Minwax Clear Gloss Poly urethane

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Earl Mason

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Is anyone using Les Elm's finishing technique (min wax polyurethane)? If so how are your results? I just did a couple pens and have liked the results. I wonder about the long term though. I may be doing it wrong but I just put the blank on a dowel put the min wax on then set it under my heat lamp come back in 3 hrs then sand and do it again. It seems a lot simpler to me than putting it on the lathe and doing all that. Also I really don't know how many coats to put on. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Earl
 
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Earl Mason said:
Is anyone using Les Elm's finishing technique (min wax polyurethane)? If so how are your results? I just did a couple pens and have liked the results. I wonder about the long term though. I may be doing it wrong but I just put the blank on a dowel put the min wax on then set it under my heat lamp come back in 3 hrs then sand and do it again. It seems a lot simpler to me than putting it on the lathe and doing all that. Also I really don't know how many coats to put on. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Earl
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Earl,
Give my Dipping Method a try.
Works great for me.

Les

http://www.penturners.co.uk/misc/pdf/Tips/Pen_Finish_Dipping_Method.pdf
 
I use it but only on special pens because of the time involved. I have a special slow turner I set them on (homemade rod dryer when I make fishing lures)
 
I put 3 to 5 coats on to get a real nice shine. As for durability PU is water resistant and very durable on furniture, floors and most woodworking projects.
 
I would love to know how it works out. I bought the stuff to try it, but never did it.
 
Earl

Poly comes in three formulations - standard (solvent), wipe on (solvent), and waterborne.

I've used solvent-based wipe-on on a number of items - pens, styluses (styli??), coffee scoops, seam rippers, bottle stoppers, etc. It goes on quickly but the curing time is longer. I typically apply 6-8 thin (wipe-on) coats with a minimum of two hours between applications.

I've also used waterborne poly. It's OK - but for me the issue is that it is so colorless that it almost looks blue. It's ok for darker woods, but I won't use it on light colored woods.

Then there is the standard solvent-based poly. I haven't used it myself, but there was a pepper mill demonstration at Totally Turning this year who talked about his 'rotisserie' finishing process using that kind of finish. He applied the finish with a brush so that he got a very thick coat, but to keep the finish from 'running' he applied it with the lathe spinning at its slowest speed, and then continued to rotate the piece continuously until the finish set up - typically about an hour. Then, you have to let the finish dry thoroughly (minimum four hours, or better yet, overnight), sand lightly, and then reapply. He said that with this approach, he could produce a very thick, hard finish with only four coats. I tried his method using the waterborne poly and found that it does work, and once the poly has cured fully (allow several days to a week), it can be wet-sanded with micromesh and buffed using one of the commercial plastic polishes (Meguiars, etc) to produce a very high gloss.

The largest commercial market today for poly is as a floor finish - because its hard. That's also a characteristic that most people want in a pen finish. But it takes time to apply. It does produce a thick, glossy finish - but that also means that it can be 'plasticky'.

Different strokes for different folks.
 
Russ Fairfield showed our club how he dipped his pens in poly. Here are a few of his tips:

1. He had some dipping tubes about the size of test tubes. He plugged the holes of the tube so that the insides wouldn't be finished as well. He simply dipped them in and then used a rack to hang them to dry. Based upon his demo, I used some fender washers and seals and put a small bolt through the tube. When tightened up snug, no finish gets inside the tube. I attached an eye bolt to the top of the bolt, so its easy to hang up after dipping. All of these parts were readily available from Ace Hardware.

2. After dipping and allowing to dry, Russ would turn the pen body upside down before dipping a second coat. He said that when drying, the bottom of the pen gets slightly more finish than the top, as it slowly slides down the pen barrel. Turning them around between coats evens out the finish.

3. My personal experience is that two coats is sufficient in most cases. Woods with more open pores might need more coats if you want a completely smooth barrel without the microscopic indentations from the pores. I have left pores unfilled on some of my pens, and used additional coats to completely fill others. I like the look both ways. I have never needed to sand after applying poly. I put the barrel on the lathe and use the two finest of the micromesh for a few moments each, just to give a little more luster.

4. I have always allowed 24 hours between coats, but that's because I am not normally in a hurry to complete the pen. A friend of mine built a drying rack using dowels, a light bulb and a cardboard box. He dips the pen, puts it in the box with the light on to speed the drying process. He can put several coats on per night and complete the pen.

I hope this helps.
 
I just tried it myself and have put 2 coats on the turned barrels. I have not done any assembly of them yet and was thinking of trying a friction polish on them just to see what it looks like.
 
Thanks

Thanks to all for taking the time to answer. So much talk on the forum about ca I wasn't sure the polly would work but seems like some are using it so I am going ahead. I think I will try the dipping method and see. Again thanks
Earl
 
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