# Mylands finishing system



## triw51 (Sep 2, 2012)

I placed an order with one of our vendors and the sellsman I talked to recomended the mylands 3 step finishing system.  He said it was better than CA (which I currently use).  Have any of you used this produce?  How: in your experience: does it preform and how does it last?  Thanks William


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## Ed McDonnell (Sep 2, 2012)

If the 3 steps are:

1) sanding sealer
2) friction polish
3) wax

then the answer to your questions are:

Q - Does it perform?

A - Depends on how you define perform.  It's easy to apply.


Q - How does it last?

B - If nobody touches the item and it is stored in a protective case, then the finish will last a long time.  Othewise, not so much.


Friction polish on utilitarian items are great as long as you want a natural satin patina on the item over the long haul.  Initial gloss achieved with friction polish will quickly disappear with use. 

If you already use CA and are happy with your CA results, then I can't think of any reason you would want to switch to friction polish.

Ed


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## alphageek (Sep 2, 2012)

If you've gotten CA finish to work, Mylands would be a BIG step backwards.   Its a friction polish based setup.   Good for many things, but will wear off with the hands on usage a pen gets.

I will be EXTREMELY shocked if anyone here tells you that mylands is better than CA.   There is a variety of finishes that people will fight for, but friction polish is pretty low on the list.


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## Texatdurango (Sep 2, 2012)

triw51 said:


> I placed an order with one of our vendors and the sellsman I talked to recomended the mylands 3 step finishing system.  He said it was better than CA (which I currently use).  Have any of you used this produce?  How: in your experience: does it preform and how does it last?  Thanks William



Friction polish doesn't last and is a waste of money......... period!  (my opinion)

I love all these SYSTEMS that we have available to us!  Pick up a bottle of sanding sealer and that's what you have.  Pick up a bottle of friction polish and that's what you have.  Put the two bottles side by side and sit a can of paste wax next to them and you now have a SYSTEM!

William, if you want a finish that you can put on and forget about it, CA is the way to go and can even be applied to give you a nice "satin" look rather than the glass smooth, glossy finish most of us strive for.

I never used friction polish after the first handful of pens I made BUT.... I use the Mylands sanding sealer on every wood pen I make just prior to applying the CA finish!  Nothing "pops" the grain and color as well as a nice coat of sanding sealer.


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## avbill (Sep 2, 2012)

Amen to that George!


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## alamocdc (Sep 2, 2012)

William, I have Mylands 3 step and I like it... with a qualification statement. I like it for some pens, but only some. I'm rather atypical of much of the rest of the pen turning community when it comes to finishes. I use a fairly wide variety depending on what I turn. For non-oily woods, my go to finish is lacquer (dipped). For oily woods, like Lignum Vitae, Teak and sometimes Cocobolo, I typically use Mylands. But then I like how the natural oils in dense oily woods give the wood a natural shine and patina over time. Hence the Mylands is only used to protect the woods from body acids until the natural oils have time to work their way to the surface. But that's just me.

And like George, I use the Mylands sanding sealer on nearly every wood pen.


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## Chatham PenWorks (Sep 3, 2012)

triw51 said:


> I placed an order with one of our vendors and the sellsman I talked to recomended the mylands 3 step finishing system.  He said it was better than CA (which I currently use).  Have any of you used this produce?  How: in your experience: does it preform and how does it last?  Thanks William



I'm curious as to what you may have told the salesman you disliked about ca, that would lead to him saying that any friction finish was better?


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## triw51 (Sep 3, 2012)

Chatham PenWorks said:


> triw51 said:
> 
> 
> > I placed an order with one of our vendors and the sellsman I talked to recomended the mylands 3 step finishing system. He said it was better than CA (which I currently use). Have any of you used this produce? How: in your experience: does it preform and how does it last? Thanks William
> ...


 
I did not tell him I did not like CA, I think he was suggesting I might like it and that he used this product.  So I was couriuos what you guys think.  I like the CA/BLO finish I use.  I have never used friction polish so did not know if it was better or not.  I am still learning.


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## ren-lathe (Sep 3, 2012)

And here is where the fight starts. Sorry folks but I do not like CA as a finish to me it is plastic. if I want to end up with plastic, I may as well just turn acrylics. I want to get a sense of the wood when I handle it. Just my not so humble opinion


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## Texatdurango (Sep 3, 2012)

ren-lathe said:


> *And here is where the fight starts*. Sorry folks but I do not like CA as a finish to me it is plastic. if I want to end up with plastic, I may as well just turn acrylics. I want to get a sense of the wood when I handle it. Just my not so humble opinion


Why, are we incapable of discussing something without arguing?

