Color filled grooves.

[NLAlston]

Yesterday, I turned two blanks, and attempted to burn a couple of grooves in each. After grooving the locations, I laid my stranded wire within them, and went about trying to burn. Now, I have burnt grooves, twice before, with great success. But, for some reason, these last two blanks would not burn in. I don't know it had to do with the species for wood (I burnt grooves in Paudauk, before, but I was now aiming to do the same in Olive wood). I had the wire properly applied, for the better part of three minutes - with no more than a slight 'hazing' having been realized.

Then, I thought of using some kind of color fill, in said grooves. not only would that serve to aid in salvaging those blanks, without having to turn them further down, but would afford the option of having color choices.

What would be the best medium to use for color filling grooves? The colors I'd be most interested in would be gold, and silver.

Advanced thanks for any, and all responses to be rendered to my query.

 

[eharri446]

You could use Testor's acrlyic model paints applied after the your CA finish if you are using CA and then wet sand with 240 and 400 when dry. Then let them dry overnight and you should be able to complete your CA finishing.

 

[monophoto]

Olive wood tends to be oily, and perhaps that is the problem. Burning relies on friction to generate heat, and if the wood is oily, there will be less friction, and therefore less heat.

Unfortunately, that could suggest that there is another problem. Filling grooves involves mixing some kind of tinting agent with glue, but if the wood is oily, there will also be a problem getting glue to adhere. I've used various tinting powders from the craft store (available in a selection of colors) as well as dried coffee grinds. You can also use various ground stone, as well as metallic powders.

I've had success filling grooves with powder, and then soaking the powder with CA. I usually start with thin CA, let that soak in and cure a bit, and then follow up with medium.

I've also had success mixing the powder with epoxy. Once the hardener goes in, the clock starts ticking on whatever is the working time of the epoxy you are using, but my mixing the tinting agent with the epoxy first, and then adding the hardener, you have more time to blend the color into the glue before it starts to cure.

But in either case, you probably should wipe the wood with acetone before applying the glue to try to avoid the oil problem.

 

[NLAlston]

You could use Testor's acrlyic model paints applied after the your CA finish if you are using CA and then wet sand with 240 and 400 when dry. Then let them dry overnight and you should be able to complete your CA finishing.

Thank you. I will look into those paints.

 

[NLAlston]

Olive wood tends to be oily, and perhaps that is the problem. Burning relies on friction to generate heat, and if the wood is oily, there will be less friction, and therefore less heat.

Unfortunately, that could suggest that there is another problem. Filling grooves involves mixing some kind of tinting agent with glue, but if the wood is oily, there will also be a problem getting glue to adhere. I've used various tinting powders from the craft store (available in a selection of colors) as well as dried coffee grinds. You can also use various ground stone, as well as metallic powders.

I've had success filling grooves with powder, and then soaking the powder with CA. I usually start with thin CA, let that soak in and cure a bit, and then follow up with medium.

I've also had success mixing the powder with epoxy. Once the hardener goes in, the clock starts ticking on whatever is the working time of the epoxy you are using, but my mixing the tinting agent with the epoxy first, and then adding the hardener, you have more time to blend the color into the glue before it starts to cure.

But in either case, you probably should wipe the wood with acetone before applying the glue to try to avoid the oil problem.

Louie - I thank you, too.

You know....I kinda figured that the inherent properties of that wood (Olive) just might have been the culprit , and wished that it had dawned on me, beforehand. But we're learning something all the time - and that's a good thing.

You have presented me with some very good information, and have armed me with a procedure (mixing tinting powder with epoxy) that I don't think I'd have ever thought of, on my own. I do have some epoxy, here, but had used it (at times) for the sole purpose of gluing my tubes in pen blanks. Mine, is the small, double barreled dispenser from which flows both epoxy, and hardener, with the push of the plunger. I will look to see about getting them in separate fashion, so as to (like you've said) lengthen the 'working time'.

Also, I had read of folks cleaning their pen blanks with alcohol, and was what I had picked up. But, maybe they were using it for the purpose of 'after-sanding' concerns - which would have no bearing on addressing the oily properties of certain species of wood.

Can't speak enough on how I appreciate you.

 

[eharri446]

If you want to try and get rid of the oil then use Acetone instead of denatured alcohol (DNA).

 

[Jolly Red]

Could you use the acetone to remove the oil then burn in the lines?

 

[NLAlston]

Could you use the acetone to remove the oil then burn in the lines?

Well, I JUST picked up some Acetone, a few hours ago. But I had already played around with trying something out, on that blank. I put equally spaced grooves down the length of that barrel, and (of course) left them burn-free. I then tried CA finishing on it, since I am a real newbie to that finishing process. It is something which gives me quite a bear of a time, and I don't understand the ease by which many others are achieving excellent results with it.

I don't seem to do too bad, using the thin CA. But I experience, seemingly, insurmountable issues when I step up the medium CA. It always turn out to be bubbly, and plasticky looking. I, most definitely, don't like that.

My next venture will be within the Polyurethane 'dipping' method. I don't recall the poster, at present, but I just recently saw some of his examples, which really impressed me.

I'll see how THAT goes .