I'll go in details in case this is helpful for others!
I do pens because I like to the beauty of the wood, the blanks I use cost a lot and my goal is to show the best side of those blanks. I do not care that much about the writing instrument.
Regarding the finish here is few details I think really make a difference when making/finishing a pen.
- JohnnyCNC's bushings when finishing
- A razor sharp skew to make my final cut before sanding
- 4 wings carbide barrel trimmer
- Satellite City's aerosol accelerator (makes a nice even mist)
- Pen mandrel saver
- Using good condition MM sand paper (ALWAYS!)
- Good lighting
- Working in a clean area
- Turning when you feel good and you can afford the time doing so
Now regarding my procedure when finishing:
- I use 2 sets of bushings, old ones on the lathe and new to check the size of my barrels. When turned to size or just a hair over the new bushings I proceed with sanding.
- I dry sand with P220, P400, P600, when I am done I make sure I have no sanding dust left so I blow the barrels with my compressor and rub the blanks with a towel in all directions (vertical and horizontal). After, I do not touch the blanks with my hands when it is sanded because usually it leaves fingerprints.
- I use strips of 1/2" of Shop Towels as applicators. I set my lathe at 1000 RPM or less and I apply while turning and I use accelerator between each coat. I usually use thin CA glue for the first 3 coats and the rest is all done with medium. I usually wet sand with the green MM (1800) when I feel it is needed. Generally speaking the need come at around 7 to 10 coats, I sand to level the finish. I also like to sand the end of the barrels at this point so there's not too much glue build up. I take 320 and 600 sand papers and I rub the barrels in a circular motion on the sand paper that sits on the flat surface.
- I continue with 10 to 15 more coats and I usually sand between every 3 coats. Make sure you dry the barrels before applying more CA. I think the choice of accelerator makes a whole lot of difference with really dark wood like cocobolo or african blackwood, those woods are not forgiving. A fine mist of a accelerator will not cloud the finish as compared to the glass cleaner type of spray that has an uneven spray of droplets. I discovered this a little while ago and since I use Satellite City's accelerator making a nice finish has been easy.
- When I feel I am done, meaning my finish being even and the grain filled, usually at around 20 to 30 coats I go from 1800 to 12000 with the MM. I take my time, I usually dry the barrels after each grit with a shop towels to see where I need to work.
- When done with sanding I use Shop Towels as applicator for plastic polish and I apply it by rubbing from left to right but turning the lathe by hand and I go for 100 or so passes on each barrel. I set my lathe at 4000 RPM and I use toilet paper to polish the finish. I do this 3 or 4 times. Lastly I apply 2-3 coats of renaissance wax and polish it.
- When assembling the pen I make sure I work with enough space and that I am comfortable. I secure the barrels while I am not working with them. You don't want to drop them on the floor. Also wearing gloves to avoid finger print is a good idea.
Hope it helps! Go turn now!
Charles