what non-ca finish do you use?

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Up until now, unless the blank was stabilized, I have been using CA on all of my wooden pens.
I'd like to try something else for my customers that might not like the high gloss. But I still want good protection from dirty, sweaty hands, etc.
What are your suggestions? What's a good "satin" finish that I can try? I don't know much about the waxes and friction polishes, so treat me like a newbie and spare no dirty details!
 
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You can dull the gloss of CA by sanding lightly with the grain using 400 or 600 grit sandpaper. You get all the protectition and durability of CA with a satin finish that customers will think is bare wood.

Regards,
Eric
 
Sylvanite said:
You can dull the gloss of CA by sanding lightly with the grain using 400 or 600 grit sandpaper. You get all the protectition and durability of CA with a satin finish that customers will think is bare wood.

Regards,
Eric
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Ok, in your opinion, is this as good or better than some of the waxes and/or friction polishes that some people use?
 
It is far superior to any wax or friction polish. The wax and/or friction polish WILL wear off (rather quickly) and leave behind unprotected wood. The CA will not wear off.
 
Yesterday I received my order for "Turner's Magic". There are three component products. The first is a Sealer that goes on 1st so the natural wood oils do not "bleed through" the finish, a Semi-Gloss that is used as a "grain-filler" AND a "less shiny" finish, and a Super Gloss polish for the "shiny" finish. I purchased these through WoodWrite Ltd. You might have to leave a phone and/or e-mail message as they do not have a person answering the phone. I'm anxious to try this as the fumes from CA are difficult to deal with!

Dan

PS - For more info you might check this thread.
 
Dan

When you get around to putting this product through its test. please post your findings. It would be great to get another opinion.
 
I have started to use Turners Magic and I really like it. Check out the thread "Has Anyone Used These Product's" in this forum. There are a few comments on this product. PSI and Woodcraft has this product but under a different name.
 
For more than 10 years I'm using cellulosic sanding sealer and finally pure carnauba wax applied directly to the wood with a stick. Carnauba wax is a very hard finish who requires high speed, for its melting point is at around 85°c (185°F). You first apply it to the wood and finally buff it to remove any excess. You obtain a satin and natural finish while wery durable. The other alternative with carnauba wax is the (Beall...) buffing wheels but I've never used this process with a pen.
Hope that helps.
 
I have done my 1st 2 pens with Turner's Magic. I really like the way it goes on (no horrible CA smell!). The 1st pen was tulipwood and I cracked it when pressing the parts together (my fault), the 2nd was English Oak and it really looks as good as my CA/BLO English Oak pen. I think I'm really gonna like it! By the way, CA is an abbreviation for "cyanoacrylate". The "cyan" part of this word is directly related to the word "cyanide" which used to be used for executions when the gas chamber was popular. I begin to wonder why I was using a lethal poison to finish pens! By the way, I have heard that the carnauba wax that chrisk mentioned can be an excellent top coat over the Turner's Magic set of finishes for a really high gloss!
 
I use cellulose sanding sealer and Deft spray, Beal buffed with Ren Wax as final step. Looks good and holds up very well. I have a pen that I use daily at work which is about two years old and the finish still looks and feels good.
 
So. It sounds like the turners magic is time consuming? Is that right? Is it more time consuming than putting on 4 or 5 nice coats of CA?
 
I didn't find it any more time consuming than BLO/CA finishing on a pen. It is a lot more pleasant to work with and it does give a nice finish to the pens I finished with it.
 
Sylvanite said:
You can dull the gloss of CA by sanding lightly with the grain using 400 or 600 grit sandpaper. You get all the protectition and durability of CA with a satin finish that customers will think is bare wood.
Click to expand...


Eric; I always do this to wood pens unless the customer specifically asks for gloss finish. Some burls look better with a gloss finish, but for the normal pen, I just hit the pen with 0000 steel wool just before removing from the lathe. This gives a good satin matte finish and NO scratches.
 
randyrls said:
I just hit the pen with 0000 steel wool just before removing from the lathe. This gives a good satin matte finish and NO scratches.
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0000 steel wool has a finer scratch pattern than 600 grit sandpaper and is better for knocking the gloss off a finish. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't recommend the steel wool before. Thanks Randy.

Regards,
Eric
 
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