# What do you finish acrylic pens with?



## cbb007

In another thread I mentioned that I put a ca finish on all my acrylic pens and someone asked why I put a finish on acrylic.

What do you do for acrylic pens?


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## mike_ca

I don't finish acrylics. I just wet sand to 4/0! It turns out like a mirror.


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## hunter-27

Nothing, just sand it to the best of your ability


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## rjwolfe3

I use either Microgloss or plastic polish after wet sanding of course.

Edit - I also buff too!


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## EBorraga

I actually wet sand to 12000mm, tene put a coat of Meguiar's Plastx on, Followed by a coat of wax.


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## jwoodwright

Before Micromesh was popular, I used Metal Polish and even tried cheap tooth paste.  The tooth paste on Corian was great.  Like 10,000 grit...


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## ldb2000

It's sorta like your putting a finish on a finish , resin and CA are both forms of acrylic plastic . You are doing twice the work that you have to .
I sand to about 800 and then go to the buffer and buff with tripoli (if needed) and then white diamond for a glass like finish .


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## ed4copies

We put a finish on wood to protect it and make it shine.

If you want to protect your furniture, you put a piece of plexiglass over it.

What do you do to the plexiglass???

Do the same to your "plastic" pens.  Remove scratches and make shiny.


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## OKLAHOMAN

Wet sand, Brasso, Mequires plastic scratch remover, Mequires Plastic polish on most. Accourding to the material (like tru stone) will some times just wet sand and buff.BTW these are not finishes but polishes.


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## DozerMite

400 wet then to the buffer.


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## fernhills

With Acrylics just wet sand and then plastic polish.  With Aluminite i put a c/a finish on b/c it does not have a deep shine to it,but thats before i had a buffing set up. I will see what happens when i do another Aluminite and use the buffing system.  Carl


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## Rifleman1776

As you have seen, lot of techniques. Final decision is yours.
For me, I wet sand with MM or special acrylic pads to finest grade then polish with automotive scratch remover, then polish with high grade automotive caranuba wax. The wax may not be necessary but it provides that little 'extra' touch for presentation.


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## glycerine

Sand and then plastic polish.  I have read that some "acrylics" are not as shiney as say PR (polyacrylic resin) and may get a better shine with CA.  So if you're using CA and it's turning out how you like, then keep doing it...


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## theturningcircle

As others have said - Why put a finish on a finish.
I wet sand through the grades and micromesh then straight to the buffing wheel. No problems and a great finish that lasts!!!!!


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## Daniel

I Micro Meshed to 12000 then applied Hut Crystal Coat. eventually learned that the Crystal Coat is actually a step backwards but at a polishing level that I could not see. but still a step backwards.
Recently I switched to sanding and then buffing. sure wish I had done that a long time ago. part of why I would not get out in the shop and make more pens was the thought of doing all that finishing. 15 minutes turning and 30 minutes polishing just got old fast for me. now it is 15 minutes turning and 2 minutes at the buffer. I have made about 150 pens in the last couple of months since getting my buffer. sometimes you all just need to come on over take me by the nap of the neck and stuff my head in the trough. Honestly I have to thank the members of this group that I ever even considered a buffer much less ever bought one. I recently found evidence that CA finishes will fail on at least unstabilized wood even after several years. Basically CA is getting written off as a finish for much of anything. I pulled one of the finest finished pens I have ever made out of my display cabinet the other day and found the CA had cracked on the back side of it. I never used CA on Acrylics but have always used it on wood. now I will only use it on stabilized wood if I will use it at all. I think for now I am going to the mylands finish for all my wood pens. that is until I find something wrong with it. if I do I will go to shellac. hard to beat centuries of proof that it works I guess.


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## RAdams

I will have to try my buffer on my PR now...

Up to reading this, I wet sanded with 600, them MM and that is usually all. Sometimes i will use Plast-X after MM, but that is rare. I like the idea of two minutes at the buffer instead of 15 minutes sanding at the lathe!


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## Bree

All that I do other than sanding and buffing is to Ren wax the acrylic to keep fingerprints from showing up.  It really needs nothing else.
:wink::wink::wink:


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## GouletPens

Beall Buff to white diamond and you're set. You can use acrylic polish (HUT) after that if you're anal.


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## cbb007

Thanks to everyone for the info.

Clay


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## Great Googly Moogly

so what about the "worthless wood" pens?  They are half PR and half wood...


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## hunter-27

Great Googly Moogly said:


> so what about the "worthless wood" pens? They are half PR and half wood...


