which finish would you use

[markgum]

Hi;
I know, I'll get way to many answers here and I will continue to read through the library but...
I have a maple blank that has a white and black inlay of PR in it. This pen is one that I will treasure and will NEVER be sold. What would you use to finish it? I was thinking of doing a lacquer dip but was worried about the PR inlay and the affects the lacquer may have on it. My CA finish isn't as good as I want it to be yet. But I can practice more before I finish my prized pen.
so for those of you that have done inlays what finish would you recommend.
thanks.

 

[jttheclockman]

Sorry Mark but may not be the answer you were hoping for but my 2 cents worth would be a CA finish. There are many ways to apply it so the library may help you there. I happen to use thin CA no blo.

 

[JerrySambrook]

If you are going to do a CA finish on it, then you should practice on a few pens you don't have as much care for. Or maybe just make some round blanks while practicing some techniques, and finish them.
Personally, I wouls go for a lacquer finish. If the maple is figured, then I wouls oil to pop, put down two coats of extra-blonde shellac, and then lacquer. This will have placed a sealer over the PR if you are worried about it disfiguring for some reason.

 

[markgum]

thanks for the input. yes, practice my CA finish is something on my to do list today

 

[VisExp]

Mark if you use an oil to pop the grain then I would use pure tung oil instead of BLO. I've found BLO to have a yellowing effect on lighter woods which you don't get so much using tung oil. I say pure tung oil because most oils sold as Tung Oil Finish are actually a mixture of tung oil and varnish. Make sure the bottle says 100% tung oil.

 

[GouletPens]

Mark if you use an oil to pop the grain then I would use pure tung oil instead of BLO. I've found BLO to have a yellowing effect on lighter woods which you don't get so much using tung oil. I say pure tung oil because most oils sold as Tung Oil Finish are actually a mixture of tung oil and varnish. Make sure the bottle says 100% tung oil.

Second that. Tung oil to pop with several coats of CA. If it's one you will prize forever, you'll want a finish that will look good for as long as possible. Practice a few first, then go for the CA.

 

[NewLondon88]

I say pure tung oil because most oils sold as Tung Oil Finish are actually a mixture of tung oil and varnish. Make sure the bottle says 100% tung oil.

I agree on the 100% .. most "tung oil finish" has no tung in it at all.
And try getting them to list the ingredients? Forget it.
My cousin was a chemist for a major fire department and he couldn't get
that info for firefighting or even to save lives. My sister had swallowed
a bottle of furniture polish ,and even in the ER when she had been
pronounced twice already, the manufacturer would still not release a
list of the ingredients to the doctors.
Wow .. did I just go off on a tangent?

 

[stolicky]

CA is certainly a good option if you are comfortable with it. I haven't used lacquer for fear of durability - although I read here that many coats do hold up well.

I can tell you that I made a maple/aluminum/acrylic blank that I used BLO to pop the maple (yes it does yellow it) and used Minwax gloss poly to finish the whole pen afterwords. The poly worked fine over the acrylic. I just had more of an issue with sanding and bleed from the acrylic staining the maple...

 

[JerrySambrook]

Try using Bush Oil, which is a high quality (very refined) BLO with a high dryer content. I have found that is does not yellow maple, and even only slightly darkens Holly and Box Elder.

 

[JohnU]

Ive made many worthless wood pens (having pr and wood) and used a lacquer finish on them with no problems. I brush dipping lacquer on them and let it sit one hour between coats. Most of them are self leveling and no sanding in between coats. I put six or sevel coats and let dry for six or seven days, then polish with EEE cream, ren wax and buff. Good luck

 

[DozerMite]

A sprayed poly finish is just as good as CA, maybe better but it takes much longer to apply and cure.