Experimenting on a Cigar

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sekach

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Here is a Cigar pen made from African Ebony wood with a gun metal finish. I placed a Harley Davidson decal on it and used a spray lacquer finish....did this to see how the lacquer would hold up under normal wear and tear.

I have tried using the CA/BLO method to cover decals on wood but have had way more failures than success (only had one success...that being my first try), nothing since (about a dozen tries).

Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried the spray on lacquer and any issues that have come out of using it.

I used Masters Magic Spray Lacquer.

Thanks

Bob
 
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That is a great looking pen Bob, sorry to hear of the failures but I am unable to help as I have not tried decals yet myself, I am sure someone will chip in and help you.
 
Good looking pen and great job. The desire to create drives ingenuity and you found what works and doesn't work. Lets see some more pens!
 
I haven't sprayed lacquer over decals, but it is something that's been on
the 'back burner' for a while. Another idea is to apply the decal and then
cast it in resin. I haven't tried that either, but it is next on my list. The
decal is made and I'll be trying that on a ceramic blank and then putting
that in a mold with clear resin.

This one looks great .. but ebony is a little too dear to go 1 for 12!
Nice job.
 
I put the decal on then cover in Med or thick CA (no blo) and just a single pass. It has worked almost every time for me.
 
Don't you hate it when something works the first time, get's ya thinking "Ain't nothing to this, don't know what all the fuss is about", and then goes bad every time after that? Enough to drive me crazy (and for me crazy is just around the corner anyhow)

In any case, great looking pen. I think the next thing I'm going to experiment with will be decals.

Steve
 
The problem I am having using the CA/BLO is that after I start applying the CA, the decal starts to come up on the edges. At first I thought it was because I didn't wait for the decal to fully dry but I tried waiting 24hrs and then even 48hrs and still it came up. I would prefer to use CA I think just because I have worked with it more but wanted to try the lacquer to see what it would do. Not sure I have happy with it yet. I didn't realize there was a long cure time for lacquer (a week?) so that was something new. Anything else I should know?

I have also tried decals under acrylic with varying levels of success. Most of the problems have dealt with the type of paint and the reaction to the acrylic when it's curing (heat generated and it causing the paint to peel up). I even started using high-heat engine paint but still not totally happy. I do have a couple of pens where they have turned out decent but not something you can sell. I am trying another method where I paint the tube, place the decal on there and then will cover it with acrylic. Now that I know I have to wait a week to let the acrylic to cure I guess I won't be pouring the acrylic tonight (haha).
 
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many lacquers dry to the touch in just an hour or so, but the full cure takes a lot longer.

I did half a dozen lacquer pens last night. The one I did first I polished at the end of the session and looks great, but now it will sit for a least a week before I can put it in a case. The bands in the case would mar the finish if I put it in now.
 
Ive used lacquer more than anything else in my pens. Ive brushed dipping lacquer the most, but occasionally use spray on antler and worthless wood casts. It was hard to wait the week at first but now I plan ahead and put them on a rack and move to the next one. Between work and my family life, a week flys by and usually leaves me wanting more shop time anyhow.
 
Nice job, I've done 3 pens with Deft Clear Gloss Lacquer, and other than the wait I love the gloss, the durability is still in question since none have been used or sold.
 
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