Been a while since I’ve been here!

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Jimos

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2016
Messages
20
Location
Hiawassee GA
It's been a while since I've contributed to the forum. I have a habit of jumping around to various hobbies. Jack of all trades, master of none.

I started making pens this year after I decided to make some gifts for the sales counterparts that I work with. I discovered the Majestic Jr, and thought they were certainly gift worthy. Unfortunately, I ran into the same issues I've had with finishing. The old problematic method; Turn, Sand (150, 240, 320, 400, 600), 1 coat of stickfast thin CA, 6 coats of medium, abranet sanding until all shine is gone, Stickfast satin & gloss polish.
As soon as I polished my blanks, any small hole in the wood just popped white. I threw away at least 4-5 blank sets (pics of 2 enclosed). Very frustrating needless to say. I had reached out to IAP in the past with the same issue. I still couldn't figure out what I could do to eliminate the problem.

Since the white snow always "popped" after polishing, I decided to try a different method. The new; Turn, Sand (same grits as before, but slowed my speed a little, and stopped wrapping the sandpaper around the blank. Essentially less aggressive sanding), EEE Ultra shine, 2 coats thin CA, 10 coats medium CA, abranet sanding as before, wet sanding with micro-mesh pads 1500-12000 (9 pads). So far I haven't had to throw away any blanks. Zero issues as before. I couldn't be happier.

I've attached a few pics. Two are the failures I was having. One are blanks that I finished this evening. After sanding I could see micro holes in the grain and thought, "Oh crap, here we go again". As you can see, without using the polish, it came out just fine. I'm 2 pens short of finishing up my project for my sales counterparts. Well ahead of schedule for December when we have our sales meeting. Thanks for listening and best regards.

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mark james

IAP Collection, Curator
Joined
Sep 6, 2012
Messages
12,720
Location
Medina, Ohio
The last pictures display great pens. I'm pondering applying EEE before the CA? But whatever you are doing looks great.
 

bsshog40

Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
2,354
Location
Omaha, Tx
It looks like the EEE basically filled in the pores on the blanks. When I've done a CA finish on porous wood, I usually just put a few extra coats of thin CA, MM sand it and then move to the med Ca. Looks like the EEE solved your problem though. Nice looking!
 

leehljp

Member Liaison
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,314
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
If you have holes that polish is getting into, then you haven't sealed the holes completely. Some people like the holes to accentuate the grain, but the holes are magnets for sanding dust, or wax and polish that show itself upon curing. It takes a mind-set change from "light coating of CA" to "What is it gonna take".

IF you want to be able to coat with wax or polish that turns white after setting, then you simply fill the holes - with many coats of thin, or three to six coats of medium, or one or two coats of thick. However, If you are using paper towel (PT) to apply the CA, you will probably need to double the number of applications as the PT will absorb most of the CA.

You are not doing anything wrong with the white spots showing up, it is just that you are getting the natural results of thin layers of CA on open grained wood. Just use more until the grains are totally sealed.
 
Last edited:

BruceA

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2008
Messages
245
Location
Fayetteville, TN, USA.
Jimos, I recommend using Thin CA with 400 grit sandpaper, lathe speed at 1800rpm, and let the sandpaper build up some of the dust as the CA starts to dry while spinning. This uses the blank's own dust to seal itself. Then sand smooth with 400 grit, then 600 grit. Next step is wet micro mesh 1500 to 12,000. Then two coats of Myland's Sanding Sealer to SEAL the wood. Then wet micromesh 4000-12,000 again. Now you're ready for your CA application for final finish. You can check out Fangar's Method here: https://www.penturners.org/threads/my-ca-method.17317/ Some year's ago, but that system works - and I think it's primarily because there is an emphasis on creating a well sealed base BEFORE the CA layers.
 

jwoodwright

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
2,270
Location
Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
I the past, when CA finishing was started, we put a drop of BLO (boiled linseed oil) on a folded piece of paper towel. Then the CA was "floated" on the pen. Too much CA and the cellulose in the paper can lead to a exothermic action. DAMHIKT!

Hope this helps.

I've been away for quite some time, as well. Can't believe the IAP IS 15 yrs old. Eagle would be pleased.
 

Woodchipper

Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Messages
5,138
Location
Cleveland, TN
I turned one pen that was coarse grain. Two coats of medium CA and 4 or 5 thin CA. Came out nice...so I must have done something right.
 

Jimos

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2016
Messages
20
Location
Hiawassee GA
As always, much appreciation from the community on this issue. My takeaway is that I've been doing a poor job of sealing the holes before finishing. Many thanks for recommending solutions to this nagging problem. I've got more pens to finish in the next few months and I'm confident I can do so without issue. Thanks again and cheers!
 
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