JonathanF1968
Member
I think I've turned eight pens, so far. Here are four that I still own. Three have been given as gifts, and we won't talk about a certain fiasco.... I've done about five slim lines, the Tudor, and two Dragons. A combo of single and double barrel. I'm going to start doing some cigars when my next shipment comes in, and also have a few other bits and bobs.
I'm mostly using applewood from one of my own trees (bottom three in the attached photo), a hunk of ancient pine salvaged from my house's threshold during a recent repair (the Tudor in the attached), and some random cherry, mahogany, and maple from my scrap pile. I've got a few other mystery scraps to try as well. But I'm mostly excited about wood where there's a personal connection. These will all be gifts, not for resale. Though, I can see a point where I'm going to have too many pens in my life, and will need to find some additional way to get rid of them.
As you can see, I'm using the Slimlines to goof around. Playing with shapes. The vertical one had a knot, and so let it be a big bulge, in part because I was a little concerned that if I tried to smooth it down too much, it would catch, and that would be the end of that barrel! But I kind of like that silly lump at the top.
I'm finishing these using the three-part tester pack that Woodturningz sells, which is a sealer, a friction polisher, and a lump of carnuba wax, though I'm also adding some beeswax from my own bees, just to keep it in the family.
Usually, I start sanding at 220, and then do 400, 600, and 1500. Sometimes, I start at 150 if there's something I'm trying to correct. At first, I was starting at 80, but that seemed counter-productive.
Pressing them with an old wood clamp that belonged to my grandfather. I've only cracked two barrels with it, so far.... Learning not to turn my Slimlines too close to the tube.
So, here are my current questions.
1. No matter how careful I am, I seem to have a defect in every pen, where there's a slight gauge in the wood, and I never notice it until after I'm done finishing. I'm not sure how I'm missing these. I imagine it is because of my own limitations as a turner, but the optimistic thought crossed my mind that it could have something to do with the wood that I'm using, which is arguably on the rough side. The apple was a log until recently. (It aged for many years in my basement.) The threshold was installed in 1857, and has had a lot of feet on it. Some insect damage too. Probably, though, this is really due to my own technique, though, particularly at getting the skew sharp enough.
2. The three Slimlines shown are all from the same piece of applewood, but the color varies. I'm not sure why one is lighter than the others. Theories include that I might have used more beeswax on the lighter one, or that I might actually be getting some black from the 1500 sandpaper, perhaps using it too close to the paper, and so the black is coloring the wood? Is that possible? (Someone posted here the maxim, "Throw away sandpaper like someone else is paying for it," and I'm now trying to live by that.)
3. I'm finding it a challenge to keep the tool marks off the wood where it's close to the bushings. A couple pens, I'm doing the final sanding off the lathe. Not sure if there's some technique that I'm missing.
4. I am curious about many other kinds of finish. I like the idea of a matte/wood feel finish. Also, I have to try a CA finish. And then, a food safe finish (going to try mineral oil and beeswax). I'm also interested in shellac, other oils such as Tung, Danish, and BLO. And then, there are things like WTF. What I don't quite understand yet, though, is how to tell by eye or by feel when you've done enough coats. I feel like I'm blindly following other people's recipes and hoping for the best, when I should be taking a more observant and scientific approach to it. I'm just not sure what to look for.
5. Is denatured alcohol, to wipe the piece off before finishing, essentially compatible with all finish types or does it degrade any of them?
6. Do you sand with the grain after every stage of sanding on the lathe, or just towards the end?
I do appreciate your insights, and have learned a tremendous amount from this community. I'm spending a lot of time searching previous posts on the forum. Really helpful. So many details!
I'm mostly using applewood from one of my own trees (bottom three in the attached photo), a hunk of ancient pine salvaged from my house's threshold during a recent repair (the Tudor in the attached), and some random cherry, mahogany, and maple from my scrap pile. I've got a few other mystery scraps to try as well. But I'm mostly excited about wood where there's a personal connection. These will all be gifts, not for resale. Though, I can see a point where I'm going to have too many pens in my life, and will need to find some additional way to get rid of them.
As you can see, I'm using the Slimlines to goof around. Playing with shapes. The vertical one had a knot, and so let it be a big bulge, in part because I was a little concerned that if I tried to smooth it down too much, it would catch, and that would be the end of that barrel! But I kind of like that silly lump at the top.
I'm finishing these using the three-part tester pack that Woodturningz sells, which is a sealer, a friction polisher, and a lump of carnuba wax, though I'm also adding some beeswax from my own bees, just to keep it in the family.
Usually, I start sanding at 220, and then do 400, 600, and 1500. Sometimes, I start at 150 if there's something I'm trying to correct. At first, I was starting at 80, but that seemed counter-productive.
Pressing them with an old wood clamp that belonged to my grandfather. I've only cracked two barrels with it, so far.... Learning not to turn my Slimlines too close to the tube.
So, here are my current questions.
1. No matter how careful I am, I seem to have a defect in every pen, where there's a slight gauge in the wood, and I never notice it until after I'm done finishing. I'm not sure how I'm missing these. I imagine it is because of my own limitations as a turner, but the optimistic thought crossed my mind that it could have something to do with the wood that I'm using, which is arguably on the rough side. The apple was a log until recently. (It aged for many years in my basement.) The threshold was installed in 1857, and has had a lot of feet on it. Some insect damage too. Probably, though, this is really due to my own technique, though, particularly at getting the skew sharp enough.
2. The three Slimlines shown are all from the same piece of applewood, but the color varies. I'm not sure why one is lighter than the others. Theories include that I might have used more beeswax on the lighter one, or that I might actually be getting some black from the 1500 sandpaper, perhaps using it too close to the paper, and so the black is coloring the wood? Is that possible? (Someone posted here the maxim, "Throw away sandpaper like someone else is paying for it," and I'm now trying to live by that.)
3. I'm finding it a challenge to keep the tool marks off the wood where it's close to the bushings. A couple pens, I'm doing the final sanding off the lathe. Not sure if there's some technique that I'm missing.
4. I am curious about many other kinds of finish. I like the idea of a matte/wood feel finish. Also, I have to try a CA finish. And then, a food safe finish (going to try mineral oil and beeswax). I'm also interested in shellac, other oils such as Tung, Danish, and BLO. And then, there are things like WTF. What I don't quite understand yet, though, is how to tell by eye or by feel when you've done enough coats. I feel like I'm blindly following other people's recipes and hoping for the best, when I should be taking a more observant and scientific approach to it. I'm just not sure what to look for.
5. Is denatured alcohol, to wipe the piece off before finishing, essentially compatible with all finish types or does it degrade any of them?
6. Do you sand with the grain after every stage of sanding on the lathe, or just towards the end?
I do appreciate your insights, and have learned a tremendous amount from this community. I'm spending a lot of time searching previous posts on the forum. Really helpful. So many details!