# OAK Pen



## fitzman163 (Nov 5, 2009)

I have a customer that wanted an Oak Majestic jr. wish I tried to talk him out of (Oak). With all the beautiful wood out there, thats another issue. When sanding it the sanding dust gets in the pours and crackes of the wood and turns them very dark. It looks as if the blank was under a pile of dirt. Any suggestions on how to prevent this and or clean up the mess I already have would be greatly appreciated. I tried CA finish I havn't been sucessful with that. I used Mylands friction polish 4 coats it looked very nice and then I put it to the buffer. That was a big mistake the grain filled up with the Tripoli and it was down hill from there.


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## PTownSubbie (Nov 5, 2009)

If CA is not working for you, have you thought about Laquer as a finish? You need something to fill the open grain and I THINK that laquer will do that. Then when you buff, no problems.

I am not positive about laquer as a grain filler though. Someone else may be able to confirm.


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## Crashmph (Nov 5, 2009)

You could try wet sanding with the Milands Polish.  I have done this with several open grained wood and it works very nicely.  I usually start with 150 then I wet sand with 220 and Milands.  The "slurry" that forms fills in all the openness of the grain and makes a nice contrast to the grain.  I then just finish sanding up to 800 and them polish more with the Milands.  Then I buff it out with Carnauba wax only.  This process has worked for me on several open grain woods and it looks very nice.


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## glycerine (Nov 5, 2009)

I use a toothbrush sometimes to help clean out open grain. That and denatured alcohol has worked well for me. Once I'm done sanding, I'll clean the blanks very well with the alcohol and/or the toothbrush, then let it dry/evaporate. Then I'll start the CA coats.
Using a shop vac and/or a blowgun or "canned air" should work well to for cleaning out the open grain as well.


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## DCBluesman (Nov 5, 2009)

My "trick" for open grained woods is to seal early and seal often.  It really doesn't matter how you seal, either.  Use CA, sanding sealer (thinned lacquer), shellac or about anything else.  Start sealing while you are still doing your final tool passes. I will sometimes seal the wood two or three times before I start sanding.  By then, the open grain should be filled and you should not have muddy looking grain.


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## george (Nov 5, 2009)

I have recently made about 30 pcs of oak pens. I sealed the surcafe with medium CA - wet sanding (the way Russ Fairfield did it in library).

I did not have any problems with grey dust filling the pores as long as I did not go over the bushings. I think that's where the dirt comes from. After sealing I went up to 12.000 MM and did several coats of CA.


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## bradh (Nov 6, 2009)

+1 on Russ's wet sanding with CA. I do a lot or red oak pens and this method seals the open pores quickly and looks great.


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## its_virgil (Nov 6, 2009)

I use a CA slurry made from CA and sanding dust to seal and fill. No CA dust, just dust the same color as the wood. I like the results...you may not. After the slurry dries, I start sanding back at 220 and continue my normal finisnhing routine.

I made 4 oak (modified) slimlines from Oak flooring last night and they look really nice. They now belong to the 4 guys who drove 4 hours to repair the existing floor  and install new oak flooring for a remodel/add on we are doing.
Do a good turn daily!


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## glycerine (Nov 6, 2009)

I guess the way you do it depends on this:  Do you want the grain filled in with wood dust or do you want the grain to stay open and filled with a clearcoat of some kind?


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## gallianp (Nov 6, 2009)

Quote...  "With all the beautiful wood out there"   I add severals Oak species to that list of beautiful woods.  Best of all it is free here in the Missouri Ozarks.  I think L. & JG Stickley would agree.   

Paul


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## AceMrFixIt (Nov 6, 2009)

Tooth brush and acetone works for me.


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## fitzman163 (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks for all the info gang. Please don't get me wrong I love oak myself I guess I just like more grain or burl in my wood pen. Thanks again.


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## Gary Max (Nov 6, 2009)

You should see the white oak burl I just picked up-----------it's unreal.
Need some??????????????


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## PenMan1 (Nov 6, 2009)

After sanding to AT LEAST 1500 grit, take a soft bistle toothbrush and dip it in denatured alcohol. Turn the lathe on at about 500 to 1000 rpms and brush the oak blanks with the alcohol. Let it dry completely and then spray with MinWax spray on polyeurathane. Three coats works nicely.

The key to oak is sanding finer that with most other woods and getting the dust out of the grain. Adding waxes, etc before sealing just clogs the gain and darkens and "muddles" the appearance.

There are several great methods listed in the IAP library that will help make CA application much easier. It is much faster than using Poly, etc.


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## Larry in Harrow (Nov 6, 2009)

*Some Pretty Oak*

Highly figured white oak finished with Polyurethane










Crosscut White oak pen and pencil set finished with water born polyurethane.
The water born poly is very high solid content and tends to fill the large pores well.  I believe I applied 9 coats with an airbrush on the crosscut oak and the pores are all filled.  Water born poly surface dries very quickly as well (and no smell)


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## DurocShark (Nov 6, 2009)

Even the most boring oak can look pretty good. This was an early pen of mine:



http://blog.woodscrub.info/2008/10/herringbone-pattern-pen-in-red-oak.html


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## fitzman163 (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks again for all the great info. I sanded and added CA at the same time, it filled the grain and looked very nice. I was able to get only the second CA finish in my 8 years of doing pens. I think I will stick with it and try to get it down to a science. I gave it to the customer this morning and he was very happy with the finished product. Thats what counts.


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## ELCAMINO63 (Aug 6, 2010)

hmm i dont usually do oak , nice wood though i havent had those problems when i did , and it must be the oak im using , i usually do wood from a jack daniels barrel stave or slat, and it works awesomely and is a pleasure to turn because the smell of the whiskey is released as your turning mmm mmm what a great fragrance .


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## Jon-wx5nco (Aug 6, 2010)

fitzman163 said:


> Thanks again for all the great info. I sanded and added CA at the same time, it filled the grain and looked very nice. I was able to get only the second CA finish in my 8 years of doing pens. I think I will stick with it and try to get it down to a science. I gave it to the customer this morning and he was very happy with the finished product. Thats what counts.


 
Excellent job on that!


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## turbowagon (Aug 6, 2010)

+1 on "wet sanding" with medium CA.  I usually use 180 or 240 grit to make a slurry.  Your finished pen looks great!


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## Smitty37 (Aug 6, 2010)

*Finish*

I think a lot of us tend to forget, that just because an itme is turned doesn't mean we have to turn the finish. I have some "dipping wire" and have dipped a few pens for the finish stain. It works if you're careful I think there are probably sealers out there that will work for dipping too.


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## Mark (Aug 6, 2010)

When I did my Majestic FP for daily use and abuse, I sanded to 320 and added two coats of med CA. MM to 600 to knock off any ridges or grooves. I didn't clean out the grain or do anything special.

It didn't come out super smooth or mirror-like. It has a rough feel and finish.


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## Rick_G (Aug 6, 2010)

I did this olympia cutting the oak on a 45 deg. angle to the grain.  Just sanded to 600, and my normal CA finish.  No problems with dust getting in the pores.  As someone mentioned earlier it may have been dust from the bushings.


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