finishing other than ca

[Charlie]

What other finishes do people that sell pens use. I haven`t sold any pens just made a few as gifts. I use Belhen friction finish, a friction finish that I mixed up and beeswax and mineral oil. I myself like the more natural finishes, but if they don`t sell I will use what sells.

Charlie

 

[plantman]

CA is going to be your best choise for protection and shine. Jim S

 

[walshjp17]

On wood, I sand to 600 with Abranet then Micro Mesh (MM) 1500 to 12000. If I don't use CA I tend to use a couple of coats (two to three) of friction polish like Mylands, then I buff them out on a Beall system -- Tripoli, White Diamond and Carnuba. I finish up with a coat or two of Renaissance (Ren) Wax.

On acrylics or other non-wood materials, after sanding with Abranet and MM I add a coat of PlastX auto polish.

 

[wiset1]

Saturate with CA to stabilize the wood, then hit with steel wool for that satin look. I've done this on my knife pens and they look awesome. In my opinion

 

[jttheclockman]

Lacquer and some people use plyurethane.

 

[Boz]

I am partial to polyurethane on wood. Whenever I pick up a bottle of CA I end up sticking my fingers together or getting it all over everything. A friend of mine who works in the medical field gave me a box of the green examination gloves. The CA glue got all over the gloves and there must have been some chemical reaction. In about 15 seconds I thought my hands were on fire.

 

[Whaler]

I like this product DW Walnut Oil and Wax Woodturning Finish it polishes to a nice luster and the wood retains it's natural look and feel.

 

[Phillikl]

This is my new favorite... 5-6 coats, some EEE and good to go! Water bases, completely cures after a week. Stuff was designed for gym floors and holds up quite nicely.

General Finishes Wood Turner's Finish | The Wood Whisperer

 

[leehljp]

but if they don`t sell I will use what sells.

Charlie

The vast majority of sellers here - who make pens tailored to what people buy based on their years of experience - make shiny finished pens. I can only remember two people who said that their primary sales were waxed/natural wood finished pens consistently.

Lacquer, Polys, CA and liquid acrylic are the major ones.

Lacquer and polys take 1/2 hour to hours to days to cure;
CAs and liquid acrylic - fast finish, but learning curve for consistent finish can be rather long.

 

[JLewis]

Personally I cannot stand CA finishes and have only made a few pens that way. I have been turning for 7 years now and started with EEE friction polish and now 90% of what I turn is finished with Tung Oil. I started turning pens because I deal with restoring cars on a daily basis and I hate the cold and harshness of metal. Wood has always been a warm thing to me. I enjoy it's feel. A CA finish hides that. It makes a plastic pen and if I wanted a plastic pen I would get a BIC. CA hides the chareteristics and flaws in wood, yes an oil pen has some wear over time but I like that. I think of my pens as art and price them as such. I have never had a problem selling to those that understand. I probably only sell 2-3 a month but my average sales price is north of $100.