Carl Fisher
Member
As I do more and more production style turning to replenish inventory between shows (3 shows in 4 weeks in May), I'm continuously improving and streamlining the process along the way. One of the places I have saved an obscene amount of time is in my finishing process.
I don't claim this is for everyone and I don't claim that it's the only way, but I have completely eliminated the need for micro mesh and it's all about pressure, speed, and quality of paper. I use nearly the same method on everything from wood, acrylics, PR, Alumilite, Ebonite, and vintage materials such as Cellulose Acetate and Celluloid.
For resins and CA finished pens, I follow this process:
1. Turn the blank to finished size. Typically this is TBC with calipers to match the final size plus about .01.
2. Sand dry through 600, 800, 1000 grit high quality paper. This is where knowing your material is critical. The softer the material and/or the lower the melting point, the slower you sand and the less pressure you apply. If your melting what you are sanding back into your blank, you're going too fast with too much pressure. I don't sand anything faster than 1400 and have gone as low as 500 for low melting point materials like cellulose acetate. IF the material calls for it, I will occasionally wet sand, but that has become the exception rather than the rule.
3. Apply Novus 3 polish at roughly the same RPM as your sanding.
4. Buff with blue rouge on a cotton-muslin wheel. (this may be a step backwards or at minimum a repeat of what the Novus 3 does but I find it helps to knock out any stubborn scratches)
5. Buff dry with a cotton-flannel finishing wheel to finish the polish up.
When buffing, you'll have to play around to find the speed that is right for the pressure you apply and the material you are buffing. It's all about learning your material.
That's it. Stabilized blanks can follow the same process but I typically skip the Novus and non-CA finished wood blanks will get a friction finish like Doctor's Woodshop or I've also been playing around with Craft Coat.
Using a good quality paper like Mirka or Klingspor Gold makes a huge difference. Also being able to go straight from your cutting tool to 600 makes a big difference. At worst, you should be able to start with 400. If you need to go below that, you need to work on your tool handling or sharpening. Not meaning that in a negative way, just an observation.
Just thought I'd share
I don't claim this is for everyone and I don't claim that it's the only way, but I have completely eliminated the need for micro mesh and it's all about pressure, speed, and quality of paper. I use nearly the same method on everything from wood, acrylics, PR, Alumilite, Ebonite, and vintage materials such as Cellulose Acetate and Celluloid.
For resins and CA finished pens, I follow this process:
1. Turn the blank to finished size. Typically this is TBC with calipers to match the final size plus about .01.
2. Sand dry through 600, 800, 1000 grit high quality paper. This is where knowing your material is critical. The softer the material and/or the lower the melting point, the slower you sand and the less pressure you apply. If your melting what you are sanding back into your blank, you're going too fast with too much pressure. I don't sand anything faster than 1400 and have gone as low as 500 for low melting point materials like cellulose acetate. IF the material calls for it, I will occasionally wet sand, but that has become the exception rather than the rule.
3. Apply Novus 3 polish at roughly the same RPM as your sanding.
4. Buff with blue rouge on a cotton-muslin wheel. (this may be a step backwards or at minimum a repeat of what the Novus 3 does but I find it helps to knock out any stubborn scratches)
5. Buff dry with a cotton-flannel finishing wheel to finish the polish up.
When buffing, you'll have to play around to find the speed that is right for the pressure you apply and the material you are buffing. It's all about learning your material.
That's it. Stabilized blanks can follow the same process but I typically skip the Novus and non-CA finished wood blanks will get a friction finish like Doctor's Woodshop or I've also been playing around with Craft Coat.
Using a good quality paper like Mirka or Klingspor Gold makes a huge difference. Also being able to go straight from your cutting tool to 600 makes a big difference. At worst, you should be able to start with 400. If you need to go below that, you need to work on your tool handling or sharpening. Not meaning that in a negative way, just an observation.
Just thought I'd share