Katalox with Sapwood in Gunmetal Cigar

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egnald

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I made a Gunmetal Cigar pen today using some Mexican Royal Ebony (Katalox) that I cut up for blanks. About half of the wood was a mix of sapwood and heartwood. There is a really nice grain pattern around a knot that shows up in the middle picture as kind of a light spot. I tried to zoom in on it, but unfortunately, the camera I'm using just doesn't have the pixel resolution to do the grain pattern justice nor the depth of field needed for focusing closer to the subject. For some reason this pen doesn't look nearly as glossy in the pictures as it really is either. I'm happy with the pen, but not so happy with my photography job on this one.

Regards,
Dave

(Three Views of the Same Pen)
IMG_1257 Cropped.jpg

IMG_1258 Cropped.jpg
IMG_1260 Cropped.jpg
 
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mark james

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Sep 6, 2012
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On my screen the photos are excellent. The pens... Superb! I love the colors and your fit and finish are excellent.

Ver nice and thanks for sharing - these are really colorful. đź‘Ť
 

magpens

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Gorgeous workmanship, David !!! Thanks for showing !

And the colors, all in that one pen, are remarkable !!!

What finish did you use, please ?
 

egnald

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What finish did you use, please ?

I'm a retired engineer and teacher so please forgive my verbose answer.

I know that opinions vary widely, but so far, I have had the best luck using Stick Fast brand "CA Wood Finish Thin" and "CA Wood Finish Medium" along with their Activator. I generally use 4-6 coats of thin with 90 seconds between coats and as many as 12 coats of medium with a quick spritz of Activator between them. (I don't know if it is the same stuff as what is labeled just Stick Fast "CA Glue" or if there is something different in the formula for the stuff that is labeled "CA Wood Finish".

I am using Viva Vantage paper towels as applicator pads and I apply very thin but even coats. I'm sure that I have much more CA going into the trash on the pads than gets onto the pen, but the thin coats work well for me as I never have any buildup that requires sanding for smoothing it out. I can go right from finish to Micro Mesh wet sanding. I tried the closed cell foam initially, but never could get the knack and always wound up with a rough finish that needed relatively heavy sanding - and I had sand-through problems on occasion. (I'm going to try the Viva Multi-Surface Cloth and Viva Signature Cloth when my supply of Viva Vantage is exhausted as the Vantage was discontinued).

I also use the blue rouge on a tied cotton wheel for buffing followed by a loose flannel wheel for final polish. I used to use satin and gloss liquid polishes, but I occasionally had problems with white dots of polish getting into pinholes in the finish, but everything has been great since I went to dry buffing instead.

I have been tempted though to try the Glueboost system out as the reviews have been very good; however, I am comfortable with my current materials and regimen, so why change until I have to.

Regards,
Dave
 

magpens

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@egnald

Thanks, David. . The appearance of your finish is outstanding !!! . I was pretty sure it is CA, so thanks for confirming.

I agree ... if the materials and regimen are working for you, than stick with them.

I also use thin CA on wood. . And like you I am thinking about trying GluBoost ... someday !
 

Alan Morrison

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Jan 15, 2019
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N Ireland
Nice pen, Dave.
I like the timber, the kit, the gunmetal, the finish. Super job and I see nothing wrong at all with the photography.
It is nice to see a timber pen as opposed to all the acrylic ones. ( just me )
Alan
 

mick

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Mar 13, 2005
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Decatur AL, USA
Good looking pen, the wood and fittings really compliment each other! I bought some Katalox recently but only a couple of pieces have any sapwood.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

sorcerertd

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Sep 30, 2019
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North Carolina, USA
Can't recall seeing Katalox that light in color. I often have trouble showing off the grain in pictures since it's usually so dark. The sapwood really adds some nice visual interest to this. I guess it must be a more gradual change between the heartwood and sapwood with Katalox.
 
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