Spray finishes

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qquake

qquake

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I haven't mastered the CA finish, and prefer semi-gloss, anyway. Does anyone have any experience and/or opinions about these spray finishes?

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Varathane 11 oz. Clear Semi-Gloss Oil-Based Interior Polyurethane Spray Paint-342078 - The Home Depot

Varathane 11 oz. Clear Semi-Gloss Oil-Based Interior Polyurethane Spray is specially formulated to let wood’s natural beauty shine through. High clarity protective finish for indoor wood projects provides
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What do you plan on spraying? If pens, the only problem I see with using spray finishes on pens and the lathe is getting overspray all over your lathe.
 
bsshog40 said:
What do you plan on spraying? If pens, the only problem I see with using spray finishes on pens and the lathe is getting overspray all over your lathe.
Click to expand...

A laminated pen body. I wouldn't spray it while it's on the lathe.
 

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I would think that spraying would be fine, just very time consuming. With spraying, you usually have to let dry for a while and then sand between coats. Seems a lot more hassle than maybe wipeon poly or something else that can be used on the lathe.
 
I have thought about it. But as several have mentioned, overspray may get on your lathe, unless you cover it in sections. The ideal distance for spray being about 12 inches - will cause the spray to get on more than just the turning blank. However, I wouldn't let that stop me from trying. I would look for a finish that sets up in a couple of minutes or so, let the lathe keep turning with a D.C. working to keep air flowing around it.

I have let blanks with a good build up of CA (in cooler weather) keep turning for 30 minutes or more just to let it set up.

OH, Edit in: As to CA mastering - It is hard to master for some while trying to make a good pen at the same time. After a few pens, I bought a bunch of tubes, got a piece of 2x4 pine and cut it into blank size. I made about 12 to 14 blanks and spent a day doing nothing but learning to turning to size and applying CA. I learned a lot that day. Making a pen was not my goal. My goal was learning how to apply, make thicker applications and sand to a good finish. It worked.

If anyone is having a problem with a particular step such as squaring the ends, drilling holes without the blank having a blow out, or applying CA, Get some tubes, make some cheap blanks from pine 2x4, take a couple of hours or half a Saturday and focus on that one problem. That will increase one's skills ten fold quickly.

In the case of trying spray finish. Do the same. Get a couple of different kinds of finish and try them, over and over. Trying it once may fail and we will never know if it will work unless we try it a half a dozen times.
 
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Hank, could you drill the 2x4 the same size of the mandrel shaft, if using a mandrel? I came up with the HDPE spacers/bushings.20191229_194645.jpg I'm looking at the cost of the tubes even though they aren't the expensive part of pen turning. OK, so I'm cheap.
 
I am certainly not an expert at other finishes but it has been discussed here. It is certainly not as quick as CA, but it is easier IMHO.
I rarely do wood, almost all acrylic, but I do some segmenting with wood and have done this a fair amount with good success. I have a couple of set ups.....one I made myself using a spit from a BBQ and another I bought from PSI. The issue is the material whether sprayed on or wiped on will often form a drip that is difficult to sand off. So the blank is rotated to stop that drip from forming.
Read this post: https://www.penturners.org/threads/wipe-on-poly.155545/ this will make it a lot clearer.
I did it because I do not like the hardness and durabilty of the CA finish.......
 
Personally, I would never use the urethane finishes on a pen for a finish, it doesn't stand up to wear all that well. Plus, it scratches and shows any marks to easily. Instead, I prefer to use a lacquer finish, it's a much longer lasting finish and it's very easy to use. I apply it the same way as I do CA glue, you couldn't get any easier to use. Plus, if you're using danish oil because it makes the blanks pop or look better, you can still use it under the lacquer. I use lacquer on some of my pen components, especially on some of the cheaper kits. It adds to making a completed pen, but it keeps the finish from being worn off. In the past when I was first starting out pen turning, some of the kits I bought were very cheap. So cheap, that the gold finish would wear off, in three to four days if the pen saw any use. So, to beat the problem, I tried many different finish products, with lacquer giving me my best end results.

Len
 
My dad always used Varathane on the furniture he built, and never had any problems with wear. That's why I was looking at Varathane products.
 
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