Casual Comments help

[Powerstroke 7.3]

Being a rookie - I read a lot of post on how folks finish their pens, With that said I pick up all the tips I can. I have read about wet sanding CA finishes and thought "you don't wet sand where wood is involved because it might swell" but I tried it and wow - works great... didn't get the shine I wanted so I then used Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish (I use it on acrylic's) and worked out great, beautiful shine/finish.

So .. thanks to all who say how they finish their pens it is very helpful.

 

[bobjackson]

I dry sand everything thru MM and have excellent results.

 

[Joe Burns]

Once you apply the CA as a finish the same techniques to finish acrylic work just fine since the bare wood is coated.

I dry sand the bare wood to 600 grit and then apply up to 15 coats of medium CA. Then wet sand with micro-mesh to 12,000 grit. Then apply plastic polish and finally buff.

Joe

 

[nativewooder]

The MicroMesh people used to have a sentence on their site that said that MicroMesh was not intended for dry sanding. Whether it is still there or not I don't know. But by the time you get to 3600 you are polishing and not sanding. I don't remember if they say what liquid to use for wet sanding, but petroleum-based is always better than water, and usually better than alcohol, except for corn likker!!!:biggrin: And if you wet sand with corn likker, you're crazy anywho!!!

 

[MartinPens]

I don't combine wet sanding with CA. And you don't want a super smooth surface prior to CA unless your first couple coats are thin CA. 400 is enough prior to CA. Oils and moistures will lift the CA off the wood and create a cloudy spot. Just my two cents worth of experience.