Stabilized blanks

[Guest]

I bought some stabilized dyed box elder burl from Bill at A.S.
In the prcess of turning I kept getting the impression I was turning something that was more acrylic than wood.
I did a seal coat of thn CA and proceeded to sand starting with steel wool(XXXX) then 400 through 12000 mm
Is any other finish necessary?
I did wind up using the Mylands sealer,polish and carnauba,Finally President Choice (D.C.'s stuff)something I would do to a wood blank but not a plastic one.)(Mylands I use D.C.'s stuff on everything)
I guess my question is:
Is a commercially stabilized blank such as this considered wood or plastic?

 

[Scott]

Hi Eagle,

Because there is such a thorough penetration of the resins you probably don't have to put a finish on it.

Most of the pens I make from his stabilized blanks I DO put a finish on.

I made two pens thia last week from stabilized blanks from Bill. On one I did my usual CA/BLO finish and buffed it out, and it looks wonderful! On the other I sanded, and then wet it down with a thin coat of BLO. Then I just buffed it using the Beall White Diamond wheel. It is also wonderful, but different. I sure get more of the glossy shine with the CA finish. The non-finish seems more matte, and has a more natural feel to it. I guess it depends on what you're shooting for.

Is it wood or plastic? I would have to say Yes! ;-)

Scott.

 

[Guest]

I am not at all familiar with Beall, compounds or the liek,though I have in the past experimented with some compounds I picked up at Harbor freight.
I do have a question.
In reading the Beall site they reccomend no using BLO.
what benifit does it impart to the buffing process in your method.
So far by buffing technique is to using buffing wheels on an electric drill at an angle while the blanks are spinniing,
Unless I am missing something aren't 2 motors turning in opposite directions better than one?
It's a lot cheaper(at least for pens)

 

[Scott]

Hi Eagle,

You caught me! I don't think the BLO added anything to the pen or the buffing. Actually, I put the coat of BLO on in anticipation of doing the CA/BLO finish, and then changed my mind and decided to just buff it out instead. Just so it wouldn't be too sticky, I kind of "frictioned" the BLO for a minute or so by running the lathe at high speed (just cranked up the variable speed!) and holding the paper towel on there tight.

The Beall is nice because it is set up with wheels and compounds for woodturners. But it is nothing magic, the wheels and compounds are available out there. I would suspect your method of buffing is just as good.

I really didn't buff my pens much until a few months ago. I had a visit from my good friend, Bob Swartzendruber (TXBob) and he got such a nice shine using my buffing wheels that I thought I'd try it! Micro Mesh also is a method of polishing, and also does just fine. There are other methods too, and I'm sure they are just fine.

Scott.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by Scott
<br />Hi Eagle,

Because there is such a thorough penetration of the resins you probably don't have to put a finish on it.

Most of the pens I make from his stabilized blanks I DO put a finish on.

I made two pens thia last week from stabilized blanks from Bill. On one I did my usual CA/BLO finish and buffed it out, and it looks wonderful! On the other I sanded, and then wet it down with a thin coat of BLO. Then I just buffed it using the Beall White Diamond wheel. It is also wonderful, but different. I sure get more of the glossy shine with the CA finish. The non-finish seems more matte, and has a more natural feel to it. I guess it depends on what you're shooting for.

Is it wood or plastic? I would have to say Yes! ;-)

Scott.

That's the part that threw me

 

[wayneis]

I treat stabilized blanks just like I do all wood blanks, I use the Enduro poly on them for the depth, shine and protection.

Wayne