# Arm-R-Seal anyone?



## malathan (Aug 2, 2005)

Has anyone used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal for pens yet?  Most sources rate
it as a very durable finish (for furniture) and with the oil content, it
makes the wood shine.  I have tried CA, but while the finish is great, I
have had too much time trying to master the finish making it not favorable.
Enduro gives a nice finish, but the look tends to be a more "plastic" sheen
and feel than other finishes.  So far the Arm-R-Seal seems to be what I
like, but am questioning the durability from a handling standpoint on pens.

- Clayton


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## ctEaglesc (Aug 2, 2005)

IF you go to the home page,in the member submitted links Russ fairfiels site "making a pen" is listed.
If you search through is site you will find a section on finishing pens.In  ti he touches on most of the finishes available and discusses the pros and cons of many possible finishes.Anchor seal is mentioned and the down side was the time involved.
I suggest you take a look at that and make your decision.It is a great read.
I have used Myands 3 step system with great success.It leaves a finish that rivals a CA finish aaafter you master it and it is more forgiving than CA.


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## RussFairfield (Aug 2, 2005)

Here is a link to the article Eagle is talking about

http://www.woodturner-russ.com/FS-4.html

I originally posted it here as a commentary of finishing pens, but I revised it for a general woodturning audience on my Website.

There is nothing magical about the General finishes. They are a good quality polyurethane varnish. Some are suspended in oil, and some are a jel. The jel form is what settles to the bottom of the can of oil finish.


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## Czarcastic (Aug 2, 2005)

I frequently use a combination of Seal-A-Cell and Arm-R-Seal on my larger turnings and on most of my "flat" projects.  Seal-A-Cell is a very good sanding and grain sealer, and Arm-R-Seal puts a wonderful warm finish on the wood.  My personal preference is the Semi-Gloss.
My regimen typically includes 2 coats of Seal-A-Cell followed by 3 to 4 coats of Arm-R-Seal.  Buff with #0000 steel wool between each coat except for the last two.
It does, however, take time.  I wait 12 hours between each coat, which means 3 to 5 days to finish. It then takes about a week to fully cure after that.
I have never tried this on a pen, but I considered it several times.  I am thinking about using this on my next set of pens, as I just purchased some beautiful burls, and have Baron rollerball kits on order from BB.  I'll let you know how they turn out.
Here is a link to some photos of one of my turnings that use the Seal-A-Cell/Arm-R-Seal finish:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7879&whichpage=1#80310

HTH


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## alamocdc (Aug 2, 2005)

Clayton, I use my own mixture of BLO, Tung Oil and polyurethane for flatwork. It is something I picked up from David Marks and is a remarkable finish. However, like Russ says in his article, it takes time to properly apply and cure... one day between coats and multiple coats to achieve the desired effect. Arm-R-Seal looks to be about the same type of finish and Czar's method is dead on if you want it to look right. If you have the time and patience to use finish like this on pens, it will pay off. Most don't, or won't have one of the two... me included. [:I]


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## Czarcastic (Aug 8, 2005)

Clayton:
I finished a pen with the Seal-A-Cell/Arm-R-Seal combo as listed above (only 2 coats of Arm-R-Seal) on a Baron.
You can see the results in the "Show off your pens" forum HERE


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## RussFairfield (Aug 8, 2005)

You can short circuit the handling and buffing between multiple coats by using a submarine type application. Soak the finished pen or other piece of turned wood in the finish for a few hours, let it drip dry and sit for a week, and then buff it with the Tripoli and White Diamond. If the finish had been left to dry long enough, it will buff to a high shine. If it doesn't, let it sit for a few more days and buff again. Coating it with wax is optional.

If you plug the ends of the tubes, they will float. If you don't, you will have to clean them out.


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## malathan (Aug 12, 2005)

What advantage does seal-a-cell do?  I have used 3+ coats of arm-r-seal without any sanding sealer and gotten great results.


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