Bar Keeper's Friend to Remove Scratches
- Thread starter TonyL
- Start date
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snyiper
Member
I use Mothers Mag Polish to remove small scratches.
Dan Masshardt
Member
Why?
Hi Dan. I am assuming you are asking me why. I am content with what I currently use, but always looking for a way to reducing sanding time. I am about to order the Dr. Kirk's" system".
So far I have tried on acrylic and CA (and all after MM to 4k or 12k):
Meguire's 105 and 205 - which still works the best for me
Hut's
Mequire's Plastx
Novus 2
One Step (which is the same as Flitz)
The blue rouge (sp?) buffing system
I enjoy trying/experimenting with different things.
So far I have tried on acrylic and CA (and all after MM to 4k or 12k):
Meguire's 105 and 205 - which still works the best for me
Hut's
Mequire's Plastx
Novus 2
One Step (which is the same as Flitz)
The blue rouge (sp?) buffing system
I enjoy trying/experimenting with different things.
Edward Cypher
Member
Keep experimenting Tony and let us know what you get. I just tried Flitz and was not overly impressed for the amount it cost.
BSea
Member
I agree. Keep experimenting. It's how we get better. Every failure is a lesson learned.
avbill
Member
There a difference between sanding the barrel and polishing the barrel which step do you want to reduce in time.
nativewooder
Member
Wow, Tony. Please don't take offense at my suggestions, but, to reduce your sanding time, increase the sharp edge on your tools. If you're using carbide, that is part of your problem. After you finish sanding with sandpaper, about 400 grit, then wet sand with MicroMesh all the way to 12000 grit and you will have no scratches. In my humble opinion, Barkeeper's Friend is like sanding with coarse sandpaper.:wink:
Ed McDonnell
Member
I'll offer a very different suggestion for reducing sanding time. Take a hands on class with a professional turner (at your local AAW chapter or someplace like Arrowmont / John C Campbell...). If you learn to sharpen and turn like a pro you will be able to forget about sanding and go direct to polishing. You might even be able to skip polishing.
Just a thought. Wonderful things come in bottles and cans, but sometimes the best solution to problems lies elsewhere.
Ed
Dan Masshardt
Member
It seems like Tony is really talking about polishing here not sanding.
I'm happy with novus. I was pretty happy with plastx. I'm happy buffing. They all work and work good and work fast.
I personally have no desire to search for a better way.
But I'm glad when other people experiment and share the fruits of their experimentation.
.
I'm happy with novus. I was pretty happy with plastx. I'm happy buffing. They all work and work good and work fast.
I personally have no desire to search for a better way.
But I'm glad when other people experiment and share the fruits of their experimentation.
.Hi Barry: No offense taken at all (never taken...if one attempts to offend me ).
I like the questions/advice...that is want I am hoping to spur. I do all of what you recommended and just started getting into HSS instead of carbide, but have a way to go first. I have achieved a scratch-less finish (under a 10x loop), but want to achieve it more quickly and at a lower cost if possible. Just having fun with trial and error - mostly error LOL. Have a great one!
).I like the questions/advice...that is want I am hoping to spur. I do all of what you recommended and just started getting into HSS instead of carbide, but have a way to go first. I have achieved a scratch-less finish (under a 10x loop), but want to achieve it more quickly and at a lower cost if possible. Just having fun with trial and error - mostly error LOL. Have a great one!
edstreet
Member
Let me save you the trouble you are going to encounter.
..
The main ingredient in bar keeps friend is 5-10% oxalic acid (prolonged exposure causes contact dermatitis) Acid by nature is not archival friendly, meaning that acids also causes discoloration and eats away at material. If it is enclosed then the rate will be faster.
..
The main ingredient in bar keeps friend is 5-10% oxalic acid (prolonged exposure causes contact dermatitis) Acid by nature is not archival friendly, meaning that acids also causes discoloration and eats away at material. If it is enclosed then the rate will be faster.
KenV
Member
Bar keepers friend will do a great job of taking stains off your metal pens -- Not sure you want the chemistry to work on your other finishes as even milder acids tend to etch.
Barkeepers friend runs on a chemical action rather than abrasive -- and advertises as such.
Want to take the polish to a higher level -- look at diamond polishes at ultra high grit numbers. There are processes in place to go far beyond micromesh in terms of reduced scratch pattern sizes.
Dabble a bit with the optical polishing folks and you will discover a whole different level of fanatic about scratch patterns.
