lacquer and varnish finishes

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babyblues

babyblues

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Mar 8, 2007
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Portland, ME, USA.
Hi all,

I'm new to pen turning...well, turning in general, for that matter. :D Needless to say, I'm an addict. [V] I've been soaking up as much as I can from this site and am amazed how many great ideas and advice is on here.

I've been able to make CA work well, but it feels greasy and too much like plastic to me. I just tried dipping in lacquer and WOW! I like it!!! I use allthread screwed into a small piece of wood with an eye hook screwed into the other end and hang them on cup hooks from the ceiling of my basement.

My question is: For those of you who finish with lacquer, how do you keep the dust off your pieces? Yesterday I used a cardboard box on its side and screwed cup hooks through the top side into the beams in my basement so that the open top of the box was facing me. Then I hung the pieces in there after I dipped them and taped the box closed. A few hours later I opened it up and there was absolutely no dust on them. Taping and untaping a cardboard box shut every time can't be the most effective method. I've been thinking of making a box out of plexiglass or something and making a lid with a gasket of some sort so that the lid can just be clamped shut. Anyone have any ideas? Or am I the only one who is retentive enough to want to do something like that? [:p]
 
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Whats wrong with you....don't you keep your shop dust free?[}:)][:D] Mine is only 2" deep with dust in the low areas.

I don't seem to have that problem. Do you have a large draft in the room? If the air is still, you shouldn't have too much problem...especially as fast as lacquer dries.
 
Ha Ha...I actually haven't even hooked up my dust collector yet. [:I] Most of the time I don't have much time during the week so I kind of have to work on other pens while I'm waiting for the lacquer to dry. That way I can obsess over making a pen without having to touch the ones hanging up. [:D]

I ask also because I'm experimenting with varnish. I have some Behlen's Rockhard Tabletop Varnish and wanted to give that a try. It's a 'short oil' varnish and is very hard and resists abrasion extremely well. It also smooths out extremely well. I applied a coat to a test piece and touched it too soon and left a fingerprint. The next day, the fingerprint was gone. But, it dries vvvveeeerrrryyyyy sssslllloooowwwww. This time of year, my basement gets chilly so it takes even longer. 3 days between coats. I don't really have a problem waiting for it to dry. Better to wait longer than have to do it over again. But dust is a problem. Dust doesn't really add anything to the final finish. [V]
 
Two thoughts:

1. I spray my lacquer. I use vey light coats which dry fast enough to not catch any dust.

2. While I don't have the room for this, I think many people have a finishing area that is in a different location than their shop.

jeff
 
Jason,
I spray my lacquer just like Jeff said. I think that the WOW factor will greatly increase. The spraying will also save you money, cans are only 5-6 dollars, spray dries quick, and it does not get dripping marks.
Here is my procedures that I learned from the guys at Woodcraft, if you have one near you, GO THERE AND ASK THEM! Though sometimes they are not as knowledgeable as the guys on here, but your talking to a live person. Well here goes my procedures, and it works for me, it might not for others:
1. Turn and sand to 400 grit to bushings
2. Spray (or wipe) some sort of sanding sealer (Mylands or deft)
3. Wet sand with Micro-Mesh from 1500 to 10000-12000 (the employee @ woodcraft said to go to only 3200 but I find that this looks better and finishes much better.
4. Take the tubes off the mandrel, and put on a jig which is basically some nails sticking out of a board to hold the tubes.
5. Spray one light coat all the way around the tube equally
6. Wait 30 minutes still sitting on jig in your garage, or anywhere where the tubes will stay away from the dust in your shop!, that simple.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 four to five times
8. Sand from 4000 to 1200 MM
9. Let dry overnight and assemble!
You will find that this works better than dipping. Although I personally have liked the CA, that is what I use, I quite using this finish last month once I learned CA/BLO. You might want to ask Jeff what his method is.
Keep turning,
Dillon[8D]
 
I started to experiment with Deft brushing lacquer. I tried one pen with it and it turn out good. Sorry no picture, don't have the pen any more. I used paper towel to apply it. Put on 5 light coats letting each coat dry to the touch. After I wet sanded it down. Produced a nice luster.
 
The dust is in the finish becasue you are stirring it up while the first pen is drying. 2 options and one is to spray as others mention which dries to the touch much quicker and the other is to hang them somewhere besides your shop if you want to continue working while the previous one dries.
 
Lacquer does dry fast but it cures slowly. It take up to two weeks for lacquer to totally cure to it ultimate hardness. After applying the lacquer, leave the pen unassembled for at least 10 days or longer. Then, buff on a buffing wheel... The result will be your nicest lacquer finish yet, but waiting for the lacquer to cure...well, it isn't fun. [:D][;)] A lacquer finish done correctly isn't a fast one. But it is worth the wait.
Don
 
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