Polishing Questioni

[BKelley]

I know the polishing horse has about been ridden to death, but I've got a question. Has any one used a microscope to examine the finish from different polishing mediums and see what actually gives the finest finish.

Ben

 

[thewishman]

No one better try that with MY pens!

 

[jttheclockman]

It would be impossible to take every solution used to put a shine on a pen blank and analyze it under a scope. There are those that use loops to check their finishes especially if making a pen for a certain clientelle or entry into a contest such as the Guild. As with every aspect of pen making so many factors go into making that perfect pen. A finish is just a small part of making a pen. I always use the eye test. Good enough for the people I associate with

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f18/turning-perfect-pen-possible-72284/

 

[TonyL]

I have performed that with my 10x loop with about 12 liquid polishes, and 5 dry compounds and 2 types of buffing wheels. too long to describe my results over all of the variables. send me a pm with your number and i will call u later.

 

[KenV]

Ben -- not only the magnification but also the lighting has an effect on seeing irregularities in the finish. I use 10-12 magnification with a non-florescent light across the surface when I am looking for "closer to perfection". Somewhere around 8X to 12X you are reaching the limit of what is visible to the more discriminating eye (or collector).

When I am looking at process changes I often spend time looking at the surface at different steps to see what I can get.

Have not sprung for the magnification for digital photography at about that magnification, but thought about it.