Thanks to those of you who have said such nice things about TSW. Those who have been on the forum awhile know much of the history, but for those of you who are new to the site, I thought a little background might be helpful.
TSW was developed nearly two years ago by a me and a friend (in his spare time) who is a chemist for duPont. I wanted something special for my pens...something which would add a significant layer of protection over virtually any finish. I also wanted something that could be buffed to deliver anything from a satin to a high gloss finish. The product we came up with combines a long chain polymer (think of our polyester resin for a comparison), pure, white carnauba wax, a non-hazardous softening agent, cocoanut oil, essence of a specific tropical plant, and a UV inhibitor. Although many folks have asked for the details of what is in TSW and in what proportions, we keep that a trade secret since the cost of obtaining and defending a patent is not practical for a little product like this.
After trying it for a few months, I had about 20 volunteers from this site test the product and deliver feedback right here on the forum. TSW has been tested and performed and continues to perform well over many different shellac based friction finishes, many lacquer based friction finishes, many solvent based lacquers, many water borne lacquers, CA finish, Enduro, tung oil, polyurethane, synthetic resins (acetates, polyesters and the like) and even over raw wood itself. The response from the outset has been nothing short of amazing.
In the first few months of selling TSW, several vendors contacted me about distributing it. They each tested the product themselves. In one case the test lasted three months while the owner and a couple of his employees used and abused the finish (right, Bill? [8D]). These three signed up and remain my only distributors (I really don't like the world of big business, so I'm picky about who I select as distributors.)
In the past 8 months or so I have had several problems with my supply of pure, white carnauba. A shipment was hijacked, literally. Four of my supplier's trees were cut down and removed from his property by bandits. Still, he and I continue to work together to do what we can to keep the supply flowing.
Due in no small part to this and similar threads, two of my three suppliers are out of stock and the third has very limited supply on hand. This condition is temporary as I just got word that my supplies have reached port and I should be able to make more within about a week. I use Priority Mail for my suppliers, so they should have product in hand in two weeks or less. Thanks for your patience!
Several large, well-known business have asked to distribute the product over the past year, but so far I'm doing just fine with these good folks. I think I'll just keep these three for the forseeable future.
Sheila: Pens of Color (www.pocwoodworking.com) My first distributor and <u>one of the sweetest ladies you will run into in our hobby</u>.
Jim: Woodpens.com (www.woodpens.com) A first rate pen turner who also sells some wonderful denim shirts with the IAP logo on them. <u>Jim's a long-time friend</u>.
Bill: Arizona Silhouette (www.arizonasilhouette.com) Bill runs one of the best independent internet pen-turning (and other turnings) supply shops on the internet. <u>Bill (and his wonderful wife Kathy) are great and close personal friends</u>.
I've had the pleasure of knowing each of these folks for at least a year...probably longer. They are good people to do business with. The only financial relationship I have with any of their businesses is that I supply TSW to them. So while there is a small, admitted bias, I strongly recommend each of them.
If anyone has questions about TSW that you feel are not appropriate for the forum, please feel free to contact me via the email function. I promise a response!
] I use CA on pretty much all of my pens now. My last step of the finishing process is to wipe a coat of TSW and let it stand for a minute. Then, I buff it off with a soft rag while the lathe is running. The finish is slick and very shiney. It even smells good! This step also allows me to handle the barrels for pen assembly more quickly than when I wasn't using it. If you buy it through me, you can return it for a full refund if you aren't happy with it as I will certainly use the rest of it.
