friction polish

[Irish Pat]

I have just finished a pen made from Kingwood but I'm unsure should I use a friction polish and a wax instead of a CA.It is a beautiful wood and I think it would be best finished with a polish and wax,what do you think?
I have heard people use walnut oil,shellac and carnauba wax in several coats,is this any good for long term?

 

[weswrestle10]

I have a few pieces done in Kingwood recently. I sanded to 600 and did 2 coats of tung oil to bring out the colour a bit better. Followed by the classic HUT 2-bar wax finish. They came out beautiful!

 

[monophoto]

Pat

I'm not a particular fan of CA finish on pens - I think its too plasticky. And I really like the way kingwood (or goncalo alves as it is known in Brazil) looks and feels when it is finished with something that penetrates into the surface without leaving a hard plastic shell on the exterior.

The shellac-based friction polishes don't have the ability to withstand as much abuse as the lacquer-based friction polishes. Not sure what commercial finishes you can get - I make my own friction polish using equal parts of ordinary brushing lacquer, lacquer thinner, and tung oil. You can substitute boiled linseed oil for the tung oil - works the same, but the finish tends to be a slightly darker amber.

Sand obsessively - I go to at least 800 grit, and often 1200, and then burnish with either kraft (brown) paper or a white 'Scotch-brite' pad. Apply the first coat using a bit of paper towel with the pieces stationary so that the finish soaks into the wood. then apply additional coats with the pieces spinning so that the friction generates heat.

 

[Irish Pat]

Do they get dull after a while?Do you finish all your pens the same way?Thanks for help to all.

 

[monophoto]

Pat

Do they get dull? Don't know. Actually, the finish I use doesn't get super shiney. Instead, it's sort of a soft gloss.

I have three 'pens' that are in my 'daily carry' selection - actually, two fountain pens and one stylus. One fountain pen has a CA finish, the other has a waterborne poly finish, and the styus has a friction polish finish. After several years of use, I can't say that any of them have changed significantly. One thing to keep in mind is that some timbers are softer, and as time goes by, the timber itself will pick up dings and scratches. To me, that's part of the natural aging process. If I wanted them to look pristine, I would put them in a box on the shelf and never use them.

We had a guy here in the US who manufactured specialty photographic equipment. One of his products was a very high-quality wooden tripod that I think he made from ash. When people criticized his tripod because it could get dinged, his response that wood is like people - as it ages, it gets honorable scars'.

 

[Old Codger]

MinWax W.O.P. It takes a bit longer, but has a beautiful shine and wears extremely well with use, plus none of the dangers of CA!