Experiment

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Cwalker935

Cwalker935

Member
Joined
May 18, 2014
Messages
3,523
Location
Richmond, Va
I turned 4 american chestnut blanks and tried 4 approaches to finishing. Different approaches to applying Pensplus was used on 2 of the blanks, one approach used CA and one approach used BLO and CA. Can you tell the difference or have a preference?

image.jpg
 
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Hard to say, although you do have good photos.
I would say that 2 & 4 are with CA with 2 having BLO.
The rougher texture on 1 & 3 are probably Pens Plus, but not many coats.
If the would was sanded equally (maybe it is, but can't tell) then it might be a better evaluation. #4 looks like it has a smoother surface - maybe it is just the CA.
I'm probably way off.
gordon
 
#4 looks best to me .... surface features of the wood are better filled and/or covered .... but that could be because it started off with less surface features :eek:
 
Despite the photo, 1 actually has a smooth finish possibly the smoothest. I expected more shine from the CA as well. This was weathered barn wood and a little soft. Perhaps I needed more coats of CA. On the CA, 2 coats, reversed 2 coats, forward 2 more coats. I sanded thru 2400, applied huts, and then buffed. I have not gotten comfortable with CA. My personal preference is a less plastic look but feel like I need a higher gloss finish for certain pens. No buffing on the pensplus.
 
i'm still very new but my best finish is with meguiers <----hope thats spelled right, Auto body polish. seems to polish up better then anything else i have tried including novus plastic polish. well on CA that is.
 
What do you mean when you say "reversed 2 coats" ? I am not familiar with that terminology.

If you don't like gloss, you can use very fine steel wool ( 000 grade ) to get a matte finish on the CA after you have sanded it ( I sand to 2000 grit wet and dry ).
 
By reversing, I mean that I changed the direction of the rotation when applying the CA. I put the CA blank back on the lathe applied 8 more coats of CA, went thru all grades of MM, applied huts and buffed. More shine but not as much as I expected. Reversed the order in this photo.

image.jpg
 
#2 looks best to me in the first pic. It seems to shine better but that could be the grain difference rather than the finish.

# 2 and 3 look best in the second picture.
 
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