 I finish as wood, need to put something on the wood portion, wont hurt the rest


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## GouletPens

Great Googly Moogly said:


> so what about the "worthless wood" pens?  They are half PR and half wood...



Most (effective) WW is alumilite, not PR. It can be done with PR, but not as well. CA is best for WW pens.


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## Daniel

Lately I have been turning wood pens, sanding with 220 grit paper and doing a CA slurry at that point. then sanding on to 600 then buffing it as well. no actual CA finish just a wood fill. still holding my breath as to how the shine will hold up over time. A quick check the other day left me with a mixed feeling about it but the light also was not that good.



Great Googly Moogly said:


> so what about the "worthless wood" pens?  They are half PR and half wood...


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## jttheclockman

Daniel said:


> Lately I have been turning wood pens, sanding with 220 grit paper and doing a CA slurry at that point. then sanding on to 600 then buffing it as well. no actual CA finish just a wood fill. still holding my breath as to how the shine will hold up over time. A quick check the other day left me with a mixed feeling about it but the light also was not that good.


 

Daniel, I have been following your testing and first must say that is the first time I read that a pen finished in CA has cracked by sitting there and on the backside. Do you attribute this to wood movement, hot or cold, sunlight, or just some other phenom??? Has this happened to anyone else??? How about a band, does it have a band around it???

Second question on this testing of the last set of pens, areyou using the pen or just letting it sit??? Using it will put it through a more rigorous test and tell you really if it will hold up. Thanks.


As far as acrylic I do as just about everyone else does and that is sand and polish. No need for another finish on top. I have to say though that over time acrylics will dull from use as will CA finished pens and then I just hit with Ren wax and buff by hand and good as new. You notice it more on clear acrylics like the computer pen. I happen to be using one as my go to pen and noticed it more so.


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## WildcatHollow

I dry sand from 150 to 600, then use wet micro pads from 800 to 12000, then one to three passes with PSI plastic polish. I finish with a pass of Eagle One Wipe and Shine Auto Detailer. 

t.


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## ELCAMINO63

*finishing acrylic*

i turn to the desired basic shape then i use like an 80 grit to shape it and stop the lathe and sand lengthwise to get out the rifling and then i continue with the usual 4 to five regular sand paper grits 150 to 400 or 600 then i use a micro polish called EEE from penstate industries or wood turners catalog , then i use the micro sanding pads from 1500 to 12000 and then i use a plastic polish of your choice i work at an auto parts store so i bought some rain x headlight restore because we discontinued it and its been working awesomely .when your done its flawless


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## roger the pen

Hi CBBoo7, All i do is sand to 12000 with Micromesh, then polish with brasso, Simples!
Hope this helps Roger and out.


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## Mark

Normally I don't use CA on acrylic, but there is the occasional one that just won't mirror up. I hit it with Med CA, MM, polish (bam) - Done. 

You will find that each "plastic" is different. What works for one blank won't work on the next. I'm a perfectionist. If I can find a scratch, it goes back to re-finishing. Sometimes I wander if I'm too picky. Maybe, but it's a reputation I'm trying to build. One pen at a time.

Just my $.02 - Good Luck..


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## wade45

I wet sand to 1500 then buff with white diamond. Works all the time even on my CA jobs.


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## delarosa

Hello, I'm not sure if this is where I ask this question but here goes !! If I want to put a decal on an acrylic blank, would the best way of covering it up for protection be the CA glue over it like a wood pen ? Thanks


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## Ambidex

not a big wet sander...seems like you put your major tool in danger..I try to do the best job on the final turn..I can go from 220..to starting fro 600...or even 1500..and I go slowly from the 1500..to the 12g..and finish with huts..hasn't let me down yet...


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## Ambidex

roger the pen said:


> Hi CBBoo7, All i do is sand to 12000 with Micromesh, then polish with brasso, Simples!
> Hope this helps Roger and out.


 if you need ca on acrylic..you are doing something wrong..this is from a 4 monther..acrylics are impossible to screw up..imho


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## LeeR

Ambidex said:


> not a big wet sander...seems like you put your major tool in danger..



Are you saying your concern is getting your lathe wet? ... And hence causing the iron ways to rust?  I put a large bath towel on the lathe, to soak up any water during wet-sanding.  But the MicroMesh pads are just slightly wet, and certainly not dripping wet, so the slight amount of water thrown off during sanding causes minimal dampness on the towel.


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