# finishing bow?



## mywoodshopca (Dec 16, 2008)

been reading all morning about the best methods, but wondering if bow needs anything different done since its so oily?

What about leaving natural?  pros/cons?

Thanks!


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## thewishman (Dec 16, 2008)

I've tried both a plexiglas finish and just polishing the wood. Depends what the customer wants.


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## mrcook4570 (Dec 16, 2008)

IMHO all wood pens that will be used need a good durable finish.  If the pen is for decoration only, then leave it natural.

Human hands are filthy and will transfer dirt, sweat, oil, etc to anything they touch.


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## mywoodshopca (Dec 16, 2008)

Thanks 

Yes, these pens will be used on a daily basis I imagine.. I found out last night I need 6 ready by the end of this week...


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## spiritwoodturner (Dec 16, 2008)

Wipe clean with Naptha when you're done sanding and use thin CA, multiple coats, for a finish. It will stick, look great, and protect it for a very long time. Read up on CA finishes throughout the site.

Dale


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## Rudy Vey (Dec 16, 2008)

Just use CA, I use thin. Never wipe the blank down with alcohol or so, I just give it a dry rub with an old towel before I apply the CA. I am afraid that some alcohol might be trapped under the finish, and alcohol contains a lot of water (rubbing alcohol is normally 60% alcohol, rest is water).


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## mywoodshopca (Dec 16, 2008)

Thanks 

I have all the pens turned and sanded to 2000 grit sandpaper.. going to go get some ca tomorrow morning..

Problem though.. The place I am going to get the CA glue at is sold out of micromesh (and wont have any until Jan), I searched all over today and the finest sandpaper I could get is 2k grit.. Would I notice much of a quality difference if these are done with that only instead of mm? It takes about a week to get any here via mail.. These need to be done for Friday..


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## NewLondon88 (Dec 16, 2008)

Go with the 2000 .. that's higher than some people sand. It will give you a 
nice finish, but perhaps not as much depth... or maybe it will. :biggrin:

Go with what you have and do the best you can ..
Who can ask more than that?


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## ldb2000 (Dec 16, 2008)

Pick up a 6" buffing wheel and arbor for your drill press and use white diamond compound to buff after sanding . You could also use plastic polish on the lathe after sanding , CA is a plastic finish . Either way you will get a much better shine then sanding alone .


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## mywoodshopca (Dec 16, 2008)

Thanks 

I do have a buffing wheel for the bench grinder.. and a bottle of meguiar's plastic polish so that may help out 

Thanks for the tips!


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## Munsterlander (Dec 18, 2008)

I did a BOW barrel yesterday using Rudy's technique (but a few extra coats) - worked great.  I did, however, wipe down with DNA to clean the barrel - seems I'm always able to get more sanding dust (including some specks of bushing dust - yeah, I know) using DNA versus just a towel - but I let it spin on the lathe for 15 minutes or more before applying the CA glue to make sure it was dry.


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## mywoodshopca (Dec 18, 2008)

Finished 2 so far with the CA, the others are all shaped and sanded, just need to get back down after the wifey gets home from her meetings.


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## mywoodshopca (Dec 18, 2008)

Munsterlander said:


> (including some specks of bushing dust - yeah, I know)


 
Your not the only one.. I have a few sand marks on the bushings as well. should have ordered a second pair :biggrin:


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## ryankelley (Dec 20, 2008)

I am new so please excuse the ingnorance but what is BOW?


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## woody350ep (Dec 20, 2008)

bethlehem olive wood


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## GouletPens (Dec 20, 2008)

I wipe my pens with acetone before finishing with CA b/c acetone dissolves in just seconds. Way faster than dna or mineral spirits. I have some olivewood I did a while back for my father in law and used a friction polish. It lasted.....about 5 days on it. He likes the natural wood feel though, but still I would use CA if at all possible.


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## jkeithrussell (Dec 23, 2008)

Another option is to rough sand with CA to work up a CA/slurry.  Then sand and finish with CA as you normally would.  The CA/slurry will build up a good base coat for the CA finish.  I discovered that with BOW by accident while trying to fill in a void.  When I finished sanding and got ready to apply the finish, it was already shiny and had a decent CA base.


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## mywoodshopca (Dec 23, 2008)

jkeithrussell said:


> Another option is to rough sand with CA to work up a CA/slurry. Then sand and finish with CA as you normally would. The CA/slurry will build up a good base coat for the CA finish. I discovered that with BOW by accident while trying to fill in a void. When I finished sanding and got ready to apply the finish, it was already shiny and had a decent CA base.


 

Actually working on one this afternoon that had tons of figure in it, soon as I got the blank rounded, the figure was pretty much gone.. now that its down to pen size, it looks like maple  And I noticed a small void I need to fill.. so i will try this as well 

Thanks!


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## texasfootball21 (Dec 27, 2008)

I just used a normal CA/BLO on my last one, but I wiped it down very thoroughly with denatured alcohol before I put on the finish. If you try this make sure the denatured alcohol is completely dry. I thought the results were quite good. Not perfect, but the best I've gotten so far. I also used renaissance wax after finishing.  I prefer a natural finish on BOW if its my pen, but this one needed to be very durable so a natural finish wouldn't suit it. 

The best option is to experiment and let us know what works best,
Good luck,
-Joseph


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