Long lasting shiny finish????????

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Chuck B

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Feb 18, 2006
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Hey Guy's,
I'm making a couple of slimline pens & letter opener for my Brother in law, He is a pharmacist so he uses pens a lot what type of finish should I put on them to get a long lasting shiny finish???
Thanks

Chuck
 
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wudwrkr

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Newark, CA, USA.
CA, Lacquer or Enduro
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Dario - How do you expect to start a long discussion by covering all the options in one post? [;)]

Chuck - What he said!! [:)][:)] Any of the above will produce a good long lasting finish. It all is a matter on what your preference is and what you are comfortable using.
 
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OSCAR15

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Most of my pens have just a shellac based friction polish. I know a lot of penmakers swear by CA but I'd rather re-finish than to have it feel like plastic. When the finish dulls on fine antiques, it is desirable, and called a "patina". Many penmakers however, want to turn fine wood into something that feels like plastic. I do not understand this. If I wanted it to feel like plastic, I would turn acrylics rather than wood...OSCAR
P.S. A little bit of oil finish can re-touch a friction polish. Beeswax and a buffing wheel works great too. CA is durable, shiny, and beautiful, but the bottom line is that you lose the tactile feel of the wood itself....Oscar

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alamocdc

alamocdc

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You're right, Oscar, but lacquer yields the same result and sometimes feels somwwhat like plastic. It's all a matter of personal preference. I've only got 1 friction polished pen in the field that has held up (it's used every day) and I have no idea what I did differently. So I switched to something more durable. Once in awhile, I'll still use Mylands, but only rarely.
 
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OSCAR15

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alamocdc: The one you made that held up...What kind of wood did you use on it? If you choose an oily wood such as Cocobolo, and sanded it very smooth, friction polish is all you need. When the friction polish gets dull on my pens, I use a rag and some lemon or orange oil to bring up the finish. I know it isn't the most practical nor durable, but it still feels like wood! I use Shellawax for most of my pens. If you use CA or laquer, it has that plastic feel. I do not like this ( personal taste-after all it is WOOD and should feel like wood). If you go with CA, by all means use Fangar's technique. It is truly the GOLD standard of this finish type.
From what I have seen on this forum though, NO ONE does it better than him! While some may come close, others look like they slopped glue on it. OSCAR
 
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