TruStone

[drgoretex]

Hi all. Not sure if this is in the right subforum, but suppose it will be moved if not.

Wondering about your experiences with TruStone. Have turned a number of these, and just recently noted that one I gave to my wife has a dulled finish. Glosses up a bit when buffed with cloth, but not like it was when I made it. I usually finish it to 12,000 grit, and get a beautiful glossy finish, but now wondering if this finish lasts long, or if I need to start putting a finish coat on top of the TruStone.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Ken

 

[Whaler]

I have done a lot of Tru-Stone and my carry pen is Tru-Stone. So far I have not experienced any dulling problems.
I started out wet sanding to 12000, plastic polish and a coat of Ren wax. Now that I have the Beale 3 wheel system I sand to 600 and move on to the Beale wheels and finish with a coat of Turtle Wax Ice. I am happy with both methods but find the Beale system faster.

 

[JimMc7]

I've turned several types of Tru-stone/Gemstone blanks and Imperial Jade is the only one I've had a real problem polishing. I applied a CA finish and the polished CA finish has held to date (about 8 months).

Which Tru-stone are you having a problem with?

 

[drgoretex]

The one I made for my wife is the webbed turquoise. Lovely stuff, and polished beautifully, but with use has dulled quite a bit.

I suppose I really should make myself a couple of TruStone pens and use them for more personal experience, but whenever I make one, I end up selling. I just like the wood or wood/stone combinations better. And I LOVE the feel of the good heavy CA finish.

The issue was really that I was polishing them but not applying any finish, thinking that they would be fine without, like the acrylics. But I guess not. Perhaps I will start CA finishing.