# French Polish



## Hello (Feb 25, 2008)

So, I've tried a few different finishes.
I like CA, when it turns out well...which only about 80% of the time.
I've used acryllic top coat (the stuff women paoint on their nailes after the paint)...and it works well, most of the time.
I've tried just gobbing on a bunch of sanding sealer and shining it up - but the shine goes away rather quickly.

Now, a question about french polish - does the shine last?!?!? Should it be coated with wax to protect it? If so, what kind? I know Renaissane Wax hardens like a rock pretty much, but isn't it a mild abrassive also?


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## Hello (Feb 25, 2008)

i just found my thread out of circultion after only having been up fr a little over an hour, so here's another post to keep it active so I can get some responses to my questions.


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## DCBluesman (Feb 25, 2008)

1) French polish is basically shellac which means it will not stand up to the abuse a pen takes.  2) Renaissance is a microcrystalline wax top coat which means it is also NOT like a rock and will wear off.  As far as I have experienced, Ren wax is not abrasive.


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## GBusardo (Feb 25, 2008)

I think Ren wax has some kind of mineral spirits in it, that might account for its not so hot smell and its cleaning properties.


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## wdcav1952 (Feb 25, 2008)

Just a thought, forget the French Polish for pens.  Buy some Unaxol and use it for your finish.

http://mobydicksupplies.com


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## Hello (Feb 26, 2008)

how about carnauba wax?
is that tough?...I know that carnauba and renaissance are supposed to be virtually impervious to water and sebacious oils......I'm torn.


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## constamj (Feb 26, 2008)

Any wax will wearoff rather quickly.  I would tend to believe that practicing the CA finish may be your best bet for long lasting finish.  I have only made a couple pens but, have practiced the CA finish with several types of wood with good results.


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## DCBluesman (Feb 26, 2008)

Any wax will work, but they all wear off...period.  If you don't mind regularly cleaning, buffing and re-waxing, give it a try.  BTW, it's not water and sebaceous (skin) oils that you are worried about.  Our perspiration, dirt and grime, acid rain, etc. will all serve to wear out your wax finish.


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## RussFairfield (Feb 26, 2008)

You are all over the board in your questions about the relative hardness of the finishes we can put on a pen. 

Hardness relates to durability. It is also true that the hardness relates to taking longer and/or being more difficult to apply. 

Gloss has nothing to do with hardness because all finishes can have the same high gloss immediately after they are applied, the difference is in how long the gloss will last. Some finishes, like wax, will deteriorate from nothing more than exposure to the atmosphere.  

On a scale of 0 to 10, the hardness of the finishes looks like the following list, with a "Zero" beinr bare wood and a 10 reserved for the hardest finish that hasn't been discovered yet.

 0 - Bare wood
 1 - Burnished wood
 2 - Wax
 3 - Shellac
 4 - Lacquer (Deft, etc.)
 5 - Oil finishes with varnish resins (Waterlox, etc)
 7 - CA Glue
 8 - Waterborne polyurethane (Enduro, Enaxol)
 9 - Acrylics (solid plastics, Stabilized wood, etc.) 10 - Not discovered yet

Some clarifications are necessary.  
No. 1, Burnished wood, is compaction of the wood surface through heat and pressure, like what you would get if you rubbed a stick of wood against the spinning pen blank. It is also true that some of the exotic hardwoods can have a harder natural surface than either a shellac or lacquer.

No. 2, Wax is wax, regardless of what kind it is. There is a lot of difference in the hardness of the various waxes, but none of them will ever be as hard as the softest finish, shellac. Wax is used as a sacrificial protective coating over other finishes, and to polish them so they look good and are easier to dust. That's why we use it on furniture and replace it often.  

Renaissance smells like kerosene because it is a petroleum product and Carnauba has a pleasant aroma because it came from a coconut palm tree. Blended wax products usually smell good because essenses are added to them.

No. 9, Acrylic is a generic term for solid plastic pen blanks, or plastics that are disolved in Acetone and other strong thinners and used to coat or impregnate the wood. These are not to be confused with the "Polycrylic" waterborne finishing products. These products are no harder than the shellac and lacquer they were developed to replace. The only difference is in their thinners. 

Now you know why the higher numbered finishes on the list are preferred by most people who make and use pens.


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## wdcav1952 (Feb 26, 2008)

That is exactly what I mean to say, Russ! 

Great post, thank you.


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## fafow (Feb 27, 2008)

Russ,

where on your list of 10 would you put an acrylic finish such as General Finish's PolyAcrylic Blend Top Coat?  or their water base acrylic sanding sealer?  My understanding is that this is softer than the polyurethane.  Also, would I be better off using their water base polyurethane as the sealer as well as the top coat since it is harder than their water base acrylic sealer / base coat?


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