lynkcwp
Member
Looking into if anyone has used waterlux gloss to finish ther pens. I recently talked to a bowl turner and that is all that he uses. Im not a fan of the plastic looking ca finish on my wood pens.
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monophoto
Member
In one of his articles on finishing, Russ Fairfield discussions Waterlox, and then goes on to describe a finish that he made by blending equal quantities of an alkyd spar varnish, pure tung oil, and turpentine. While he never actually said that his blend was equivalent to Waterlox, that was the implication that I took away from the article. I have been using using ever since, and I like it a lot.
That said, I have not used it on pens for the simple reason that its pretty time consuming - wipe it on, let it soak in for up to an hour, wipe it off, let it cure for a few hours, denib with a gray scuffie, and repeat at least two more times. It does buff nicely although its not going to yield a really high gloss.
I've used ordinary wipe-on poly (both solvent and water based) on pens and my experience is that it holds up very well. But my preference remains a lacquer-based friction policy (equal quantities of a brushing lacquer, lacquer thinner and either BLO, Tung Oil or Walnut oil). It goes on quickly, cures rapidly, can build to a high finish that can be either buffed to a gloss, or wiped with a gray scuffie for a satin finish, and holds up well with use.
That said, I have not used it on pens for the simple reason that its pretty time consuming - wipe it on, let it soak in for up to an hour, wipe it off, let it cure for a few hours, denib with a gray scuffie, and repeat at least two more times. It does buff nicely although its not going to yield a really high gloss.
I've used ordinary wipe-on poly (both solvent and water based) on pens and my experience is that it holds up very well. But my preference remains a lacquer-based friction policy (equal quantities of a brushing lacquer, lacquer thinner and either BLO, Tung Oil or Walnut oil). It goes on quickly, cures rapidly, can build to a high finish that can be either buffed to a gloss, or wiped with a gray scuffie for a satin finish, and holds up well with use.
walshjp17
Member
Check out Sprague Woodturning on YouTube. He uses Waterlox for his bowls and hybrid projects and the results are excellent.
McKenzie Penworks
Member
It's a fantastic finish... should be fine... Just time consuming to apply and not as durable as that "plastic looking finish" that is so popular.
ALSO... there are ways to get best of both worlds...
Back when I built drums I would hit my drums with a coat or two of Waterlox to really bring the depth out of the wood, then use a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac, followed by a clear top coat. In our world of pen turning that clear top coat could be CA. You'll get the warmth from the waterlox and then the depth of the clear.
ALSO... there are ways to get best of both worlds...
Back when I built drums I would hit my drums with a coat or two of Waterlox to really bring the depth out of the wood, then use a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac, followed by a clear top coat. In our world of pen turning that clear top coat could be CA. You'll get the warmth from the waterlox and then the depth of the clear.