with the 320 grit paper. Get a little dust on the paper then a drop of CA and work it up each barrel, repeat as needed. Sometimes it takes a few cycles to get them all filled in. If you cannot afford to get the dust from the blank, use some leftover dust (the only good thing about having no dust collection system.)

Good luck!

Chris

Thanks - I'll give it a try.

Mark

 

[Dalecamino]

Mark since you're that close to the bushings , do as Chris says . I'm thinking you may be pressing a little too hard when sanding . Be sure to sand lengthwise on the blanks with each grit . Just my $.02 Good luck ! [8D]

 

[TXTurner]

Thanks. I have a piece of the blank left over from the initial cuts. I think I can make some dust with that.

 

[wdcav1952]

You can also use a very small drop of thin CA to fill the pits. Once you have the pits filled and the CA set (no acclerator) you can sand and finish as usual. This can have the effect of giving a bit more depth to the look of the pen.

 

[leehljp]

I do wet sand on occasion but one thing that is different with pens and CA finish versus wood finishing - is that the slurry does not make for good fill-in for CA scratches and pits. It will result in white or a colored fill-in instead of a clear finish. ON the wood itself, sanding dust from the blank is usually OK, but not in the CA finish.

 

[wdcav1952]

Lee, you make a good point. This is why I use straight CA and let it set completely before any further sanding.