Finishing Thuya Burl Wood. Many questions.

[GutPopper]

Good Afternoon from Florida everyone. This is my first of soon to be many posts on this forum.

I am going to make a PSI Spartan Click Pen finished with thuya burl wood sourced from Esty.

Any experience with oily wood in general will be much appreciated.

I have done much research on the topic, and I know it is an extremely oily wood to work on. That being said, a quick google search on what finish is best for thuya will yield wax as the first answer you see. Some say that since thuya is very oily, no BLO or similar related finishes are needed, and the wood only needs to be 'sealed". What are some of your methods for sealing thuya, or other oily woods? I have seen thuya axe handles, knives, and other "hand held" tools commonly finished with shellac, wax, or both. Yet, I have also read here time and time again that "friction polishes" are a no go for pens that will be regularly used. I find this odd, since knives and axes are arguably used just as often as pens depending on the person. Are the recommendations against friction polishes only so for dryer woods or are they applicable to any wood in general?

Other forums unrelated to pen turning will say that the liquid finishes are a no-go for thuya; that CA and Poly/Lacquer finishes do not set well and "make a mess". I have also seen here that people have finished thuya with CA no problem. Personally, I don't have a preference between the finishes, and I can appreciate both the satin finish of wax as well as the glossy look of CA.

I have ordered shellac, DNA, and caranuba wax for the satin finish, inspired by these videos.

I have also ordered some BSI Super-Gold as a CA finish.

Any other alternatives are welcomed.

I am aware that asking "what finish is the best" can yield many different answers. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Your collective experiences will help me greatly.

Now for my follow up question.

I have read here and elsewhere that people like to wipe down oily woods with either acetone or DNA to dry their surfaces before sealing. I have also seen people say that they simply dry the surface with a paper towel only before applying their finish. Which is preferable for thuya? I have seen arguments for and against either method, specifically more that are against using any type of DNA/Acetone.

How would you guys seal this oily wood before applying further coats of your preferred finish?

Thank you all. Your help is very, very much appreciated.

Have a great day!

- GutPopper.

 

[magpens]

First off ...... Warm welcome to IAP !!!! . Good to have you on board !!!!

I have successfully finished Thuya with thin CA ..... no special surface treatment necessary other than a wipe with paper towel to remove dust.
I do not use medium or thick CA ..... only thin. . It takes many coats .... 8 or more with occasional intermediate sanding to remove the peaks.
Spray accelerator (preferably aerosol) between coats ... wait 20-30 seconds ... wipe off thoroughly. . Beware the dreaded white patches !
Different strokes for different folks, but that, basically, is what works for me. . Hard to teach ... have to "learn" yourself.

Bear in mind that if you have not previously done CA finishes it can be quite tricky and unpredictable ..... also defies rationality much of the time.
Eventually you "get the knack" and you will wonder forever why it did not come sooner. . You will puzzle over how/why it finally came about.
( Others may differ with me, but that was my experience. . I routinely use CA now .... sometimes on Thuya .... with very little problem. )
So you might want to develop your technique ... and do some practice runs ... on scrap, before committing your beautiful Thuya to CA.

 

[DavidD]

I have never had any issues applying a CA to Thuya. I actually prefer CA on Thuya, compared to other oil finishes or dipped into poly. CA fully covers the smell of Thuya, which will persist for years with other finishing methods. Good luck!

 

[Fred Bruche]

Same experience as Mal and Dave for finishing thuya burl pens with CA. I think thuya is more a resinous wood, not oily.

 

[GutPopper]

First off ...... Warm welcome to IAP !!!! . Good to have you on board !!!!

I have successfully finished Thuya with thin CA ..... no special surface treatment necessary other than a wipe with paper towel to remove dust.
I do not use medium or thick CA ..... only thin. . It takes many coats .... 8 or more with occasional intermediate sanding to remove the peaks.
Spray accelerator (preferably aerosol) between coats ... wait 20-30 seconds ... wipe off thoroughly. . Beware the dreaded white patches !
Different strokes for different folks, but that, basically, is what works for me. . Hard to teach ... have to "learn" yourself.

