Buffing wood?

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MedWoodWorx

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Is there a point using a buffing wheel when working with wood ( pens or bowls) finished with oils etc?
I don' t finish my pens with ca anymore so i wet sand them until 1500 or 3000 grit and then i might use pens plus. I was watching a few youtube videos with people finishing their projects with a buffing wheel. What do you guys think? Is a final buff with some wax at the buffing wheel worth the trouble?
 
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Yes, it is very much worth it. Bowls treated with Boiled Linseed Oil or Danish Oil have a beautiful satin finish after buffing with Tripoli compound and White Diamond compound. The final step - buffing with wax - adds a little more protection to the surface, but it is the first two steps in the process that improve the finish the most.
 
I do not do it with pens but in my scrollsaw work I have a few times used exotic woods for bases on my clocks that I make and yes I use Danish oil and after dried I will take to a buffer to bring out a nice shine. I imagine doing a pen can do the same. Just be careful with a buffer and a small object like a pen blank because it can get thrown from your hand in an instant.
 
jttheclockman said:
I do not do it with pens but in my scrollsaw work I have a few times used exotic woods for bases on my clocks that I make and yes I use Danish oil and after dried I will take to a buffer to bring out a nice shine. I imagine doing a pen can do the same. Just be careful with a buffer and a small object like a pen blank because it can get thrown from your hand in an instant.
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The key yo that is keeping your pen on the mandrel while you buff, it gives you a handle and more control.
 
Hippie3180 said:
The key yo that is keeping your pen on the mandrel while you buff, it gives you a handle and more control.
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I would not do that because you will bend the mandrel. I suggest you use a piece of dowel. You can build up blue tape on the ends if you want to stop from sliding on you. Just a suggestion.
 
I sunbleach flaxseed oil and add a little beeswax and paraffin to it. Use the canning wax paraffin it is food safe.

For pens, I use plain sunbleached flaxseed as a wipe on, let it soak in then the wax mix.

The SB flaxseed oil can also be made into a Danish wipe on by adding polyurethane and mineral spirits.

Starting point.

The ratios? Hit and miss. I guess or just eyeball as I mix it. I mix only a ounce or 2 at a time.
 
jttheclockman said:
I would not do that because you will bend the mandrel. I suggest you use a piece of dowel. You can build up blue tape on the ends if you want to stop from sliding on you. Just a suggestion.
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For what it's worth, the only thing I use my mandrel for now is buffing, so I don't really care if it gets slightly bent. I'm just lightly touching the buffing wheel anyway. I have definitely had barrels fly when trying to hold them by hand.
 
I did the same thing Dave did, I turned a taper on an oak dowel. Just slip the tube over it and buff away. The first few inches are small enough the tube slips on and leaves an inch or two of the dowel end exposed so you can grip above and below the pen tube. I have not had one get away and as Dave says, no metal residue left behind. I use the Beall's buffing wheels.

Mike
 
dogcatcher said:
I sunbleach flaxseed oil and add a little beeswax and paraffin to it. Use the canning wax paraffin it is food safe.

For pens, I use plain sunbleached flaxseed as a wipe on, let it soak in then the wax mix.

The SB flaxseed oil can also be made into a Danish wipe on by adding polyurethane and mineral spirits.

Starting point.

The ratios? Hit and miss. I guess or just eyeball as I mix it. I mix only a ounce or 2 at a time.
Click to expand...
I liked the video! Well worth the time to view. đź‘Ť
 
thank you all for your input so the next question is what kind of wheel is suitable to finish a pen? i suppose a really soft one...is there one that i could use it with my lathe?i mean a diy ish solution, cheers
 
MedWoodWorx said:
thank you all for your input so the next question is what kind of wheel is suitable to finish a pen? i suppose a really soft one...is there one that i could use it with my lathe?i mean a diy ish solution, cheers
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If you search this forum, there are many threads about buffing. I use the Beall system. They were bought by another company, Lee Valley Tools I believe. My kit came with 3 wheels and an MT2 with a threaded rod to hold one at a time. I bought a length of rod and replaced the short piece and mounted all 3 wheels on it. I used a rod coupler on the tailstock end. I just have to be certain I always use the lowest speed because it is not safe to spin it too fast because it might be dangerous at higher speeds. It works great.

Mike
 
dogcatcher said:
I sunbleach flaxseed oil and add a little beeswax and paraffin to it. Use the canning wax paraffin it is food safe.

For pens, I use plain sunbleached flaxseed as a wipe on, let it soak in then the wax mix.

The SB flaxseed oil can also be made into a Danish wipe on by adding polyurethane and mineral spirits.

Starting point.

The ratios? Hit and miss. I guess or just eyeball as I mix it. I mix only a ounce or 2 at a time.
Click to expand...
Thanks g
For sharing
 
dogcatcher said:
I sunbleach flaxseed oil and add a little beeswax and paraffin to it. Use the canning wax paraffin it is food safe.

For pens, I use plain sunbleached flaxseed as a wipe on, let it soak in then the wax mix.

The SB flaxseed oil can also be made into a Danish wipe on by adding polyurethane and mineral spirits.

Starting point.

The ratios? Hit and miss. I guess or just eyeball as I mix it. I mix only a ounce or 2 at a time.
Click to expand...
i don't get it, why do all this? to polymerise the flaxseed oil?
 
dogcatcher said:
I sunbleach flaxseed oil and add a little beeswax and paraffin to it. Use the canning wax paraffin it is food safe.

For pens, I use plain sunbleached flaxseed as a wipe on, let it soak in then the wax mix.

The SB flaxseed oil can also be made into a Danish wipe on by adding polyurethane and mineral spirits.

Starting point.

The ratios? Hit and miss. I guess or just eyeball as I mix it. I mix only a ounce or 2 at a time.
Click to expand...
i started sunbleaching a small batch to see how it goes, i am just curious how long does it take for SL to dry? also could (and should?) walnut oil be sunbleached? i use Dr's walnut oil which is amazing but also really expensive for me to order from the states so if i could come up with an alternative it would be great, cheers
 
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