Finishing Ebonite

[pipecrafter]

I answered a post earlier today about finishing ebonite, and as luck would have it, I was scheduled to make a Sierra out of a chunk of ebonite today. I decided to document the process in pictures and descriptions:

http://www.pipecrafter.com/articles/finishing_ebonite.php

Let me know if you find it helpful.

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Kurt, thanks I'll give your method a try.

 

[ldb2000]

Thanks Kurt . I have a piece of blue ebonite that I'm going to make a kitless from and this will help allot when it comes time to finish it .

 

[hewunch]

Kurt great info! Thanks, I have been nervous about trying ebonite. This looks easy enough.

 

[gad5264]

Great tutorial Kurt.

 

[rjwolfe3]

Thank for the tutorial!

 

[Jim15]

Thanks Kurt.

 

[devowoodworking]

Very nice in-depth tutorial on buffing in general, thanks Kurt!

Do you mind if I put a link on the 'Eagle Forum' for my puzzle buddies?

 

[pipecrafter]

You're all very welcome, guys. I'm happy to help out.

Do you mind if I put a link on the 'Eagle Forum' for my puzzle buddies?

By all means, absolutely! Share the knowledge!

 

[ed4copies]

Kurt,

That WAS very well done!!!

Thanks for the accurate info.

 

[devowoodworking]

By all means, absolutely! Share the knowledge!

Thanks Kurt!

 

[wdcav1952]

Kurt, thanks that was a very good tutorial.

How well do you find the carnuba finish holds up to use? I have been using lacquer on my ebonite pens, and your method certainly seems to be much faster.

 

[pipecrafter]

It's probably not going to keep a shine as long as lacquer. The tradeoff, though, is that it's extremely fast and easy to buff up the pen again if it needs it in a few years.

The Carnuba is really just a final measure, to take the finish from "Ooh shiny!" to "Gah, my eyes!". The carnuba will wear off over time, but if you've polished well, the pen should keep a good shine for a very long time. I have an ebonite Jr Gent that's been my daily use fountain pen for almost 4 years, and while it doesn't have a water-slick shine anymore, it has developed a wonderful satin patina from use.

 

[wdcav1952]

Thanks, Kurt, I'll have to give that a try.