# New technique for Gluboost Challenge!



## ramaroodle (Aug 22, 2019)

Try this.  I'd like to see if you agree.  Call me lazy but this seems to work for me.  I finish turning my pen as always with 400 or 600 grit sandpaper and then apply GB in the normal way with the lathe off starting with Blue then orange using accelerator as directed.  I use a paper towel.  Then instead of only using 2 coats of the orange I apply 2 more coats insuring it has a nice smooth finish wiping back and forth with the grain as the GB is self leveling. Then......hold on to you chairs, *I SKIP THE MICRO MESH!*  I use EEE on a paper towel once or twice, wiping and polishing between applications at about 2K rpms.  Then I buff/polish with my Maguires plastic polish as always, also with a paper towel.  I really can't see or feel the difference between that method and the micromesh method. My thinking is that it also removes less of the finish. Less mess and less time.  The EEE seems to be about as aggressive as the m mesh.

Maybe somebody else could give it a try and see if they agree.

This one done with m.mesh





This one skipping the m. mesh


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## leehljp (Aug 22, 2019)

Andy,
Thanks for the post. Great looking finish on both pens. There are dozens of ways to arrive at the same fit and finish in pen making and I think that is one of the things that make pen making so attractive - there is no "one way" to achieve the perfect finish, there are a multiplicity of ways. The secret is perseverance until one finds the one or two that fits them. 

I learned to smooth the wood without sandpaper accidentally because of a need that sandpaper couldn't accomplish. Glad you found a method that works for you using EEE. It may help others too!

Congratulations!


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## MRDucks2 (Aug 22, 2019)

You may be on to something, will give it a shot. 


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## Dehn0045 (Aug 22, 2019)

One word of caution is that EEE contains a wax that is left behind.  This can hide flaws that return after only a small amount of end use of the pen.  You can check by cleaning the blank with DNA after the finishing process is complete.  I did this a while back and found that the final finish wasn't as good as I had thought.  That said, I was using BSI thin CA, your results could definitely be better than mine due to differences in CA and procedural nuances...


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## KenB259 (Aug 23, 2019)

Probably a dumb question, but here goes anyways. What is EEE?


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## Timber Ripper (Aug 23, 2019)

KenB
From Google - *EEE* - Ultra Shine is a cut and *polish* paste wax containing Tripoli powder (also known in Australia as Rotten Stone) an ultra fine abrasive. The *polish* is designed to be used in conjunction with Shellawax Cream & liquid or as a finish in its own right on plastics and some stone.


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## Woodchipper (Aug 23, 2019)

KenB259 said:


> Probably a dumb question, but here goes anyways. What is EEE?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


My father always said the only dumb question is the one not asked. We learn by asking. I asked the same question a while back. Some refer to it as Tripoli, aka EEE. 
If I have a question, I ask my wife.   Classified ad- For sale. One set of encyclopedias. Don't need, wife knows everything.


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## ramaroodle (Aug 23, 2019)

Dehn0045 said:


> One word of caution is that EEE contains a wax that is left behind.  This can hide flaws that return after only a small amount of end use of the pen.  You can check by cleaning the blank with DNA after the finishing process is complete.  I did this a while back and found that the final finish wasn't as good as I had thought.  That said, I was using BSI thin CA, your results could definitely be better than mine due to differences in CA and procedural nuances...


Oh.  Great point!  Thanks! Maybe a wipedown with DNA or Acetone before applying the plastic polish.  Using the EEE as an abrasive.  Can anyone recommend another option?  Mild rubbing compound?


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## ramaroodle (Aug 23, 2019)

KenB259 said:


> Probably a dumb question, but here goes anyways. What is EEE?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


EEE


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## leehljp (Aug 23, 2019)

ramaroodle said:


> Oh.  Great point!  Thanks! Maybe a wipedown with DNA or Acetone before applying the plastic polish.  Using the EEE as an abrasive.  *Can anyone recommend another option? * Mild rubbing compound?



Some rubbing compounds will work. To cut down on the work, look at the following:

. . . With a little experience, touching the cured CA (as the blank is turning on the lathe) with a sharp scraper or sharp skew will make it as smooth as glass and even from end to end too. Last thing to do is size it and polish it.


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