# Tried Wipeon poly this time.



## bsshog40 (Oct 9, 2018)

So my first 2 pens I finished with Bullseye Shellac. It does a decent job and dries fast which is a plus, but still not getting a high sheen with even 6 coats. I know I know ca finish. Not ready for that just yet.  But for my third pen I wanted to try the wipeon poly. I did this pen with Zebrawood. I really like how it turned out. I put 4 coats of poly on. I sanded with 1000 grit between coats. Yea it took a while to cure. It's 4 hrs between coats. I turned this sunday evening, put 1 coat on. Then put another coat Monday morning before I went to work. Came home and put 3rd coat on and then 4th before bed. I like the way the finish looks. The pics don't show real well, but it has a nice shine to it. I know for most of you that time is of the essence but for me its just a hobby and I'm not selling any at this time and have no timely demands. Ok, on to my 3rd pen.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 9, 2018)

If you are going to do poly, why not try some lacquer. Gives a deeper shine and works great on wood.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 9, 2018)

jttheclockman said:


> If you are going to do poly, why not try some lacquer. Gives a deeper shine and works great on wood.


I don't have any. Lol I planned on getting some of that also to compare finishes and see what I like.


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## mark james (Oct 9, 2018)

Try putting it under a light to get some heat to assist the curing.  When I do this, I can repeat the Poly in about 2 hrs.

Looks fine so far.


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## TonyL (Oct 9, 2018)

Thank you for sharing your results.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 9, 2018)

mark james said:


> Try putting it under a light to get some heat to assist the curing.  When I do this, I can repeat the Poly in about 2 hrs.
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> Looks fine so far.


I wasnt in a hurry for the finish. Thats why I let it set as long as I did. I'm just experimenting with few things.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 10, 2018)

bsshog40 said:


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 You will be amazed at the difference. Lacquer is thinner than poly so you may need to build but the great thing about lacquer is it will melt into the last coat unlike poly where it just lays on top and that is why many times it needs a tooth to adhere well and sanding is required between coats. 

Again all this stuff comes down to what you are looking for and everyone has their own tastes and desires when it comes to finish. No right and wrong here. If experimenting make notes of what you are doing so that you can duplicate the results if need be. Also remember not all woods finish the same way. Open grained woods, oily woods, closed grained woods and so on all play a role. have fun.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 10, 2018)

jttheclockman said:


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Yes sir! I'm actually doing another one but this time got me a can deft lacquer. I'm using wenge wood and it seems a little pourus. When I use poly on anything, I sand with 1000 grit after each coat. Did the same with the shellac and plan on doing it with the lacquer. I do it just in case there's something too small for me to feel or see. Lol Luckily, the lacquer does dry about half the time of poly. We'll see how it does. Time doesn't bother me too much using poly and so far I like the finish I got with the poly. Hopefully the lacquer will turn out as good.


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## Wildman (Oct 11, 2018)

When looking at any brand of wipe on poly check for amount of thinner.  Never buy a product with more than 60% solvent/thinner.

If look at this product label over 75% solvent/thinner  (Light Aliphatic Hydrocarbon) 
Essentially naphtha and lesser degree mineral spirits.

https://www.minwax.com/document/SDS/en/US/027426409002

While the more solvent/thinner used,  might allow for faster drying but more coats are needed!

Whether using poly or varnish today different chemical resins a 50% resin to 50% solvent/thinner prefered.  Two coats of that 50/50 mix equals one coat of poly or varnish.  Some folks use less solvent/thinner to mix thier own wipe on poly or varnish.  

You can do the same with thinned lacquer with about 20% lacquer thinner.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 18, 2018)

So I really like the looks of the poly finishes I've been getting. Yea it is time consuming waiting 4 hrs between coats, but I got me an idea. I made this little drying rack. Lol 3/16" dowel and 7mm bushings slide over them nicely. Put some CA bushings between them to keep them from sticking together. Now I can lathe, coat and then put them up to dry and be able to start lathing my next pen. Lol


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## bsshog40 (Oct 18, 2018)

jttheclockman said:


> If you are going to do poly, why not try some lacquer. Gives a deeper shine and works great on wood.


So I used lacquer on one of my pens. It did look good but I still get a better finish with the poly. I let the poly totally cure, sand with 2000 grit between each finish and use 4 coats. The poly gives a great shine. Just for additional protection I do a quick wax with some renaissance.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 19, 2018)

bsshog40 said:


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If you are happy then stick with it. For my money nothing beats lacquer for a finish on wood if not using CA. If I could show you 2 blanks finished one with poly and one with Lacquer and the blanks has some chatoyance you will see right away what I mean. Good luck as you proceed.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 19, 2018)

jttheclockman said:


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I did a pen with lacquer. For poly, I do 4 coats. I put 6 coats of lacquer on the wenge (dark) pen. 4 coats of poly on the cedar pen. Unless I'm not using a specific lacquer, it just doen't give me the shine that the poly did. What is your method for finishing with lacquer. I'd really like to know and if I can get the same finish with it, it would save me a little time. With winter coming on, poly never cures very easy. Lol


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## rd_ab_penman (Oct 19, 2018)

I use MINWAX WBOM Clear Gloss Polyurethane using my dipping method.
Easy to apply for a fast drying, consistent, high gloss durable finish every time.

