# Another finishing question



## musky (Oct 10, 2008)

I have tried CA/BLO finish on my pens, and got very inconsistent results, plus  I can not stand the fumes.  I went to woodcraft this morning and asked for some suggestions, and the salesman told me to use MM, then EEE then Mylands friction polish then carnauba wax.  He said it would would be the nice shinny finish I was looking for. I could not afford all of it at once, so I left out the EEE.  Will that ok?  What do you all think about this finish process, I will not be able to try it for a couple days.


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## igran7 (Oct 10, 2008)

Its a nice finish initially, but it wears off relatively quickly.  Because the pen is handled often the oils from our fingers will wear off the wax in a matter of days/weeks leaving the pen dirty and dull.


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## Brandon25 (Oct 10, 2008)

I've heard mixed reviews. I use Mylands occasionally, but also worry about its durability. Never heard of using EEE before Mylands. I do use the cellulose sanding sealer under it though. U buddy has a daily user pen with Mylands he swears is still shiny after months of use. I've not seen the pen.


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## wizical (Oct 10, 2008)

you can try using Unaxol, you can get it relatively cheap and it isnt hard to apply.  do a search for mobydick supplies and you will find their product


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## wdcav1952 (Oct 10, 2008)

Enduro also works well, but takes longer to dry than Unaxol.  Beartoothwoods.com sells 16 ounce bottles of Enduro.  BTW, both products are water based and smell is not a problem.


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## leehljp (Oct 10, 2008)

Mannie has a CA that is oderless but it is expensive.
http://woodenwonderstx.com/WWBlue/NewGlueWS.html

Some retail people know what they are talking about and some don't. Please don't assume that because a store sells things that the salesman is the expert.  

Carnuba wax is longer lasting than most waxes but it will wear off. EEE wears off quickly also. The same with Mylands. All three of these are basically waxes and polishes, not finishes. You still need a hard "finish" . . i.e. CA, Lacquer, Unaxol, Enduro, Plexi-acrylic/acetone.

Concerning the fumes: does it bother your eyes or is the smell the most offensive? If Eyes, you can get some goggles that cover the eyes. IF the smell bothers your sinuses or lungs, look into a a few face mask options and see what you can afford. 

Also, get a fan and place it at the end of the lathe so that it blows the fumes away from you. There are other and more effective ways but it also gets much more expensive, so there is no need to mention them at this time.


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## musky (Oct 11, 2008)

ok, I am thinking I should take the friction polish and wax back.  I went to get some advise on my ca finish and the guy there said he used the other stuff.  Maybe I will try the CA some more or go to one of these other ones suggested on here.  Are any of these other finishes quick drying like the CA?  My CA finishes are dull, now that I have mm maybe I should try that after I apply then use a plasic polish or something .


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## leehljp (Oct 11, 2008)

musky said:


> ok, I am thinking I should take the friction polish and wax back.  I went to get some advise on my ca finish and the guy there said he used the other stuff.  Maybe I will try the CA some more or go to one of these other ones suggested on here.  Are any of these other finishes quick drying like the CA?  My CA finishes are dull, now that I have mm maybe I should try that after I apply then use a plasic polish or something .



Plexiglass(acrylic)+acetone is fairly quick as a finish but it takes several days to make it. It also has a learning curve like CA does. The other finishes - Enduro, lacquer, Unaxol take several minutes to set up and about 24 hours to cure before sanding, buffing or polishing.

That brings us back to CA. CA that has been properly applied and enough layers put on, 6 - 10 thin layers - that should sand to a very nice shine if you use MM  and go through the ranges up to 12000. IF your CA is dull, then there are two main reasons - not sanded fine enough or not enough coats on it.

Don't over sand or sand with too much pressure or you will sand it back off. Build up enough layer until you can see a slight depth to the CA.


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## DCBluesman (Oct 11, 2008)

There are many simple finishes that will give more protection than the friction finish you are returning.  While you learn to use CA or lacquer, and you really should learn to use them, try any of the clear spray finshes from the large retail companies.  You can get spray polyurethane, spray acrylic, etc.  Keep in mind that with all finishes, several light coats are better than one heavy coat.


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## RichB (Oct 11, 2008)

I found another way to put on CA.  I tryed it on three pens and it went great.  It is DJ's way.  He has a tutorial on the wood working forum Pen turning.  I have tryed them here too.  May be this can help.  I hate the smell also but this seems to have a very little.  Hope this can help.


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## musky (Oct 12, 2008)

RichB said:


> I found another way to put on CA.  I tryed it on three pens and it went great.  It is DJ's way.  He has a tutorial on the wood working forum Pen turning.  I have tryed them here too.  May be this can help.  I hate the smell also but this seems to have a very little.  Hope this can help.




Thanks! I tried this tonight and it was much better! I still didn't get it perfect, but for my first try it turned out 100% better than the ca/blo method I was trying.. Thanks again


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## randyrls (Oct 12, 2008)

leehljp said:


> Also, get a fan and place it at the end of the lathe so that it blows the fumes away from you. There are other and more effective ways but it also gets much more expensive, so there is no need to mention them at this time.




Hank;   I have my dust collector set up with a 4" solid pipe just behind the turning location.  Picks up all the shavings and sanding dust.  Sucks up the CA fumes too!


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## RichB (Oct 13, 2008)

Glad I could help.  I found if I did it exactly the way he does it, it worked out great.


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