Choice between HUT, Mylands, Renaissance or Carn?

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mbellek

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I have used HUT wax, and I love the application process (simple) and I love the way it looks when I first do it... But it fades with very little use. *I* am able to shine it up easily with a buffing wheel, but I'm thinking if I ever sell one, that won't work so well. I would never expect a customer to do that.

I've heard that Renaissance is a lot more enduring... Does it have the same application process?

Mylands - same question.

Pure Carnauba - I read an article on Woodcraft.com that involved boiling, beeswax, turpentine and a big process. Yuck. But what about using buffing wheels? Would that work?

I know a lot of this hobby involves trial and error, and finding what works best for YOU, but I'd like to try and do that with as little financial waste as possible!!
 
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Originally posted by mbellek
<br />trial and error, and finding what works best for YOU, but I'd like to try and do that with as little financial waste as possible!!
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I think in your case it is going to be more trial and error and our input is just going to be a guide !! Pens are in the hand, hairsticks, well I hope they go in the hair...[:o)]



I would try a few finishes and give them away to friends and check a few weeks, months later. How is the finish going to react to oily hair, dry hair,wet hair, someone that just had a perm/ frosting ect.
Since you like diamondwood how is that going to react to perm/frosting. Is there hair going to turn colors [:o)].

Growing up my mother had a inhome shop so I know how nasty some of the chemicals (ammonia and peroxide)used can be....

My 2 cents...
 
I cannot stand HUT. They used that in the fist class I took, and naturally I bought some, but anything I used it for was dull in a matter of days.

If you're using friction polish, IMO, Mylands is 100x better, especially if you use the cellulose sanding sealer first. Of course, this is a good $35 worth of product!

As noted in another current thread, I'm now experimenting with CA BLO, which is promising, just as easy and far more durable. I expect I'll use it on pens where the fingers touch the pen while writing. For those where the maximum contact part is metal, I'll probably stay with Mylands.
 
It appears that you are asking about waxres and not pen finishes as some people has surmised.

Fact is that "ALL" waxes are relatively soft wnd will wear down with any handling. Find a finish that you like and is relatively durable and then use whatever wax you like. You can advise your clients that they will need to apply a coat of paste wax every so often if they want to keep the shine in tip top shape.
 
I agree that the MYLANDS is much superior to HUT (Same path for me, got the HUT at a demo), the mylands seems to work better and show better. My HUT stick is now used to wax screws!
 
Okay, someone tell me the difference between a wax and a finish please. I obviously don't know. I'm sorry, but I really have been doing this less than a month so bear with me!! [:I]

I thought that if HUT wax was the last thing that I put on my stick before using it, then it has a "Hut Wax finish"...

I just really like Hut wax for the way it is applied. I was using polyurethane (and polycrylic when I wanted totally clear on a light colored wood) but those take forever and are a pain in the but to keep smooth and even without sags. Actually, I'm pretty good at preventing that now, though.

I would think that what a pen-turner wants for pens and what a hair-stick turner would want could be very very similar and comparable because the hands have all kinds of oils, dirt, etc and pens get dropped, stuck in purses, left on a desk to have coffee spilled on them, etc etc. Now I suspect that some of you will tell me that your higher-end pens should be better cared for than all that, and the same is also true of what I make as well... If properly cared for, hair sticks should just sit in clean hair all day and then in a drawer or something at night!! Not overly exposed to sunlight, water, chemicals like acetone, etc.

So far as I know Dymondwood is not affected by any hair treatments/dyes/perms/etc and is actually a preferred material for hair accessories because of its durability (and, to be sure, appearance). Plus, Malainse, I think they make a lot of that stuff a lot gentler now, and less chemical-y!! [:D]
 
The saying "there is no such thing as free lunch" applies to pen finishing. Most if not all the easy to apply wax or finish will (as you learned) fade almost as easily. There are a few "durable" favorites here; CA, lacquer, enduro, and unaxol.

If you want a short cut...go and try any of the above and you won't go wrong. Some are more difficult than others and they work differently. We all have our favorites but this list should narrow down your search.

Try reading the articles of Russ Fairfiles...especially the "Finishing secrets" at http://www.woodturnerruss.com/
 
all the wax finishes, as people have said, will wear away quite easily with daily use. same thing for myland's... although it'll last longer than normal HUT wax. you mentioned carnauba wax. i don't know too many people that use it straight up (not to say there aren't some) but rather as a last step of buffing after applying lacquer or CA or something solid that shines up with buffing.

i think eventually you'll end up doing one of the finishes that dario mentioned above and tossing aside the wax and myland's. it might be easy to apply, but sooner or later the anal pen turner in you will want something more durable and permanent. there's plenty of threads and tutorials around here to keep you busy!
 
My first pen was made 5 months ago and finished with HUT crystal coat. It sits at the bottom of someone's purse every day and still looks like new. Still haven't figured out why I got away from it [:D]

Why put anything over diamondwood? It's stabilized and usually only needs to be well polished to be brilliant. Diamondwood is used for knife handles and that community never has mentioned a finish over top of it that I've seen.
 
Dymondwood doesn't seem to look quite as good until I put a finish on it. Maybe for a knife handle it looks okay without anything over it... Or maybe I'm not sanding down enough. I sure thought I was!

I tried my thin-CA once as a finish and just made a BIG BIG mess!! I gave the bottle a gentle squirt all along, but there were some creases and crevices that just were not being filled and when I tried to get the coat even is when it all went to hell. I see how CA would work for a relatively cylindrical piece, but I don't think I can use it on all the shapes I do.
 
Originally posted by mbellek
<br />Dymondwood doesn't seem to look quite as good until I put a finish on it. Maybe for a knife handle it looks okay without anything over it... Or maybe I'm not sanding down enough. I sure thought I was,,,,,
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What is the grit of the sandpaper that you are using for your final sanding? It could be that you need a finer final grit. Do you just sand with the lathe rotating or do you also stop the lathe and sand lengthwise as well? You need to be doing both for the best surface.
 
Originally posted by mbellek
<br />.....I see how CA would work for a relatively cylindrical piece, but I don't think I can use it on all the shapes I do.
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Try an aerosol can of DEFT Spray Lacquer. The stuff is available everywhere....even at Wal-Mart.... and would probably be great for your hair sticks!!
 
I have seen a few of my early HUT pens that still look OK, but they were all very dense wood. I think that was the key. The ones in Kingwood and Ebony did ok. The ones in cherry and other more porous woods didn't make it through the first week.

Originally posted by Brewmeister35
<br />My first pen was made 5 months ago and finished with HUT crystal coat. It sits at the bottom of someone's purse every day and still looks like new.
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Hi there.. Yep, I have gone thru all of the labor pains to get a good finish, from hut, reniasance (sp)etc, and have finally settled on the thin CA glue. Tis beautiful and very long lasting. 3 coats thinly applied and smoothed into all of the nooks & crannies, then buffed on the Beal 3 wheel system is more than a normal person can handle. It is just beautiful! I just finished 3 pens today, 2 olive wood and 1 cocobolo. New design too, a must see!
 
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