NCWoodworker
Member
Hi all,
(This is related to Oahunative's thread, but I wasn't sure if it would go in a different direction and I did not want to hijack it. I am new to the board and understand my position here relative to all of the expertise and experience amongst us. I am interested to hear other's input in the following, or if these general comments have been explored previously...)
I have become comfortable with building a CA finish on my pens and expect that I am up to par with the outcome. (I say expect, because, while I am proud of my finish, I have never really seen someone else's pen to compare it to (besides pix on the internet.)) In the other thread, Eagle talks about a good finish being able to 'see' into the soul of the wood. I believe that he is referring to the ability to bring out the warmth/glow/optical allusion of dimention/depth that is commonly found in highly figured woods (and some others that seem to always have character/chatoyance, such as mesquite.)
In flatwork, I have found that an oil finish really penetrates and brings out these characteristics in woods that I have chosen. This is enhanced even greater when a topcoat is applied over the oil to create a gloss finish. With the CA finish, it seems that I am getting the topcoat, but missing the 'depth/soul' brought out by the penetrating oil. Over the past month, I have added an application of a tung oil/poly mix to all of my turnings between the sanding stage and the first application of CA. (Would be happy to share brand/name/etc..but not sure if that's appropriate here...) Personally, I really think this gives me the richness that I have been missing from a standard CA finish. The product I use suggests an hour before applying a topcoat. (Note...I have not been waiting and have not noticed any ill-affects. Perhaps it's b/c of the thin/rubbed application I have used.)
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I am curious if anyone else has experience with first using an oil-based penetrating finish first.. and has any positive/neg feedback. (I understand that this is usually prohibitive due to the long cure time, but believe that is not an issue here) If that is a viable option, I would expect that you would get the same benefit, regardless of the topcoat you use (CA or Lacquer). Finally, does anyone use poly as a topcoat? My experience with flatwork would suggest it to be a good (easy to apply/durable/etc.) option.
Regards,
Chris
(This is related to Oahunative's thread, but I wasn't sure if it would go in a different direction and I did not want to hijack it. I am new to the board and understand my position here relative to all of the expertise and experience amongst us. I am interested to hear other's input in the following, or if these general comments have been explored previously...)
I have become comfortable with building a CA finish on my pens and expect that I am up to par with the outcome. (I say expect, because, while I am proud of my finish, I have never really seen someone else's pen to compare it to (besides pix on the internet.)) In the other thread, Eagle talks about a good finish being able to 'see' into the soul of the wood. I believe that he is referring to the ability to bring out the warmth/glow/optical allusion of dimention/depth that is commonly found in highly figured woods (and some others that seem to always have character/chatoyance, such as mesquite.)
In flatwork, I have found that an oil finish really penetrates and brings out these characteristics in woods that I have chosen. This is enhanced even greater when a topcoat is applied over the oil to create a gloss finish. With the CA finish, it seems that I am getting the topcoat, but missing the 'depth/soul' brought out by the penetrating oil. Over the past month, I have added an application of a tung oil/poly mix to all of my turnings between the sanding stage and the first application of CA. (Would be happy to share brand/name/etc..but not sure if that's appropriate here...) Personally, I really think this gives me the richness that I have been missing from a standard CA finish. The product I use suggests an hour before applying a topcoat. (Note...I have not been waiting and have not noticed any ill-affects. Perhaps it's b/c of the thin/rubbed application I have used.)
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I am curious if anyone else has experience with first using an oil-based penetrating finish first.. and has any positive/neg feedback. (I understand that this is usually prohibitive due to the long cure time, but believe that is not an issue here) If that is a viable option, I would expect that you would get the same benefit, regardless of the topcoat you use (CA or Lacquer). Finally, does anyone use poly as a topcoat? My experience with flatwork would suggest it to be a good (easy to apply/durable/etc.) option.
Regards,
Chris