# Jack Daneils Finish



## Arbetlam (Oct 5, 2015)

This is the first time i have turned a Jack daniels blank and I was wondering what kind of finish to put on the finished blank. I normally do the CA finish and do the MM. With these blanks though you can actually smell the whisky residing in the blank. What I was wondering is there a finish I can put on this blank that would give a semigloss finish and still allow that oodor to come through?


----------



## WillinSEMN (Oct 5, 2015)

I've turned a couple of pens from these blanks and they turned out well (PSI Guardian Jr. kits).

Although the blanks smell very good while turning them by the time I had them turned down they didn't retain much aroma.  I finished with shellawax and the finish was nice.


----------



## Arbetlam (Oct 5, 2015)

Thanks Will for the reply I was wondering if they kept the aroma or not.


----------



## CREID (Oct 5, 2015)

Pretty much anything that seals the surface will seal away the aroma. I am currently trying to figure out how to do the same thing with wine corks, haven't been able to find anything though. Well except, not using any finish at all. This would allow the aroma to come out, at least as long as until it takes to fade away over time. This would also allow the oils from the fingers and such to turn the blank black, which some people may find desirable, a patina type thing you know. If you find a way to do this, let me know.

Curt


----------



## Charlie_W (Oct 5, 2015)

Some Penturners will put a cutoff of the blank in with the pen when it is sold or given to someone. They can smell the whiskey on the cutoff.


----------



## CREID (Oct 5, 2015)

Charlie_W said:


> Some Penturners will put a cutoff of the blank in with the pen when it is sold or given to someone. They can smell the whiskey on the cutoff.



Or, you could turn one of those perfume thingies and fill it with Jack and they could spritz it once in a while.:biggrin:

Curt


----------



## Arbetlam (Oct 5, 2015)

Thanks for the ideas. I like the idea of the cutoff in with the pen. I have been commisioned to do a sculptered set with the pen, letter opener, and magnifing glass. All this will be in a display case so the cutoff is looking like the ticket. 


Creid: LOL they would just drink it!


----------



## Charlie_W (Oct 5, 2015)

Arbetlam said:


> Thanks for the ideas. I like the idea of the cutoff in with the pen. I have been commisioned to do a sculptered set with the pen, letter opener, and magnifing glass. All this will be in a display case so the cutoff is looking like the ticket.
> 
> 
> Remember to sand your cutoff as you would for a pen. No saw marks, no sharp edges.


----------



## larryc (Oct 5, 2015)

I've sold a lot of these and this is the way I finish them.
When I buy the blanks they have a black side to them from the charcoal treatment of the barrel.
After turning to size and sanding through 12,000 micro mesh, the charcoal is gone so I put the blanks on a mandrel, align the grain (if a two blank pen) and with small torch singe a streak on the blank.
I tell my customers that I don't put any finish on those pens in order to retain the "flavor" of the wood.
As the pens sit on my display (in a Jack Daniels coffee cup) they lose their aroma and I use a perfume applicator to restore the flavor. I will do this after a customer has sniffed the pen and says he (or she) doesn't smell anything so that they can see how to restore the aroma after they have purchased the pen. I keep one of those airline size bottles of Jack available so I can show them that it is the real thing.


----------



## CREID (Oct 6, 2015)

larryc said:


> I've sold a lot of these and this is the way I finish them.
> When I buy the blanks they have a black side to them from the charcoal treatment of the barrel.
> After turning to size and sanding through 12,000 micro mesh, the charcoal is gone so I put the blanks on a mandrel, align the grain (if a two blank pen) and with small torch singe a streak on the blank.
> I tell my customers that I don't put any finish on those pens in order to retain the "flavor" of the wood.
> As the pens sit on my display (in a Jack Daniels coffee cup) they lose their aroma and I use a perfume applicator to restore the flavor. I will do this after a customer has sniffed the pen and says he (or she) doesn't smell anything so that they can see how to restore the aroma after they have purchased the pen. I keep one of those airline size bottles of Jack available so I can show them that it is the real thing.


Seeeeeee. I knew it would be a good idea to use a perfume thingy.:tongue:

Curt


----------



## CREID (Oct 6, 2015)

Just another off the wall idea here. Clean the area around your lathe real good so you won't get any contamination. And then turn your blank and save the shavings so you can put them in the pen box, maybe lay the pen on a bed of shavings. It ought to have a real strong aroma for awhile.

