How long for a CA finish? Any other good options ?

[allenworsham]

Ok, I am sure that there is a broad spectrum here as everyone is different and does their CA differently.

I started playing with doing a CA finsh this week with 2 different sets of blanks. I used some extra 7mm pen tubes and wood that I have pleanty of, so if it worked I could use them for a slimline and if not, I could just toss them. Well, the first one was a disaster, but I learned a lot about working with CA and my fingers were not stuck together and the pen & bushings came off the mandrel ok. The second one I got it about 80% right, but I had gotten a flaw by the end that was in the first coat, so had to sand back down to the wood and start over. I spent about 2 hours on each one, including the waiting for dry time. On the one that was 80% right, it looked good, but I have to say that it also looked like plastic wood without the warmth of wood, if you get my meaning here. I understand the durability factor of CA over something like Shellawax, which looks good but wears after time,but I would like to find something that protects and wears well but doesn't look like plastic and won't take me a week to do. I will still keep trying on the CA as I know it's a process and learning curve.

Any thoughts or options?

Thanks.

 

[Marc Phillips]

I think a turner needs to decide what they want the finished pen to look like before you start turning... i.e. If you don't like a glossy plastic look, then don't coat the pen with a shiny plastic!

There's a couple of ways to go here... oil and/or buffing and/or a wax finish will give the warm wood look... it will also wear out very quickly, absorb oil and dirt from the hands of the user, and require maintenance once in a while to maintain it's look.

CA is a rock hard material, wont absorb anything, and lasts a long time without any maintenance. You can get a semi-gloss look with some steel wool, but I personally think it looks terrible...

Gotta choose

 

[Monty]

Marc, you forgot one, a lacquer finish. But that may take several days for it to cure before buffing out to a shine. I personally use a CA finish, so maybe someone that does lacquer will chime in shortly.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

What you like or dislike is generally the complete opposite of what the general public does. Here is an interesting idea. Turn three slim lines with the same wood and plating. On two use oil and buffed wax. On one use CA. Use one of the oil and wax pens everyday for two months. I mean use it, not just set it on a desk and sign a couple of checks. Use it like you would a $.49 Bic. Now the next time the plastic looking finish bothers you, take a look at the oil and wax pens. Better yet if you do shows and some customer says that they want that warm wood look, pull out some oil and wax pens, but be sure to show them what they will soon look like. You can also do a display showing all three of the slimlines. It is a great sales point when your finish is so durable.

Mike

 

[allenworsham]

Originally posted by MLKWoodWorking

What you like or dislike is generally the complete opposite of what the general public does. Here is an interesting idea. Turn three slim lines with the same wood and plating. On two use oil and buffed wax. On one use CA. Use one of the oil and wax pens everyday for two months. I mean use it, not just set it on a desk and sign a couple of checks. Use it like you would a $.49 Bic. Now the next time the plastic looking finish bothers you, take a look at the oil and wax pens. Better yet if you do shows and some customer says that they want that warm wood look, pull out some oil and wax pens, but be sure to show them what they will soon look like. You can also do a display showing all three of the slimlines. It is a great sales point when your finish is so durable.

Mike

Yup. Your on the money with those comments. I look at things from the creator point of view as opposed to the consumer point of view. Since I am looking at doing pen turning with a view to sell some them, I have to look at things a bit differently. Apart from the pens, everything else that I do and have done over the years, both for personal use as well as for others as gifts and clients, is more furniture type applications for indoor and outdoor use which deals with a different type of finishing. Such as these bookcases that I have been working on in my home for the past two years (all done except for building the doors for the base cabinets), this mirror and Adirondack furniture which I have sold a number of pieces of.

At this stage of my development and experimentation with pen turning I am not satisfied with the longevity of the current finish I have been using for wood(sand, micromesh, EEE, Shellawax) which looks great but doesn't last. Especially to a paying customer. For me, I understand the durability and marketing aspect in CA, but I am frustrated with not only the time factor of doing the CA finish at this stage of the learning curve, but also the uncertainty in the finish process even from those who have been doing for a long time. I am sure that as time goes on and you get more accustomed to the CA process and you will have less errors, so I will keep pulgging away at it. Thanks for your input Mike. It is appreciated.

 

[leehljp]

A couple of notes on this. I have been doing flat work for a long time and have done it fairly well. Pens are not in the same category and neither is the finish. I learned the hard way - experience, hard knocks and errors. My first couple of pens were wax and as MLKW said it doesn't last. It took me about 1 1/2 years of 4 to 10 pens per month on average to learn how to do a CA pen consistently. With that experience, I now know what to do when there is a problem cropping up with a dull spot, white spot, chip or scratch - which is rare now.

On to the finish and not liking the plastic look. Besides being a personal preference, I believe it is more of perception too. Russ Fairfield said it best in this post: (His post is the 7th post down.)
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=28300

Also note the difference in the shine versus no shine of the pens. It was strictly an experiment. I still have the flat pen and on occasion I wax it. It looks and has the feel and appearance of fine wax finished wood. To me, it feels like some (real) tung oil finished wood - hard, cured, pores filled, then finely steel wooled, hand rubbed and waxed.

At the bottom of the above topic, Frank, (Rifleman) gives a good tip for an easier flat/mat look on finishes that are "too" shiny.

 

[allenworsham]

Originally posted by leehljp

A couple of notes on this. I have been doing flat work for a long time and have done it fairly well. Pens are not in the same category and neither is the finish. I learned the hard way - experience, hard knocks and errors. My first couple of pens were wax and as MLKW said it doesn't last. It took me about 1 1/2 years of 4 to 10 pens per month on average to learn how to do a CA pen consistently. With that experience, I now know what to do when there is a problem cropping up with a dull spot, white spot, chip or scratch - which is rare now.

On to the finish and not liking the plastic look. Besides being a personal preference, I believe it is more of perception too. Russ Fairfield said it best in this post: (His post is the 7th post down.)
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=28300

Also note the difference in the shine versus no shine of the pens. It was strictly an experiment. I still have the flat pen and on occasion I wax it. It looks and has the feel and appearance of fine wax finished wood. To me, it feels like some (real) tung oil finished wood - hard, cured, pores filled, then finely steel wooled, hand rubbed and waxed.

At the bottom of the above topic, Frank, (Rifleman) gives a good tip for an easier flat/mat look on finishes that are "too" shiny.

Yes, we do deal with all of our senses. When you pull one out of the mix, our perceptions do change. Point taken. I liked the comparison of those two pens in that link you posted. The mat finish on that does change the entire look of it and makes it more appealing...to me at least... who prefers a Danish Oil finish over stain and poly. But not everyone shares my preferences. In fact the only person that I fully agree with is that guy in the mirror. But I don't always trust him as he looks shifty to me.[]

Thanks for the input. I will keep plugging away at the CA.