Finish of Choice

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What's your preferred way to finish a wood pen?

  • Lacquer (Deft...)

    Votes: 18 11.2%

  • CA

    Votes: 95 59.0%

  • Enduro

    Votes: 9 5.6%

  • Unaxol

    Votes: 4 2.5%

  • Friction Based

    Votes: 25 15.5%

  • Other...

    Votes: 10 6.2%
  • Total voters
    161
  • Poll closed .
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Dave_M

Dave_M

Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2005
Messages
769
Location
Clovis, CA, USA.
I've been a lacquer user for the most part, but I have a love / hate relationship with it. For me it's easy to apply and the look & feel are hard to beat. I've been airbrushing it on and I get a great looking finish with very little sanding & polishing after the application. The drying time is long, which doesn't bother me too much. My biggest issue with lacquer is that it is soft. Especially when it's warmer during the summer months. It scratches, dents, and mars with the greatest of ease when it warms up. Here in the Central Valley, we get our fair share of warm.

My experience with CA is real hit and miss. More miss than hit but I keep working at it now and then. I've seen some of your CA finishes first hand, and they are very impressive.

I've tried Enduro and it's OK. Not as easy to apply as lacquer and it has a plasticy look and feel in my opinion. Again, it's not bad at all but not as nice as lacquer. I haven't tried Unaxol yet, but I've been thinking about it. Still it's water based and I would imagine the application is similar to Enduro.

For the moment I'm stuck in lacquer land, but eventually I would like to be able to work with various finishes equally well.
 
B

bnoles

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2006
Messages
607
Location
NW Georgia USA
I like lacquer but, I am warming up more and more to Enduro lately. I try to use a variety of finishes and not get stuck on just one.
 
J

jkeithrussell

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
1,277
I like the look of CA, but I haven't been able to get it to come out right a single time. I don't quit easily, but I'm getting tired of spending an hour trying to get the CA finish to come out right (without success) compared to 3-4 minutes for a guaranteed smooth shine with friction polish.
 
J

jkeithrussell

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
1,277
mrcook4570 said:
Unfortunately, that's about as long as friction polish will protect the wood.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe one of these days the magic and mystery of the CA finish will reveal itself to me. I've read every word about CA finishes on this forum and in many other places and I've spent some frustrated hours trying to get it to work. I'd rather make pens than curse at my lathe every time it stops spinning and shows me a bunch of gummed up CA mess. I've got some wood scraps piled up for CA-finish practice, and I'm going to give it one more good try.

I've done a lot of other types of woodworking over the years and finding the right finish is always the hardest part for me. That's part of the reason why I was so amazed when I made my first pen and it shined after just a couple of passes with friction polish. Totally new experience.
 
leehljp

leehljp

Member Liaison
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,330
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
jkeithrussell said:
Well, maybe one of these days the magic and mystery of the CA finish will reveal itself to me. I've read every word about CA finishes on this forum and in many other places and I've spent some frustrated hours trying to get it to work. I'd rather make pens than curse at my lathe every time it stops spinning and shows me a bunch of gummed up CA mess. I've got some wood scraps piled up for CA-finish practice, and I'm going to give it one more good try.
Click to expand...

I knew that I wanted a CA finish and I got lucky on the first and again about the 5th or 6th. After that, It was totally inconsistent. I finished all pens in CA but most took at least a second, and still a majority took a third and 4th try.

I was determined to "get it" and it took me 18 months to become consistent. Then in the 24th month, I started to develop allergies to it. Severely as in flu for several days! :eek:

Now besides knowing how to apply CA for a thin coat, thick coat, in winter, in summer, high humidity, low humidity - I also have a double canister face mask, eye goggles, dust collector and a fan blowing across it directing fumes and dust that escape the DC - away from me.
 
GouletPens

GouletPens

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2008
Messages
1,449
Location
Ashland, VA
I've tried CA with some success. It's good for soft woods like redwood that would normally soak up several coats of the friction crap. I've had people complain about the CA though, saying it feels fake. Even though the friction stuff wears off, some people still like it b/c then they can really "feel" the wood. I guess if you're selling pens you do whatever your customers want. Personally, I like the CA look.
 
W

Weim

Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
7
Location
USA. Oakland, TN
I use a couple of different things. I found out from other wood workers in my area if you mix 50/50 Linseed Oil and Tupertine then a couple drops of CA glue thin it helps the finish hold up a little longer. After I do one coat of the above which you have to do quick because the CA glue dries so fast.
The next step I take is to apply 1-2 coats of Mylands High speed friction polish. I have been thinking of using Lacquer but have never used it. Any suggestions? How do you apply Lacquer?
 
ldb2000

ldb2000

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
5,381
Location
Laurence Harbor, NJ, USA.
I finally got the CA finish down to the point of 1 bad for every 15 or 20 pens or so but I've now switched to Poly , I love the depth it gives the wood and I figure if it's tough enough for floors then it should be able to take the abuse a pen gets .
 
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