Finish for a very soft wood?

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atticus

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Kirkland, WA
I have some very lightweight wood I scavenged on a vacation years back. I'm finally making some pens out of it as a memento, but I'm very new to turning.

I cut up a few blanks and turned one of them as a proof of concept, since I wasn't sure if this soft dry wood wouldn't just fall apart. With light cuts and lots (lots!) of sanding I managed to get a smooth surface and it feels okay. The wood almost feels like a balsa wood, or at least that level of density. I didn't fully turn it down since it was splintering a bit at the ends already, and this was just a test run.

I don't think this will hold up to much handling before it starts to splinter a bit and dent, and I'm thinking about simple ways to add some resilience. Would simply adding a few layers of thin CA be a good idea before final sanding? I could do a full CA finish too, but wonder if it will just crack due to the softer wood.

Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated!
 

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If you cannot stabilize it yourself or have somebody else do it, then I would suggest turning (or sanding it down) a little smaller than the finish size and build up a good layer of CA glue as a finish.
 
I would give it as much CA as it will take . It will harden the surface for sure and hopefully somewhat deeper , at least in the softest areas . I think you will get a lot of fumes , so take care . For that situation , my preferred applicator would be a strip of craft foam , about an inch wide , with about an 1/8 inch bead of CA across the width , applied to the under side of the blank , rotating at about 500 rpm . Others have different techniques , which work for them , but wouldn`t for me . That wood is a good candidate for stabilization .
 
The Gluboost ultra thin (green label) will soak into this wood to help stabilize it. Then you could do a regular CA finish on top with Gluboost medium and thin.
 
Great thanks everyone for the tips! I'll check out the ultra thin. I didn't know about resin stabilization before, but maybe I'll look into that too, although it sounds like it can be hit or miss depending on wood type and I have no idea what this species is.
 
It looks like the green label has a lacquer in it, and red label doesn't.. is the green lacquer ("fill and finish") the recommended one to try?
 
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