Plexi finish newbie...

[RobWalters]

Greetings,

I'm a relatively new pen turner, definitely bitten by the obsession, and trying to wean myself from Shellawax. I was getting nice looking results with Shellawax, but after lurking here for a bit I began to worry about the durability of that finish.

I tried my hand at CA, but the vapors make my sinuses go nuts, so I decided to try a plexi finish. I've got what I think is a fairly good mixture, about medium CA consistency, so I decided to try it out this morning.

I started by turning the blanks and sanding up to 2500 grit with wet/dry sandpaper, as I used to do prior to applying Shellawax. I wiped down the blanks with DNA to clean everything off and starting from one end and working my way to the other with a paper towel dampened with the solution, applied eight coats of plexi, reversing direction with every coat.

I waited about four or five minutes to allow the plexi to cure and started sanding with MM from 1500 all the way to 12000, cleaning the blanks between grits with clean water and paper towel. The finish feels great, however, it is very, very cloudy and milky and totally ruins the look of the wood. I thought at first I did something wrong so I sanded the blanks down to bare wood again and repeated the process with the same results.

So, in my quest to be converted, I ask those of you with much more expertise with this finish: What am I doing wrong? The plexi looks great while wet, either with the water I'm using to MM with or when I'm applying Renaissance Wax at the end. But as soon as the blanks dry, the cloudiness reappears.

You guys are a treasure trove of information, almost to a fault at times. And while I thought I was getting decent results with my friction polish, I feel like you guys have pushed me to try new things to improve both my techniques and my finished product. For that I both curse you and thank you.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[kf4knf]

I have run into the same problem with cloudiness. I am wondering if the coats are to thick. I will wait for an educated response on this... [:I]

 

[leehljp]

I cannot give definitive answer but usually cloudiness in finish occurs with old finish, high humidity, low temperatures, using DNA to clean, or any combinations of those.

First thing to do is stop using DNA. Russ Fairfield posted a note a few weeks ago about using, or not using DNA unless you intentionally waited and dried the wood, as the residual moisture of the DNA is not natural to the wood and can cause finish problems. High humidity along with quick drying/curing finishes attract moisture into the finish itself in many circumstances. DNA just adds to that.

 

[RobWalters]

Thanks Hank, I'll try to omit the DNA from my next try and see how it works out. I'm pretty sure it isn't a humidity issue or a temperature issue as I've had the heater going out in my shop for the past week or so. I'm using a week-old mix of plexi, so I doubt that would be the issue.

Back out to the shop for some more experimentation!

 

[TellicoTurning]

I haven't used the finish on a pen yet, but did run it over a silver maple and walnut glue up pepper mill... I wiped the mill down with acetone instead of DNA before applying the plexi.. I haven't wet sanded yet, finish feels pretty smooth as is.. I did dampen an old tee-shirt with Acetone and wiped the finish afterwards... don't know if this is proper as I am just beginning the plexi finish myself. The finish is pretty smooth.

 

[rixstix]

I don't claim to be an expert with dissolved acrylic finishing, but do use Cyro Acrylic quite frequently. Their FAQ indicates:

Cloudiness is usually caused by:
moisture in the acrylic/solvent caused by humidity, condensation, or any other means
temperature outside optimum range (70-75 degrees IIRC)
drying too quickly

Since you say the first two are not thought to be an issue, then I'd consider that it is drying too quickly. Maybe the temperature is too high.

 

[RobWalters]

OK, I think I'm making progress. Switched from DNA to a wipe with acetone prior to applying the plexi/acetone solution. No cloudiness there. On my first experiment I wet sanded one blank and dry sanded the other. Wet sanding resulted in cloudiness, dry sanding did not. So tonight I turned a euro pen from Macadamia and finished with plexi...came out looking pretty schweet. So, for those keeping score at home, here was my process...feel free to critique as you see fit:

1) Sand, starting at 180 grit...240, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000
2) Wipe down with a quick shot of acetone and allow it to evaporate
3) Multiple coats (I did 10, but I think my stuff is a bit thin) of plexi, alternating directions with each pass
4) Dry sand with MM all the way to 12000.
5) Novus #3, Novus #2, Novus #1 (I knew my old pinball machine obsession would come in handy someday!)
6) Look at all the friction polish finished pens and groan with disgust []

Thanks for the advice guys!

Rob