Barkeepers friend runs on a chemical action rather than abrasive -- and advertises as such.
Want to take the polish to a higher level -- look at diamond polishes at ultra high grit numbers. There are processes in place to go far beyond micromesh in terms of reduced scratch pattern sizes.
Dabble a bit with the optical polishing folks and you will discover a whole different level of fanatic about scratch patterns.
Bean_Counter
Member
Tony, just a question but why is it important to achieve a scratch less finish under a 10x loupe. Personally if someone busted out a loupe on one of pens I wouldn't want them to purchase it anyway. Most if not all "kits" would have the same scratches under a 10x loupe as your finish does.
It is not important to my customers. I only sell about a third of the pens I make and they are pleased with them (I give away most as gifts or to raise money for charity). I don't have an inventory; I am really just a beginner and a hobbyist. The process I use works great; I just want to shorten it. Why the 10X loop? It just happens to be the level of finish that I like as the maker (no visible scratches under a 10X loop). It is also "tells" me when its time for me to throw out my MM. Just my way of doing things.
Bean_Counter
Member
Thanks Tony I was just curious, to each his own right
KenV
Member
If you get around the fountain pen collector market -- be ready to see magnification come out. It is a specialty market -- but it is a real one where the higher prices are more commonly found.
Wildman
Member
When started turning acrylic used this product to polish pen barrels Hut Ultra Gloss Plastic Polish. Think PSI sells a similar product which have not used.
HUT Ultra Gloss Plastic Polish- 8oz-hutproducts.com
People here used to recommend using Brasso on acrylics, have not seen that recommend in years. In my former life used that stuff to shine my uniform & sword brass. Never tried it on a pen barrel!
Due to old eyes, fluorescent shop lights and really needing new reading glasses started taking barrels outside into sunlight before start sanding/polishing with micromesh. Well have new reading glasses and still take them outside!
Have used auto paste & liquid fine compound products if found scratches with varying amount of success when that does not work back to wet sanding!
Sharp tools just partial answer to scratches, lathe speed another consideration. JMHO, higher lathe speed less visible scratches lower lathe speed scratches more visible.
HUT Ultra Gloss Plastic Polish- 8oz-hutproducts.com
People here used to recommend using Brasso on acrylics, have not seen that recommend in years. In my former life used that stuff to shine my uniform & sword brass. Never tried it on a pen barrel!
Due to old eyes, fluorescent shop lights and really needing new reading glasses started taking barrels outside into sunlight before start sanding/polishing with micromesh. Well have new reading glasses and still take them outside!
Have used auto paste & liquid fine compound products if found scratches with varying amount of success when that does not work back to wet sanding!
Sharp tools just partial answer to scratches, lathe speed another consideration. JMHO, higher lathe speed less visible scratches lower lathe speed scratches more visible.
10x loop
You are exactly right.
Thanks Tony I was just curious, to each his own right
You are exactly right.
I got the 10x loop "idea" when I attended a pen turning workshop early March, I didn't even own a lathe yet. This very respected and well known pen turner mentioned that his process achieves a scratch less finish under 10X magnification. So, it kind of stuck with me back when I wasn't sure that pen turning was even a hobby. The funny thing is, I bought his process (and many of us probably own it) and was very happy with it until started turning dark AA (probably my 10th pen ever). That's when I noticed the radial scratches and headed into my garage to see what auto polishes I had (I also enjoy auto detailing). That's where i tried Meguires 105 and 205 and became my method of choice. That is not to say the the other system was no good. It may not have been aggressive enough for how I turned back them (remember, I was the mandrel-bender)
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Huts
Hut's is on my list of products tried.
So far I have tried on acrylic and CA (and all after MM to 4k or 12k):
Meguire's 105 and 205 - which still works the best for me
Hut's
Mequire's Plastx
Novus 2
One Step (which is the same as Flitz)
The blue rouge (sp?) buffing system
I have to make a solid black cigar and a solid red bolt tec. Let's see what I find
Hut's is on my list of products tried.
So far I have tried on acrylic and CA (and all after MM to 4k or 12k):
Meguire's 105 and 205 - which still works the best for me
Hut's
Mequire's Plastx
Novus 2
One Step (which is the same as Flitz)
The blue rouge (sp?) buffing system
I have to make a solid black cigar and a solid red bolt tec. Let's see what I find
Glenn McCullough
Member
I use "Finesse it", I find it to be the best!