Danish Oil

[Hillbilly]

I have made a decision to stay away from the ca for now. One man told me that tung oil was a good finish to use on a lathe. When I was at Lowes a man said that he was a clock maker and he talked me into this danish oil. He said it soaks in and will preserve and give a finish starting from the inside out. So I bought it. Can anybody relate or back this up. I have never used an oil finish.

Thanks, Brian

 

[Dario]

It is true that danish oil will soak in. How deep depends on the wood density. It is my choice for bowls (soak for a few hours until it won't absorb anymore then dry). Oil soaked wood creates deeper chatoyance and patina.

That said...it won't stand to pen handling abuse. It will wear off and the wood will look almost bare on handled areas.

 

[Hillbilly]

Thanks, Dario

Whats an good finish I can use until I get the hang of the CA?

 

[marcruby]

There are a number of tung oil preparations (like Waterlox) that will work better than pure tung oil. If you get enough build and it cures completely it's a pretty strong finish. Probably not as strong as CA, but strong enough for normal pen use. Danish oil with dry and cure over time but it's a soft finish - I wouldn't trust it over time with something that's handled every day.

Marc

 

[Hillbilly]

Ok, Im going to take it back to Lowes tomorrow and exchange it for the BLO and try the CA/BLO I watched Russ's video today. Tell me when I sand the CA should I run the lathe or leave it off. I think I kept sanding off the CA everytime I applied and sanded. The only shine on the pen was down in the groves of the grain leaving me to think that it was lower and still had the CA on it. Am I making any sense?

Thanks for the help,
Brian

 

[leehljp]

Lathe "on" or "off?": Both. Sand with the lathe on slow to get ridges or spots out, to get the finish consistent. Then turn lathe off and sand lengthwise with fine MM or sandpaper.

It sounds like you are sanding either too much or with too low of a grit of sandpaper.

Once the finish stage starts, sanding should be at 400+. I usually use MicroMesh, but on occasion I use standard sandpaper. When I do, I use 600 (automotive type) to smooth any spots out and move up to 800 or 1000 grit before changing over to MM 3600 - 12000.

Also, if you are sanding it off, you may not be getting enough CA on the blank. I think most people average 8 to 12 coats, but some do it with less.

Just a note here - some woodworkers who start turning pens hang on to an old idea - "too fine of sanding will not let the finish stick properly, therefore nothing higher than 400". That is not true, it is OK to go to a higher grit and finish sticks just fine, - CA, lacquer, poly, tung oil etc.

 

[mostangrypirate]

don't know if my methods are the best. I taught myself and did not even know that there were these wonderful support groups until I had already been at it for 2 years. I have amended some of my ways but here's what I still do. I use the CA finish on punky and pourous materials. and deer antler(always on anter) but on tighter grain stuff I sand and run my micro-mesh all the way up the grits.(micro-mesh is great)...then I use the wax bars(high gloss) and then I even use the friction polish. get it hot but not too much...if that stuff burns, yer back to square one. finally..on the real tight stuff like dymondwood and acrylics. I ordered the beall 3 stage buff. That CA fininish is great but not needed on every item you turn.

 

[ldb2000]

The only fast finish that will last is CA , that said there are several finishes that are almost as durable like Poly , Lacquer and even Tung oil if it applied right and given enough time to cure . Cure time is the killer though , a good poly or lacquer can take weeks to fully cure and an oil finish like tung oil can take even longer .
Friction finishes and wax only finishes will NOT hold up under the daily abuse that a pen gets . Sweat and oils from hands WILL wear away these finishes and leave the wood unprotected and the wood will look grundgy after a short time .
There really is no free lunch when it comes to pen finishes , CA is the best finish for most wood pens and is the fastest durable finish there is .

If you are ever planning on selling any of your pens , learn the CA finish or be prepared to loose customers and get a bad reputation for making crappy pens .

 

[wizical]

as a alternative, unaxol is easy to apply and cure time is pretty quick. It was trial and error, but once i got it down. It is easy to work it.