Curt


----------



## Arbetlam (Oct 6, 2015)

Thanks for all the ideas guys this has been very helpful.


----------



## BackyardSmokin (Oct 6, 2015)

I just wanted to say thank you to the OP for asking the question and everyone's response.  I am doing a PSI Gatsby Grande with the Jack Daniels and never thought about how to retain the smell.


----------



## Sabaharr (Oct 6, 2015)

I recently visited the Jack Daniels distillery (last month) and bought several used barrel staves from the barrel shop. Each one is branded with the JD logo and I selected the ones with the most distinct stain line from the whiskey going about half way through. I am wondering if I will get tipsy from the fumes when I cut them up and turn them as they are very potent. I can smell them in my little shop sitting in my special wood pile. Shavings and a piece of blank cutoff is a great idea and a spritz of JD just before delivery is icing on the cake. Now I just have to make myself cut them up. I have a pic of myself at the distillery propped up against the statue of Jack that shows I was there so it can authenticate my claim of origin of the wood. I highly recommend the tour if anyone gets a chance to go, but it is off the beaten path. It is very popular with the tour bike crowd also. (Side note: The JD bar-b-que hamburger is heaven on earth). Thanks for the ideas.


----------



## Krash (Oct 6, 2015)

I have thought about how to add a scent to the finish. I was going to try to supply pens to a local lavender farm store and thought since I use a BLO/CA finish that possibly I could replace the BLO with lavender oil. I haven't tried it yet but maybe you could give it a go with something like this:

Kentucky Bourbon Fragrance Oil

I would love to hear about your results!


----------



## Skie_M (Oct 6, 2015)

For adding flower scents in general, you can use (SPARINGLY) some essential oils mixed in with your BLO or other finish components.  Some essential oils can be extremely strong, like peppermint oil or jalapeno oil, but some will surprise you with how powerful they are, like orange oil and lemon oil.


----------



## Sabaharr (Oct 6, 2015)

Krash said:


> I have thought about how to add a scent to the finish. I was going to try to supply pens to a local lavender farm store and thought since I use a BLO/CA finish that possibly I could replace the BLO with lavender oil. I haven't tried it yet but maybe you could give it a go with something like this:
> 
> Kentucky Bourbon Fragrance Oil
> 
> I would love to hear about your results!


 
Kentucky Bourbon on Tennessee Whiskey. Good Lord man that is sacrilege. You might as well break Jack's other big toe. (FYI: Jack Daniels died from a broken toe from when he kicked his OLD #7 safe when it would not open).


----------



## DigBaddy72 (Oct 6, 2015)

I usually put the shavings in a ziploc bag and put the pen in the bag as well.  The aroma from the shavings is pretty strong and that way the customer can get a whiff whenever they want.


----------



## Heartwoodturning (Oct 8, 2015)

Has anyone tried using JD as a first coat staining finish?  I hate to waste the best bourbon on earth but It would give a rather unique selling point to talk to customers about.


----------



## Skie_M (Oct 8, 2015)

I think it would be interesting to take a perfume applicator foam tip and a small glass vial and fill it with jack daniels .... and then conceal it inside the pen.   It will probably evaporate out and wear off within a week, but think about the opportunity ....

You can give the pen as a gift along with a bottle of Gold Medallion Single Barrel Jack Daniels "Finest" Whiskey... they can keep that little vial full for a while, and you can join them for a drink just for old time's sake.


----------



## rduncan (Oct 13, 2015)

I must have bought old blanks because I get very little aroma, if any, when I turned the first couple.  Mine are going to be gifts so won't need to impress anyone with the scent but still......


----------



## Skie_M (Oct 13, 2015)

Soak some tiny sponges with JD and stuff them into the pen barrel round the refill or back behind it.


----------



## Jgrden (Nov 10, 2015)

CREID said:


> Pretty much anything that seals the surface will seal away the aroma. I am currently trying to figure out how to do the same thing with wine corks, haven't been able to find anything though. Well except, not using any finish at all. This would allow the aroma to come out, at least as long as until it takes to fade away over time. This would also allow the oils from the fingers and such to turn the blank black, which some people may find desirable, a patina type thing you know. If you find a way to do this, let me know.
> 
> Curt



I have made allot of wine cork pens. The method to make the cork stable seals the wonderful odor. I like the idea of including a piece of stained cork with the original cork.


----------

