# Finishing for rookies



## drewdin (Aug 18, 2015)

I am getting ready to make my fist pen today and I am still unsure about the finishing process. I read a ton of posts already and I think I am going to follow the steps below. I have seen some people recommend using pastewax after the one step polish, what does that actually do?

1. sand up to 1000 or so
2. walnut or linseed oil (optional)
3. friction polish (I have some mylands)
4. CA 3+ coats
5. sand with MM
6. apply one step or similar plastic polish
7. apply Johnson or similar paste wax

Am I missing something or if there are any suggestions or recommendations I would greatly appreciate it!


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## chartle (Aug 18, 2015)

Never done friction polish and ca. Also depending on the wood I think 1,000 is a little high I usually 400 maybe 600.

Also it's going to be more like 10 coats of ca.

The wax can give it just a tad bit more shine.


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## triw51 (Aug 18, 2015)

I have not used both CA and friction polish together.  I use CA and BLO.


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## drewdin (Aug 18, 2015)

I should avoid using the friction polish? Just from googling around I put the steps above together, not sure if I am breaking any cardinal rules or anything. Thanks


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## TonyL (Aug 18, 2015)

In general, polishes (I don't know about friction polishes, although I have used them on wood) remove fine scratches and make the finish more reflective (shinier, adds the depth or the illusion of depth). Waxes that do not contain polish, serve to protect the surface of underlying material and possibly some shine as long as long as the wax remains on the surface (just like a car). The wax may also enhance the illusion of depth of shine.

There are other members that know far more than me. What I just shared with you is what I learned from Meguiars technical support. They finish cars and boats so consider the source.


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## monophoto (Aug 18, 2015)

Drew -

The only cardinal rule is 'don't get blood on the wood' (and even that is negotiable if you prefer blood-stained wood).

Seriously, there are as many ways to finish a pen as there are pen turners.  There are folks who insist that CA is the only appropriate finish, but that's just plain wrong.  You can finish pens however you want - to achieve whatever final effect you want.

I've used CA and CA+BLO - but I've concluded that I really don't like working with CA as a finish, and I don't like the high gloss pasticky look of a CA-finished pen. 

I've also used WOP - both the solvent-based Minwax product from the hardware store and  water-based floor finish.  Both are fine - I prefer the look of the solvent-based version.  The water-based version is slightly bluish to my eye.  Both are time consuming to use because they take time to cure between coats (1 hour for the water-based version, 4 hours for the solvent-based version).

My current favorite is a lacquer-based friction polish.  Most commercial friction polishes are a combination of shellac and oil and emulate the old French polish used on furniture.  They look nice and are quick to apply, but they tend to not wear well.  Lacquer-based friction polishes are also quick to apply (you can finish a pen in minutes) and they are fairly resistant to wear.  They aren't extremely glossy - which is fine by me because I make pens from wood and I want the the user to experience the look and feel of wood. 

Lacquer-based friction polishes are harder to find as commercial products - PSI has a couple of options, and one of the name-brand friction polishes is  based on lacquer (Behlens???).  I make my own by mixing equal quantities of ordinary lacquer, lacquer thinner, and oil (I use Tung oil, but BLO is fine).

I tend to sand pens up to 1200 grit.  Sometimes I wipe the pen with oil (either BLO or Tung oil) to enhance the grain.  When I do that, I usually apply a barrier coat of shellac sanding sealer over the oil and under the final finish, and then denib with 4/0 steel wool or the equivalent Scotchbrite pad before applying the friction polish.


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## mark james (Aug 18, 2015)

Hi Drew!  Welcome to IAP.

I am also a bit skeptical of using a friction polish under CA, but who knows.

I use this method about 1/2 of the time:  http://www.penturners.org/forum/f28/doctors-wood-shop-pen-finish-tutorial-110276/

and for the rest I sand with abranet and walnut oil up to 600 (about) grit, and then apply 2-3 coats of Danish oil.  Very matte appearance - which is my favorite.

However, I am going to try Louie's (Monophoto) suggestion as what he is looking for is similar to me!  My opinion only:  Acrylics/Urethanes are beautiful; and wood is beautiful.  Enjoy both for their beauty.

Have FUN!


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## Edgar (Aug 18, 2015)

Like Louie said, there are no set rules when it comes to finishing a pen. Most everyone has their own favorite methods, so just experiment with a variety of finishes & techniques and see what works best for you. Much of it simply comes down to personal preferences in the application of the finish and the look & feel when you are done.

Personally, I use Myland's sanding sealer and friction polish for wood pens more than anything else, although I will sometimes use CA, polyurethane or carnauba wax depending on the wood and the end result that I am trying to achieve.

I generally sand wood to 600 grit then burnish it by pressing a pinch of the wood shavings up against the spinning blank and working it back & forth a few times. This accomplishes the same thing as continuing to sand with a few grits of micro mesh but is much faster and can sometimes really make the grain pop before you apply your final polish.

