What did I do wrong??--Ren Wax

[woodscavenger]

I am a little torqued right now. I somehow screwed something up that seemed impossible. I bought a little sample jar of RenWax. I heard great things about it. I used it on a couple of cocobolo pens with no ill effect but it also didn't really enhance the finish that much. But I decided to use it on another pen.

The pen is my personal (at least it is now) Gentlemans RB made from big leaf maple burl and done with a CA-BLO finish. The finish was great except for two small areas that did not take the CE and remained naked for some reason and I didn't notice until after I put the pen together. That was a couple of months ago. I put the wax on with a light layer using a soft cloth, waited less than a minute then buffed it off. I noticed a fine white discoloration has now appeared that seems to be under the CA/BLO. It will not come off! Has anyone seen this before? What did I do wrong?

What was once an $85 pen now is my personal one. I am not happy!

 

[Old Griz]

Since you had two bald spots that did not take the CA, I would guess that the Ren Wax has gotten under the CA at that point causing the effect you are talking about..
How about just taking the pen apart and sanding it back to bare wood and refinishing it... I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it might save the pen..

 

[woodscavenger]

The odd thing is the reaction covers a fairly large area and is not contiguous with the bald spots. I may choose to rip it apart.

 

[timdaleiden]

Originally posted by woodscavenger
<br />I am a little torqued right now. I somehow screwed something up that seemed impossible. I bought a little sample jar of RenWax. I heard great things about it. I used it on a couple of cocobolo pens with no ill effect but it also didn't really enhance the finish that much. But I decided to use it on another pen.

The pen is my personal (at least it is now) Gentlemans RB made from big leaf maple burl and done with a CA-BLO finish. The finish was great except for two small areas that did not take the CE and remained naked for some reason and I didn't notice until after I put the pen together. That was a couple of months ago. I put the wax on with a light layer using a soft cloth, waited less than a minute then buffed it off. I noticed a fine white discoloration has now appeared that seems to be under the CA/BLO. It will not come off! Has anyone seen this before? What did I do wrong?

What was once an $85 pen now is my personal one. I am not happy![!]

I am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. Ren Wax is not meant to enhance a finish, just protect the finish you already have.

As for the discoloration, I have had that happen without any top coat applied. What seemed to be a very good BLO/CA finish at first, developed whitish areas later on. I have concluded that the oils kept the CA from getting a good grip on the wood, and the CA separated from the wood. I eventually took the pen apart, and refinished with Lacquer. I have not played with the BLO/CA combination for a while. I think unless it is done precisely, it may end up like what you have described.

BTW, I really like some of your closed end designs and custom finials.

 

[wayneis]

If there are bare spots how can it be an $85 pen, how much would it be worth if it had a finish covering the whole pen?

[}]

Wayne

 

[woodscavenger]

Yeah, yeah, thanks Wayne. Point well taken![]

 

[wdcav1952]

Shane, I agree with Tim on this one. I used to use CA/BLO almost exclusively, but had the same problem on occasion. I use Enduro now, and although it takes far longer, I know the result will be good. Deft is another option, but it doesn't work well for me for some reason. Griz has the right idea, disassemble and redo it.

 

[its_virgil]

I am not a fan of RenWax. It is expensive and not a finish but a protectant for the finish. BB gave me a small container as my "freebie" when he first started carrying it and I have not purchased any to repalace the origional jar. I may be making a big mistake by not using RenWax, but ....

I have not experienced bare spots using CA but I have experienced what I think is the CA not sticking to the wood and the "non stuck" spots look cloudy to me. Could be described as whitish...are you mistaking these cloudy spots as being caused by the RenWax? Sometimes dissassemblying the pen, sanding and refinishing is the only answer. I have started washing each pen with DNA just prior to applying CA and this has helped, or my techinque has gotten better.

Good luck on your delima and I hope you find a solution...and as always...
Do a good turn daily!
Don