# "bleeding" issue on pens



## Turned Around (Oct 9, 2012)

Ok, let me clarify, the title might be misleading. When making a segmented pen using light wood (something like Birdseye Maple) and a colored wood (specifically Paduk), how do you keep the red from bleeding over onto the lighter woods and making them a pink-ish color?

Turning and sanding is always fine, it's the finishing I always have problems with. The finish that gives me the most problems is a liquid friction polish.

Any tips or tricks you guys have learned to keep that from happening?

Thanks for the info,
Nic


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## its_virgil (Oct 9, 2012)

Make sure the blank is clean prior to applying the finish. Blow off all sanding dust or carefully use alcohol, lacquer thinner or another similar solvent to clean the blank.

Seal the wood with thin CA prior to applying the finish. A good sanding sealer will also work. I like Mylands Cellulose Sanding Sealer but any good sanding sealer should work. I don't have this bleeding problem using CA to finish pens made with segmented blanks.

Use stabilized wood for making segmented blanks(if you make your own blanks).

Good luck.
Do a good turn daily!
Don



Turned Around said:


> Ok, let me clarify, the title might be misleading. When making a segmented pen using light wood (something like Birdseye Maple) and a colored wood (specifically Paduk), how do you keep the red from bleeding over onto the lighter woods and making them a pink-ish color?
> 
> Turning and sanding is always fine, it's the finishing I always have problems with. The finish that gives me the most problems is a liquid friction polish.
> 
> ...


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## el_d (Oct 10, 2012)

Ill go straight from the Woodchuck to CA, No sanding at all until I have enough CA.

Actually I don't use sandpaper on any of my pens, saves some money for me ......


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## JosephDurham (Oct 10, 2012)

I make a great deal of pens like this.  My favorite combination is to do bloodwood/ birds eye maple/ bloodwood/ birds eye maple.  They are beautiful no matter the pen kit.

Go through your four grits of sanding, then use three pads of the micro mesh, or all of them.  Going through all of the pads will help in this process.  Then, take whatever polish you are using, I have found CRYSTAL HUT LIQUID to make these combinations fantastic, and take a towel and gently run it across the blank, and let it soak in.  Almost make the polish look like water laying on the blank.  Let.it.set for about ten seconds, wipe.it off, and repeat.  Have.your lathe, if midi and capable around 3960rpm; the results are better in my opinion.  

The bloodwood will still bleed, but not onto your lighter colored wood.  

Put four or however make layers of polish you want on, and you're done.

Hope this helps.

Joseph


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## oneptbuk (Oct 10, 2012)

I can't really add much to what was suggested above, as those are spot on.  I had the same problems in making a band saw box earlier, with the same woods you describe.  As Don said, the keys for me were removing all of the sanding dust, and sealing the wood prior to finishing.  I used denatured alcohol to wipe down the project and shellac to seal and the results were much better for me.  The Mylands sealer would work the same for a pen blank.


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