Looking for Alternatives!

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PDiesel75

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
4
Location
Walterboro, SC
Good evening,

I am new to the hobby and have been finishing my pens with CA glue. What are some other alternatives that would give similar results or something any of you experienced guys use other than CA glue.

Rich
 
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CA is going to give you the most long lasting finish. Only drawback is it will also give you a glassy feel and look. This is not always desireable on some materials such as bone or Ivory.
All of the above are good choises, and it all depends on what you are comfortable with using. Sometimes I will use a three step buffing and wax finish. Brown buffing compound, white buffing compound, followed by either Canuba wax or a quality auto polish. This will give you a more natural feel to your wood and also waterproof the blank. Jim S
 
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I sometimes use a three-part finish that I developed while playing around. I apply a coat of boiled linseed oil (motor oil works fine too), and buff off the excess with a paper towel. Next, I apply a coat of shellac with the lathe running at medium speed. The friction causes the shellac to dry nearly instantly. Finally, I rub a bar of carnauba wax on the blank, and then buff that in with a paper towel with the lathe running at medium speed.

The finish ends up somewhere on the glossy side of medium gloss. The durability is good, and the finish does not build significantly like CA can. Nothing can beat CA's gloss and durability, but for 60 seconds of work and a fairly foolproof application process, it's a nice alternative. I use it frequently on slimlines and other low-cost kits.
 
I sometimes use a three-part finish that I developed while playing around. I apply a coat of boiled linseed oil (motor oil works fine too), and buff off the excess with a paper towel. Next, I apply a coat of shellac with the lathe running at medium speed. The friction causes the shellac to dry nearly instantly. Finally, I rub a bar of carnauba wax on the blank, and then buff that in with a paper towel with the lathe running at medium speed. The finish ends up somewhere on the glossy side of medium gloss. The durability is good, and the finish does not build significantly like CA can. Nothing can beat CA's gloss and durability, but for 60 seconds of work and a fairly foolproof application process, it's a nice alternative. I use it frequently on slimlines and other low-cost kits.

That's interesting.

Do you think the end result is different then using a friction polish that has those three things in it together?

It's probably cheaper anyway!
 
I sometimes use a three-part finish that I developed while playing around. I apply a coat of boiled linseed oil (motor oil works fine too), and buff off the excess with a paper towel. Next, I apply a coat of shellac with the lathe running at medium speed. The friction causes the shellac to dry nearly instantly. Finally, I rub a bar of carnauba wax on the blank, and then buff that in with a paper towel with the lathe running at medium speed. The finish ends up somewhere on the glossy side of medium gloss. The durability is good, and the finish does not build significantly like CA can. Nothing can beat CA's gloss and durability, but for 60 seconds of work and a fairly foolproof application process, it's a nice alternative. I use it frequently on slimlines and other low-cost kits.

That's interesting.

Do you think the end result is different then using a friction polish that has those three things in it together?

It's probably cheaper anyway!

I haven't had any experience with WTF, but I imagine the results are probably similar. I did try to streamline the process by putting all three on a paper towel together... That did not work out. :tongue:
 
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