I think there is a widespread misconception that a CA finish has to look as if it is an inch deep, smooth as glass and so shiny it will blind the average person in the bright sunlight!  This is just not the case!

Perhaps three or four years ago a member here put up a video showing how he did a CA finish which was totally different from what everyone else was doing.  His goal was to protect the wood WITHOUT the thick, glossy look.  I tried it and liked it, and when I thought a particular wood wouldn't look good "under glass" I would use this method.  

The idea was to put on a very thin layer and rub like the dickens over the entire length of the pen with the lathe turning rather quickly.  Done right, you felt that you rubbed off more than you rubbed on.  This was repeated several times to get the wood coated and protected but it never built up a shine, rather it had a "semi-satin" look to it.  One would be hard pressed to think it was plastic.

On a side note, I think the term "patina" on a pen with a friction polish finish applied should be replaced with "built up oily body grime".   I have yet to see a pen with a friction polish finish after being in use for a period of time that didn't look like grimy! :wink:


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## Chatham PenWorks (Sep 3, 2012)

ren-lathe said:


> And here is where the fight starts. Sorry folks but I do not like CA as a finish to me it is plastic. if I want to end up with plastic, I may as well just turn acrylics. I want to get a sense of the wood when I handle it. Just my not so humble opinion



No reason for arguing. People usually start off using friction polish, or switch back to it, or some other finish, because of something they dislike about ca, such as yourself not liking the plasticky look. Just trying to find out why the recommendation was made, before commenting further.


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## jzerger (Sep 3, 2012)

I haven't tried it yet but where does wood turners finish fit into the scale. Between friction polish and ca?  Does it look not-so-shiny but preserves the wood? I seldom put more than a few thin coats of ca...trying for shiny but not under-glass.


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## BigE (Sep 3, 2012)

If you want a nice finish without the plastic look of CA, you should give shellac a try. Done right (French polish method), the pen comes out looking beautiful, plenty of depth, and no plastic look to it.

Don't add wax to your shellac! You'll end up with a friction polish...


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## ren-lathe (Sep 4, 2012)

No arguing. the "fights starts" comment was tongue in cheek hence the emoticon. I did not even say what finish I use. Wood has been used for thousands of years with hundred's of finishing methods. I stated I dislike ca that is all


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## raar25 (Sep 4, 2012)

Ok so has anyone tried rubbing on laquer. I had a customer comparing two wood pens this weekend one with CA and one with laquer and he walked away with the laquer because it had the warmer satiny wood finish.  

I have used wood turners finish on bowls and it is definately better than friction polish for buildup and protection, but not quite CA.


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## alamocdc (Sep 4, 2012)

Texatdurango said:


> On a side note, I think the term "patina" on a pen with a friction polish finish applied should be replaced with "built up oily body grime". I have yet to see a pen with a friction polish finish after being in use for a period of time that didn't look like grimy! :wink:


 
Then this might be a first for you, George. My youngest sone turned this spalted Pecan pen for me when he was 12. He is 25 now and I carry, and have carried this pen nearly everyday since he gave it to me. While the shine has long since worn off, I certainly don't see any grime. I know the barrels are a little proud, I knicked it somehow up by the finial, and the plating has worn off where I hold it. But the Pecan still looks amazing... IMNSHO.

Now concerning the question originally posed, we have all had different and varying experiences in this art we call pen turning. And these experiences mold our views, results and opinions. This means that you will get almost as many opinions as there are pen turners. But we all agree on one point. No friction finish, and Mylands is a friction finish, is a lasting finish. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it should be dismissed... IF that is what you want to use for a given pen. For me, I reserve it for hard, dense, oily woods that will stand on there own with normal wear and tear.

Just by way of example as to the differences of opinion, I won't do any more CA finishes. Yes, I have done them successfully, and many here swear by them. But I had a repeat cutomer bring a curly Cherry pen back to me after 3 weeks looking like it never had a finish at all. And the wood was NASTY looking. The acids in his body chemistry ATE the finish away (he used the pen alot!). I refinished it in lacquer and 2 years later it still looked good.

Ray, I have tried rubbed lacquer (not Urushi, the Japanese style), but I wasn't very successful with it. I don't think I had the patience for it. I only use the dipping method for lacquer because I have found it to give ME the best results. You may, or may not have the same result.


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