# Coloured Pencil Blanks Query!



## wm460 (May 24, 2022)

I haven't made any  pens or touched my lathes for a very long time. 
I thought I would make a coloured pencil pot when I tried sanding it the coloured lead contaminated all the wood, tried sanding sealer but it leached the colour into the wood.

How do people finish these blanks?
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## Velcrodog (May 24, 2022)

I saw an exellent Youtube video on using colored pencil blanks recently, unfortunately I dont recall the title but duing a search should find it.


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## JohnU (May 24, 2022)

They aren’t fun.  I turn them as close to size as possible with light touches so they are fairly smooth.  Then I saturate them with ultra thin CA so it soaks in and seals the wood.  Then I sand them only as needed to smooth them out.  I wipe them down with Denatured Alcohol to clean them and finish with CA.  I would also suggest cleaning around the lathe and floor area prior to turning them, and place a white sheet on the floor and possibly hanging behind you so when the colored leaf comes flying out during turning, it will be easier to find so you can CA glue it back in.


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## wm460 (May 28, 2022)

Thanks for your reply.



JohnU said:


> I would also suggest cleaning around the lathe and floor area prior to turning them, and place a white sheet on the floor and possibly hanging behind you so when the colored leaf comes flying out during turning,



Hindsight is great,  next time.


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