Endro finish ... Problems!

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Willee

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Jul 19, 2007
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Corpus Christi Texas
I never could get the Endro Gloss finish to go on a pen smooth with a brush or paper towel so I bought a little air brush and started using that. It works great.
I spray on a frosted coating, let that dry for 5 min, then spray on a thicker coat till it looks wet and slick.
It dries to the touch in about 30 min to a matt finish.

Now for the problem ...

It has been five days for some of the pens and the Endro Gloss finish is still soft.
Looks great but you can nick it with your fingernail.
I put them in a case with an elastic band and the band imprinted its pattern in the finish.

I thought that Endro was a very hard finish.
The Sanding Sealer certinaly is.
Perhaps I should toss out the Gloss finish and just use the Endro sanding sealer.

Anyone else having this problem?
 
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Willee,
I certainly am no expert when it comes to Endro but what little bit I have used, I used the sealer 1st, let dry overnight, next day gloss lightly applied after lightly sanding smooth. Allow this to dry overnight and repeat until the finish is even and smooth. I believe that the length of time to cure is something others have complained about.
YMMV
 
I use enduro all the time, but you can not rush it. I finish the pen the add 3 or 4 coats of sanding sealer, waiting for the coats to dry between each. When I'm happy with the look, I set the blank aside for at least 24 hours. I, then, go through the MM grits, being very careful not to sand through the finish. Then I add at least 3 or 4 coats of final finish, letting it dry between coats. Then when I am happy with the finish, then I let it cure for at least 24 hours. Then I go through the MM grits again. If I'm happy, I do a quick buff with white diamond and carnuba.
 
Apply sanding sealer (three to four coats), let dry overnight, then sand and apply the topcoat. The topcoat I let dry overnight as well (actually 24 hours, from evening to evening), then I finish sand. Sealer and finish are applied with the papertowel. Wayne has it all figured out. I am happy with it, but it takes quite some time. With some long screws in a small board I made some kind of a drying rack, so I can prepare 5-10 sets at a time.
 
Depending on temp and humidity it can take a good week for the final finish to cure to the hardness that is talked about. Also, like has been already been said, don't rush.

Wayne
 
I've found that Wayne's method is foolproof, since eve I can produce excellent results by following it exactly. My suggestion is to perfect your results using Wayne's method, then you can venture off on your own.
Originally posted by wayneis
<br />Depending on temp and humidity it can take a good week for the final finish to cure to the hardness that is talked about. Also, like has been already been said, don't rush.

Wayne
 
I have used the sanding sealer on pool cues.
I have also sprayed the gloss finish on pool cue shafts and had no problems with it hardening.
Perhaps it was something to do with the oils in the wood.

I know that GolfSmith's Shafting Epoxy will not set when put into an inlay pocket in Bocote wood. The oil interferes with the chemical reaction somehow and you end up with a soft gooey mess the next day.

I thought others here might have experienced the same problem of the endro staying soft and easy to blemish for days.

If I am going to wipe on a finish with a paper towel then sand it down and repete that severial times then I would use CA but the fumes do bother me.

I like the Endro because it will dry to a very thin layer that you do not need to allow for when sanding the pen blank to final size.
CA is about 8 mills thick and that needs to be allowed for if you want the finish flush where the metal part meets the wood.

Guess I need to play around with some test pieces and see what is happining. Could be contaminated or expired Endro as I have had it for a year.
 
I think you are applying far too much Enduro whilst spraying.
When applying it with a paper towel you are only using 2-3 droplets of Enduro per blank and a lot of that is absorbed within the towel.
If you are spraying it on you are applying FAR too much.
 
According to the maker of this product it was intended to be sprayed on.
I dont have any problems spraying it thick onto my pool cues.
Cant understand why it did what it did on a pen.
I will wait another week and see if the finish has hardened.


Originally posted by ligget
<br />I think you are applying far too much Enduro whilst spraying.
When applying it with a paper towel you are only using 2-3 droplets of Enduro per blank and a lot of that is absorbed within the towel.
If you are spraying it on you are applying FAR too much.
 
Originally posted by Willee
<br />According to the maker of this product it was intended to be sprayed on.
I dont have any problems spraying it thick onto my pool cues.
Cant understand why it did what it did on a pen.
I will wait another week and see if the finish has hardened.


Originally posted by ligget
<br />I think you are applying far too much Enduro whilst spraying.
When applying it with a paper towel you are only using 2-3 droplets of Enduro per blank and a lot of that is absorbed within the towel.
If you are spraying it on you are applying FAR too much.

Hi Willie

I buy my Enduro from Bear Tooth Woods, they have instructions on their site on how to apply it, I have used it on a lot of pens via the paper towel method and get successful results every time.

I have never heard of spray application, certainly not for pens anyway, try the towel next time and see how you get on.

3 coats of Enduro sanding sealer waiting 5 mins in between coats.
Allow to cure overnight.
MM from 3200 through to 12000 very lightly.
3 coats of Enduro top coat waiting 5 minutes in between each coat.
Allow to cure overnight.
MM from 3200 through to 12000 very lightly.
If you can be patient enough allow to sit for another night.
Polish with 2 coats of Ren Wax and your done.

Cheers
Mark[:)]
 
If you call General Finishes the original design was for furniture. They spray it on. However if you get to far away from the surface it will dry before it hits the wood surface. I use the instructions from Bear Tooth as well, and I really like the finish. To me it is worth being patient.

Joe
 
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