What went wrong? Trouble with Flame Inlay, Jr. Gent

[rodtod11]

Before I pay for a replacement kit, I wanted to figure out what went wrong. I attached a picture of a white bloch as if the wood is bleached. It got worse the more I did and when I removed the CA finish, it REALLY looked bleached out.

What I did was to finish the kit as in the instructions. Once the turning was complete, I use 320/400/600 sandpaper to smooth it out. I then use denatured alcohol to clean the dust away. I start with several coats of light CA, followed by several coats of medium CA. Then next step is to use the 9 stage pad from Rockler and wet finish it to a fine polish. HOWEVER, after the first grade of the wet polishing had been complete, the white bloch showed up. It only got worse. I sanded the CA finish off with 600 grade and the black was bleached out completely. ALSO, it is perfectly even with the bushings, in the picture the bloch makes it look like its not, but it is.

Any ideas why the black ebony would bleach out white? Is it not ebony?

Thank You!

 

[KenV]

I suspect you got moisture into the end grain and it migrated under the CA finish into the wood.

I make sure the end grain is sealed well with finish or CA. If CA then I use the sanding mill to assure the ends are level and perfectly as I can get it to square.

I wet sand this kind of pen with mineral spirits, not water. I have sanded through the CA finish and gotten water into the wood.

Dry sand the finish off carefully as you do not have much thickness of wood. It should remove the white marks. Carefully seal the ends and pen and re-do the finish.

A firm backed sanding stick will help keep things level and even.

 

[rodtod11]

Mineral Spirits ! THats interesting, I will try that. I thought I had sealed the ends but obviously I had not. I used thin CA on the entire assy. and thought it had dripped over the end. I'm trying to remember, I may have sanded the ends a bit more before I put them on the bushings which is where I would have gone wrong. I will try and sand it down to black again and use your method...Thank You I really appreciate it!

 

[tim self]

And if you have the funds, you might consider start turning between centers, TBC. With just the dead center/tail stock supporting the blank only. That way when you seal the ends, you can still turn/sand without worrying about trimming the CA until you've finished your blank. Then I use a razor blade to trim the ends.

 

[rodtod11]

Well , it went from bad to worse. I am in touch with the manufacturer. I like the idea of TBC, I need to learn how to do that. Any good you tubes out there?

 

[rodtod11]

WOW!!!!!! 5 Minutes after sending a picture and e-mail asking where I went wrong to Kallenshaan woods, they got back to me and are mailing today a new kit! Where do you get service like that! Thank You Kallenshaan!

 

[Woodkiller]

That is normal service for them, and the other vendors on this site too. They are all above grade and really do provide superb customer service.

 

[rodtod11]

Thanks Guys...with your help I got it done!

 

[magier412]

I'm wondering if some of the alcohol got into the end grain...glad that you worked it out and are getting a replacement though...

~~ Kay

 

[Mortalis]

I never use alcohol to clean the surface after turning. I've used mineral spirits and then used a finish that is mineral spirits friendly like Eddie Castelins juice. I normally just use compressed air or a solder brush to remove dust from crevices.
The only time I've gotten white blotches is when i use CA accelerator too soon and the finish bubbles or if I don't wait long enough for the accelerator to completely evaporate off.
To answer your question, that does look like moisture build up under the finish.

 

[CrimsonKeel]

I would think the alcohol effected the dye in the wood.