Friction polish -- turning speed?

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rick_lindsey

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Feb 2, 2005
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Tucson, AZ
What speed do you guys use when applying friction polish (yes, yes, I know, I should learn CA, and I played around with it some but I need more practice and I wanted to finish this pen so it could go in the mail today)? I was doing it at the middle speed (1800rpm i think) and it took awhile to get hot, so I was thinking maybe faster would be better. I cranked it up to the max speed (3500ish i think?) and applied another coat, this time it got hot hot hot... smoking hot, in fact. Hot enough to discolor the blank :(. I thought ok, all is not lost, I'll just do the same thing all the way to the end of the barrel and it will fade from dark to light, and it will look like I did it on purpose! But alas, I think the wood started to actually burn, not just discolor -- i've got a rough round divot in the barrel now :(.

So much for sending a pen out today! (I turn during my lunch break at work -- no more turning for me today). Ah well, live and learn, right? 2 cocobola blanks down, 2 to go ;). good think I picked up some Morado and a buddy gave me some african mahogany -- need to get more tubes though!

-Rick
 
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Ah, I had paused to let it build up heat -- perhaps therein lay my downfall! I'm thinking I need to get a real rag too as opposed to paper towels to insulate my fingers more better!

-Rick
 
Cotton, t-shirt type material is best. Soft and clean. Use small amounts of the friction polish and keep it moving.
 
I'll get another chance tomorrow :). In the meanwhile, what's the best way to clean my micromesh pads? 2 (screwed up)pens and some CA finish practice later and the coarser grits are pretty well covered with sanding dust... Can I just wash them off with water?

-Rick
 
Fast as you can on the friction polish and keep it moving. I also use old t-shirts. Just throw the MM pads in the washer. Some use a lingerie bag, I use an old t-shirt tied shut.
 
That 'rough round divot' is probably where the polish was built up & the excessive heat made it start to peel away. Had that happen once. Yes, friction polish needs heat but not extreme heat. A soft rag/cloth is ok as long as you buff it some before squeezing it to build the heat. That rag WILL get caught & wrap itself around the blank. And you think you've got a mess now......... Be careful.
 
as for rags......i bought a box of 't-shirt' rags at Lowe's....for $10 and they last forever! and soft as hell...........heck - they are softer than anything 'old' i have laying around
 
I rub it onto the blank with paper towel and with lathe off. Then I turn it on to about 2600 (max speed on middle belt on my VS as I rarely chnage the belt) and use a paper towel that has been folded several times so it is about 8 layers thick and pinch the blank between 2 fingers with the paper towel. Keep it moving back and forth the length of the blank.

I repeat the process 4 more times so I build 5 coats of FP. Multiple coats is better than fewer heavy coats IMO. By using paper towel, if it sticks to the FP it will just tear away rather than wrapping around the blank and pulling your hand into it.
 
That's for sure. It is bound to happen with a cloth sooner or later. Don't ask how I know. Taught my brother & one friend how to make pens & warned them about it. Ha, they found out this ol f#@t knew what he was talking about. Never have had this problem with paper. But you can ruin a finish with too much heat even with paper towel. Again, don't ask.
 
MobilMan said:
But you can ruin a finish with too much heat even with paper towel. Again, don't ask.
Click to expand...

I've got proof of that sitting at my desk... next to a spindle piece that snapped into two sharp pieces and went flying across the shop (it's my reminder to wear a face shield).

-Rick
 
Hasn't been mentioned yet, but rushing a friction polish finish in order to get it in the mail is not the best move--the finish should have at least a few hours to cure before ANY handling--even for assembly. Then, you should give it at least 4 or 5 days before putting it into service, or mailing it. A Friction Polish finish does not lend itself well to the "instant gratification" mindset.
 
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