# M3 Finishing



## beck3906 (Jun 22, 2015)

Is there an alternative to the 2-part finish provided with an M3 blank?  Just looking for a backup product.


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## beck3906 (Jun 22, 2015)

Dang autocorrect on the phone .  Should be M3 finishing on the subject line


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## alphageek (Jun 23, 2015)

Fixed it for you!


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## edstreet (Jun 23, 2015)

M3 no matter how you spin it is plastic.  Same with trustone, no matter how you spin that it is still plastic.


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## brownsfn2 (Jun 23, 2015)

I don't think you are suggesting there is no metal in the M3 pen blanks right?  They do explain how they are made:

What is M3


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## edstreet (Jun 23, 2015)

brownsfn2 said:


> I don't think you are suggesting there is no metal in the M3 pen blanks right?  They do explain how they are made:
> 
> What is M3



Nope, never once said anything about 'metal' in my reply.

Looking over your link I do see many baiting key phrases to sidetrack the reader but ignoring them we see several things worthy of note.



> highly refined proprietary chemical binders





> each metal macro molecule is completely encapsulated by the hybrid binder



yup, still reads plastic.


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## brownsfn2 (Jun 23, 2015)

I read proprietary hybrid binder.  Not plastic. 

I don't think anyone thinks there is no plastic in these.  Just pointing out that there is metal in these blanks.  Also they are much harder than the typical PR or plastic blank.  You should try one sometime.

Back to OP and their question...  I have heard others use a metal polish to bring out the shine in the metal on these blanks.  Should work but in the past I with the other things I have tried I think the polish they provide works the best.


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## MHKogan (Jun 23, 2015)

beck3906 said:


> Is there an alternative to the 2-part finish provided with an M3 blank?  Just looking for a backup product.



There are a number of ways to finish M3 and a number of finishes that are achievable.  Everything from a high gloss to a matt finish, patina and everything in between.

The gem quality high gloss finish is best achieved with either M3 PMP or a rouge called Black Magic.  These are the fastest and most consistent methods which only require sanding down to 800 grit.  I have heard that Flitz polish also provides a nice shine.  The important part is to use a product that will smooth the surface and remove scratches rather than coating it with a plastic or wax finish.  Our PMP was originally produced for the military to remove scratches from fighter jet canopies.  

In the alternative, you could wet sand down to 12,000 micro grit and achieve a high gloss, but not quite as much color contrast as you would get with the PMP or Black Magic.


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## edstreet (Jun 23, 2015)

What is in PMP and Black Magic?


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## beck3906 (Jun 23, 2015)

Would Simichrome polish work?


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## raar25 (Jun 29, 2015)

I sand to 600, use EEE polish and then plastic polish followed by blue plastic rough buff and they really sparkle when I am done.


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## Quality Pen (Jul 20, 2015)

edstreet said:


> What is in PMP and Black Magic?


The black magic he's referring to _might _be Black Magic Rouge Grade A - Caswell Inc

The description is:
"A favorite for finishing brass, aluminum, copper, tin plate and other  alloys. Will bring out a mirror-like luster on the work. Being a medium  greasy grade it is ideal for the all around buffing job, requiring a  brilliant finish."


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## Cwalker935 (Jul 20, 2015)

I've done 2 of these blanks.  The first I finished like a regular acrylic using the Huts plastic polish.  I did the 2nd the same but added a final polish using Blue Magic metal polish. The metal polish did kick up the finish a little.


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