# TSW IN open grain wood



## Ranic (May 18, 2006)

I but TSW on some cocobolo. It went into the pores and turned white. So I have a beautiful cocobolo gentlemans pen with white spots all over it. Is there anything I can do to fix it?


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## DCBluesman (May 18, 2006)

First things first, wipe the blank down with acetone and a clean, absorbent cloth.  It should remove the excess.  Next, on all open grained or porous woods, in particular, you need to seal the grain.  Otherwise, any wax product will fill the pores and create this problem.  Email me through the forum if you need further help.


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## PenTurnerJohn (May 29, 2006)

Lou,
I've had the same problem with pens after having CA as a sealer.  I still get white spots when applying the wax at the end.
John


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## Randy_ (May 29, 2006)

I'm surprised Lou didn't mention it; but as I understand it, TSW is a top coat dressing that is meant to be applied to a pen that is already finished....already has a finish applied.  Don't think it should be applied to unfinished wood??  

Lou:  Holler at me if I am confused.


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## woodpens (May 29, 2006)

Randy,

Lou did mention that the wood should be sealed such that any open pores are filled. As Russ Fairfield proposed recently, it is not always necessary to use a non-natural finish. Some woods such as Cocobolo and Bethlehem Olivewood (BOW) can look very nice without a finish. TSW applied to a sealed, but unfinished, pen can be very nice and adds a shine and protection to the wood.


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## DCBluesman (May 29, 2006)

I sometimes forget that not everyone has had the benefit of being a member of the IAP since the introduction of TSW.  With that in mind, here's a detailed primer on how to use it.

Like any other finish or top coat, the key to success lies in preparing the surface of the blank.   





> The surface finish can be no better than that of the wood under it.-_Russ Fairfield_


 Rather than go into painful detail on the subject of surface prep, I refer you to Finishing Secrets by Russ Fairfield

Let it suffice to say that if you plan on putting any finish on a pen, you will want to use some kind of sanding sealer on open grained or porous wood.  If you don't, the waxes (or other compounds) will fill in the pores and grain.  Depending on the wood, I use different substances for sealing from thinned lacquer to CA to shellac.  Regardless of the product of choice, you need to follow the process of sealing, sanding back down to wood, and re-sealing until you have a surface which is blemish-free and perfectly level.  Once you have done this, there are no pores and there is no grain for excess wax, oil or other substance to collect in.  (Finishing details are at Russ's site or you may wish to try Don Ward's, James Mann's or any of the other finishing articles in our library.)

Next, whether applying TSW over bare wood or over a finish, the steps are simple but critical.  This is not the time to skip steps.

First, your project must be dry and <b>fully cured</b>.  Apply TSW with a clean, soft cloth.  Make sure every bit of the piece is totally covered, then immediately wipe off the excess with another area of the clean cloth.  <b>Do not</b> leave excess product on the wood.  After 45-60 seconds, you will notice that the TSW is hazing (going cloudy).  At this point, you will need to hand buff with another section of clean, soft cloth, or buff on a clean wheel. <b>Do not</b> allow TSW to totally dry before buffing! There are many ways to buff, but I prefer high-speed, light pressure.  The entire power buffing process for a pen shouldn't take longer than 30-40 seconds...hand buffing may take a little longer depending on the level of gloss you are looking for.  I generally power buff in about 15-20 seconds, but I've been using TSW for a year and a half on hundreds of pens.

Immediately after buffing, inspect your pen.  Here's where I put on Mag-Eyes (a magnifying glass will do) and look for any spots that are still hazy.  If you find any hazy spots, a little more buffing is required.  Once you have removed all haze, the pen should be set aside for a few minutes to let the surface continue to cure.  If you wish to add more TSW to increase the depth of appearance of your finish, wait 1-2 hours before re-applying.  Follow the same method detailed above.

Examples of TSW on open pored and/or unfinished woods:




<br />

Bethlehem olivewood - no finish +TSW



<br />

Cocobolo - Lacquer +TSW



<br />

Irish Bog Oak - Lacquer +TSW



<br />

Snakewood - No finish +TSW

If you have further questions, please feel free to email me. [8D]


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## PenTurnerJohn (May 29, 2006)

Lou,
Thanks for that great explanation on TSW.  Since I'm relatively new I'm trying to go back and read the archived articles and threads.  Wow!  We sure have a wealth of information there.  I remarked to my wife this morning that I think this forum probably has covered - at some time - every problem known to pen turners.  It sure helps, Lou, when folks like you take the time to help us newcomers with techniques that you often take for granted.  Thanks, again, and happy Memorial Day!

John
Olathe KS


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## alamocdc (May 29, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Randy__
> <br />I'm surprised Lou didn't mention it; but as I understand it, TSW is a top coat dressing that is meant to be applied to a pen that is already finished....already has a finish applied.  Don't think it should be applied to unfinished wood??
> 
> Lou:  Holler at me if I am confused.



Okay, I'm not Lou, and he has sufficiently addresses this, but here's my spin on this. I use TSW on bare wood frequently (almost always on most oily woods in fact). Yes, it takes time and repeated steps to seal the open grain of woods like Coco, but I believe it is worth the wait and effort. My rule of thumb is that I can still see dips in the grain that are more than a few thousandths of an inch deep (takes some trial and plenty of error to figure out what that is), I keep applying sealer and sanding off the surface coat (MM only and always). Here are three examples.
Glue-up of Olive, Lignum Vitae, Cocobolo, Texas Ebony and Mesquite.


<br />
Pecan


<br />
Peach root ball


<br />
I have many other examples, but this should answer the mail.


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