One way to quickly experiment with different techniques is to simply turn several pieces of cheap wood between centers without even drilling a hole or gluing in a blank. Just turn them round, sand and polish to see how you like the results. 

Have fun
Edgar


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## silent soundly (Aug 18, 2015)

Or turn a really nice blank just to true and experiment with any finish you want. You can always turn off the finish and have plenty of wood left to turn a pen.


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## Skie_M (Aug 18, 2015)

edohmann said:


> Like Louie said, there are no set rules when it comes to finishing a pen. Most everyone has their own favorite methods, so just experiment with a variety of finishes & techniques and see what works best for you. Much of it simply comes down to personal preferences in the application of the finish and the look & feel when you are done.
> 
> Personally, I use Myland's sanding sealer and friction polish for wood pens more than anything else, although I will sometimes use CA, polyurethane or carnauba wax depending on the wood and the end result that I am trying to achieve.
> 
> ...




I do this a lot ... I took a blank or a leftover section of blank (still large enough to make a pen or keychain) and turned it round, then I finished it as though it were a completed pen barrel.  I keep them all in a bag together, so that if someone were to ask "What would this pen look like with x wood instead?" I can just pull that bag out and say "This here is representative of that species of wood finished, and the pen will come out looking very similar, but keep in mind that the color and grain may not be exactly the same".  

I also take the small leftover sections that are too small to make a pen blank or keychain, and I make those into beads.  The beads are also very useful to show people, as they are properly finish polished.

On some occasions, people ask me to make their keychain or pen from exactly the blank that I am showing them, and this usually works fine for me, as I have spare blanks of each species that I haven't turned yet.  The other reason this works OK with me is simple .... before I can actually drill a blank for any pen or keychain, I have to turn it round first anyway.


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## Dave Turner (Aug 18, 2015)

Again, there are countless ways to finish a pen. Just read over the excellent suggestions here and elsewhere, pick the method(s) that make the most sense to you and start finishing away. You'll gradually tune up your techniques based on what works best for you. For a detailed description of what works for me, see this post.

Just one suggestion. Go to your local Harbor Freight store and pick up a $40 buffer. Get several buffing wheels and a few different polishes (ideally not from Harbor Freight - see the Caswell link in my post above). I thought my finishes shined after micromesh, but after buffing they really SHINE!


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## Skie_M (Aug 18, 2015)

Alternatively, I use Meguiar's PlastX (car finish polish) and I buff my pen barrels right on the lathe without needing a buffing wheel.  The bottle only cost me 8 bucks, and the results are just awesome! (Don't use it on bare wood, it's for acrylic, bone, metal, and plastics, or CA-finished pens.)


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## TurtleTom (Aug 18, 2015)

I friction rub shellac on a paper towel after sanding to 1000, it dries very quick when it gets hot so you can do several coats quickly.  My final is a burnish with brown cardboard from a beer case.  It will heat it back up and make it shine. (Cardboard itself is a 1200 rated sandpaper.)
This leaves a medium gloss finish which I prefer.


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## drewdin (Aug 18, 2015)

Thanks for all the great suggestions, have some spare blanks that I can use to test it out. I am definitely going to mess around with them and see what works the best for me.


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## chartle (Aug 18, 2015)

Skie_M said:


> Alternatively, I use Meguiar's PlastX (car finish polish) and I buff my pen barrels right on the lathe without needing a buffing wheel.  The bottle only cost me 8 bucks, and the results are just awesome! (Don't use it on bare wood, it's for acrylic, bone, metal, and plastics, or CA-finished pens.)



I use the same polish. Went to Walmart auto section and picked a plastic polish that looked good.


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## TurtleTom (Aug 23, 2015)

If you want to learn about friction polish, I suggest you watch Cap'n Eddie's YouTube extravaganza on O.B.'s Shine Juice.  It's an education in itself and the way Eddie does it the friction polish is a finished product. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taJbBmcaAZQ


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## mmayo (Aug 24, 2015)

TurtleTom said:


> I friction rub shellac on a paper towel after sanding to 1000, it dries very quick when it gets hot so you can do several coats quickly.  My final is a burnish with brown cardboard from a beer case.  It will heat it back up and make it shine. (Cardboard itself is a 1200 rated sandpaper.)
> This leaves a medium gloss finish which I prefer.



Now I have a reason to buy a case of beer, thanks you IAP AND TurtleTom


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## TurtleTom (Aug 24, 2015)

mmayo said:


> TurtleTom said:
> 
> 
> > I friction rub shellac on a paper towel after sanding to 1000, it dries very quick when it gets hot so you can do several coats quickly.  My final is a burnish with brown cardboard from a beer case.  It will heat it back up and make it shine. (Cardboard itself is a 1200 rated sandpaper.)
> ...



Get good with that skew and throw the sandpaper away.  
Still riding my 1300 Yamaha too and salute the flag every chance I get.


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