Les


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## jttheclockman (Oct 19, 2018)

bsshog40 said:


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If you are all about the shine then by all means stick with Poly. It is a more plastic finish and is a thicker film building product as opposed to lacquer and will shine brighter than Lacquer. But gloss lacquer will buff to a very high shine also. I use a buffing wheel but as I said I do not use either poly or lacquer on pens. I use CA because it is such a simple finish to do for pens and quick. Why so many people have problems with doing a CA finish on pens is always so mind boggling to me but there are hundreds of pages of problems documented here of these problems so will leave that alone. Good luck. You just got another option that every time this subject comes up shows up so try dipping and maybe that will be of help.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 19, 2018)

jttheclockman said:


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I dont understand knocking a poly finish because it looks like plastic and suggesting a CA finish that is plastic. Lol


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## jttheclockman (Oct 19, 2018)

bsshog40 said:


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Again if it works for you go with it. I am knocking poly compared to lacquer. You are talking a finish other than CA. CA is not poly and the look is different.  Unless you are using a waterbased poly it will have a golden hue to it. Put some on a clear glass and do a couple coats  do both types of poly and see for yourself what the difference is. Do the same with lacquer and CA and compare. It is your pens and your finish I gave you my opinion. There is a mountain of other options mentioned here as well over the years. Others can speak to their results. I do other woodworking than just wood pens and am faced with myriad of situations from different woods. Not all woods react or look the same with just one brand of finish. That is why they make so many. You can start a whole other topic about polishes to make the shine even shinier but again that is a topic for another thread. Good luck to you as you move on in this hobby.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 19, 2018)

jttheclockman said:


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I hear ya John! I wasn't criticizing my friend. I've been woodworking for years myself. Just got into pens. I sprayed lacquer on full wood library rooms and it looks beautiful. Its amazing how much easier it is to finish large pieces compared to trying to get a finish on something soo small and have it useable. Lol Have a great wknd my friend!
Bobby


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## jfoh (Oct 22, 2018)

I bought a lot of water based poly when my local Rocklers put it on clearance at 90% off. I think they made a mistake because a week later it was much higher on clearance. Anyway I used it on two personal one piece Cigar pens I use every day. Been nearly a year and they still look great. Has held up very well. 

The problem with lacquer I've had is that the newest coat will melt into the older coats sometime making them all soft when you get a high buildup. Then it takes a lot of time to cure again. 

Every type of finish works well but they all have drawbacks. CA is nice until you get a allergy. Friction or french polish is the easiest but least durable. WTF works OK but did not last as long as I hoped in heavy use. Poly takes time to do well and needs to cure longer than most give it. Like I said they all work and they all don't work. But truth is that 99% of a good finish is good prep work and attention to detail. 1% luck.


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## bsshog40 (Oct 22, 2018)

jfoh said:


> I bought a lot of water based poly when my local Rocklers put it on clearance at 90% off. I think they made a mistake because a week later it was much higher on clearance. Anyway I used it on two personal one piece Cigar pens I use every day. Been nearly a year and they still look great. Has held up very well.
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> The problem with lacquer I've had is that the newest coat will melt into the older coats sometime making them all soft when you get a high buildup. Then it takes a lot of time to cure again.
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> Every type of finish works well but they all have drawbacks. CA is nice until you get a allergy. Friction or french polish is the easiest but least durable. WTF works OK but did not last as long as I hoped in heavy use. Poly takes time to do well and needs to cure longer than most give it. Like I said they all work and they all don't work. But truth is that 99% of a good finish is good prep work and attention to detail. 1% luck.


I was wondering how WTF would last. Cold weather is about here and poly just won't cure in the shop unless I leave a heater on all the time. The pen ain't worth that bill. Lol I just started using WTF and I like the looks of the finish. It dries fast for coating. I also put a coat of renaissance wax on top of that. I'm not worried about duarability of these pens as they are just going to sit in my office. But down the road if I do one for a friend, if it would last if they use it alot. I like a good finish but the only reason I started doing pens was just to see if I could. My lathe is only a little over a month old and I have other challenges to do with it. Any pens I make are just gifts.


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## EdM (Feb 9, 2019)

Great idea !
I would be concerned about shop dust settling on your newly coated turning though ...


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## brailsmt (Feb 10, 2019)

CA finishes are surprisingly easy.  There is no real reason to avoid/delay them.  Over time, they get faster/easier/better.  If you start early with CA, then that time arrives faster.


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## Pilbara Pens (Feb 11, 2019)

I have used the dip method for a couple of years after getting a reaction from CA.
I block the lower end of the tube with a disposable earplug. I use an earplug glued to a dowel to block the top and as a handle to dip, remove excess varnish and to hang for drying.
This method takes several days to complete 3 coats but the strength, depth and shine of the finish is worth the wait.


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## sbwertz (Feb 11, 2019)

bsshog40 said:


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A technique I use with wenge to fill the grain is glue sanding.  When I am ready to start sanding, I will take a piece of sandpaper...usually about 220 or so, and put a stripe of medium CA on it and sand.  The sandpaper makes a slurry with the glue and the sawdust and fills the pores, and keeps the wenge from throwing splinters....wenge splinters are really mean and usually become infected.  Sand off the excess glue and sand and finish with whatever finish you want.  The deep pores and splinters of the wenge will be filled and you can get a beautiful smooth finish.


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## wolf creek knives (Feb 13, 2019)

Nice idea on the drying rack.  I normally just set them on the workbench.  Thanks for sharing.     But your shop seems way to clean...really... know saw dust on the shelves?  Maybe you cleaned up before you shot the photo.


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