Bear in mind that if you have not previously done CA finishes it can be quite tricky and unpredictable ..... also defies rationality much of the time.
Eventually you "get the knack" and you will wonder forever why it did not come sooner. . You will puzzle over how/why it finally came about.
( Others may differ with me, but that was my experience. . I routinely use CA now .... sometimes on Thuya .... with very little problem. )
So you might want to develop your technique ... and do some practice runs ... on scrap, before committing your beautiful Thuya to CA.

magpens! Thank you for the warm welcome.

I was just reading a post you made helping another novice with his first CA finished pen! Thank you for the sound advice, I will follow it to the letter. I had purchased many (and I mean many) wood blanks to practice on prior to my future working of the thuya blanks. Thanks for affirming my decision towards not using any surface treatment.

I had noticed on the above mentioned thread that you too use BSI CA. May I ask which one? I had bought the gold specifically because another member (who had wrote an extensive article analyzing and comparing different CAs) used it himself. Thanks again.

 

[GutPopper]

I have never had any issues applying a CA to Thuya. I actually prefer CA on Thuya, compared to other oil finishes or dipped into poly. CA fully covers the smell of Thuya, which will persist for years with other finishing methods. Good luck!

Haha I was actually looking forward to smelling the thuya once I got to working on it. One of the appeals of wax was that many people recount the scent remaining long after finishing! However, I am glad to hear CA works fine. I will go that route.

Cheers!

 

[GutPopper]

Same experience as Mal and Dave for finishing thuya burl pens with CA. I think thuya is more a resinous wood, not oily.

Resinous, yes. Does resinous wood pose any downsides other than gumming up tools? CA is looking more appealing by the minute.

 

[magpens]

@GutPopper

The CA glue I use is a BSI product as you noted (I guess I must have confessed !!). . It is actually "Super Thin" and has a blue colored label on bottle.
However, some vendors request special labeling in order to make their products "unique" to a certain extent .... might be the case here.
I buy off the shelf from a local tool store that I visit often. . They have a website ... in case you may want to try to view their product ... kmstools.com ...
but this product may not even be listed there. . I don't recall seeing a gold-labeled bottle on the shelf at KMS .... not to say it is not there.

I have tried other brands, but this is my go-to now. . Not sure if there is a credible reason !

Following my advice "to the letter" does not guarantee success. . I'll send you a wish for "Good Luck" with an Irish component ... for good measure.

Stay in touch ... post often ... show us your work ( perfect ... good ... or even bad ) ... ask all the questions you can think of ... the rest of us often learn from others questions ... the ones we never thought to ask ourselves ... and some that we have no clue how to answer !

This is the greatest "Social Media" site in the world ! . Just don't expect much activity after 6 pm EST.
A side benefit is the possibility of learning a smidgen about making pens ...
... after all, who in his right mind would even want to make a pen when you can buy them for $0.05 each if you're dumb enough to pay ?!!

 

[GutPopper]

@GutPopper

The CA glue I use is a BSI product as you noted (I guess I must have confessed !!). . It is actually "Super Thin" and has a blue colored label on bottle.
However, some vendors request special labeling in order to make their products "unique" to a certain extent .... might be the case here.
I buy off the shelf from a local tool store that I visit often. . They have a website ... in case you may want to try to view their product ... kmstools.com ...
but this product may not even be listed there. . I don't recall seeing a gold-labeled bottle on the shelf at KMS .... not to say it is not there.

I have tried other brands, but this is my go-to now. . Not sure if there is a credible reason !

Following my advice "to the letter" does not guarantee success. . I'll send you a wish for "Good Luck" with an Irish component ... for good measure.

Stay in touch ... post often ... show us your work ( perfect ... good ... or even bad ) ... ask all the questions you can think of ... the rest of us often learn from others questions ... the ones we never thought to ask ourselves ... and some that we have no clue how to answer !

This is the greatest "Social Media" site in the world ! . Just don't expect much activity after 6 pm EST.
A side benefit is the possibility of learning a smidgen about making pens ...
... after all, who in his right mind would even want to make a pen when you can buy them for $0.05 each if you're dumb enough to pay ?!!

Haha yes you're absolutely right. I'll keep you posted on my projects, and yes, I plan to ask many more questions! Thank you for your help!