# My First Wood Pen Finish With Doctor's Woodshop



## Paladin (Jul 15, 2011)

I read about these products here, and called the inventor/owner Mike Meredith. I purchased two products... The Walnut Oil/Carnuba Wax & Shellac and the Walnut Finishing Oil.

Turned HRB pen blank, and finished it according to Mike's suggestions. 

Quick review? Easy, awesome, beautiful, smells good. Love it. How will it wear over a longer period of time? No idea, but I will make this my daily carry pen, and find out.

More later. Feel free to ask questions.  http://www.doctorswoodshop.com/Home.aspx


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## ossaguy (Jul 16, 2011)

So which of the 2 finishes dd you use on your pen? I'm sure interested in the one he says is formulated for pens.

 I've finally got the hang of doing consistant ,nice CA finishes but I long for a more wood,instead of plastic feel to my pens.I liked what I read on his website.

 Thanks,
          Steve


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## corian king (Jul 16, 2011)

Hello I went and took a look at his site but I did'nt see any instructions on the use of any of the products.can you give us a little heads up on how you used the two that you purchased.I also see he carrys the friction polish.


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## terryf (Jul 16, 2011)

any pics of the finished pen?


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## Paladin (Jul 16, 2011)

*Regimen...*



corian king said:


> Hello I went and took a look at his site but I did'nt see any instructions on the use of any of the products.can you give us a little heads up on how you used the two that you purchased.I also see he carrys the friction polish.




I did a pretty good job on the HRB with my Woodchuck Pen Pro, so I started sanding at 600 grit. Forward, reverse, side to side with the lathe stopped, rotating by hand. Dry.

Then I moved to 800 grit. Forward, reverse, side to side with the lathe stopped, rotating by hand. Dry.

Then I went to 1000 grit and put a big drop of his Walnut Finishing Oil on my sandpaper and went forward, reverse, side to side with the lathe stopped, rotating by hand. This creates a nice slurry. It should start to feel warm/hot.

Then I went to 1500 grit and put a big drop of his Walnut Finishing Oil  on my sandpaper and went forward, reverse, side to side with the lathe stopped, rotating  by hand. This creates a nice slurry. It should start to feel warm/hot.

Then I went to 20000 grit and put a big drop of his Walnut Finishing Oil  on my sandpaper and went forward, reverse, side to side with the lathe stopped, rotating  by hand. This creates a nice slurry. It should start to feel warm/hot.

I then used a clean cotton rag to remove all the slurry, and let it cool down a little.

Then I got my super secret application material and put on one big drop of The Walnut Oil Wax Shellac and worked it in until it got nice and hot. Then I turned over my super secret application material and used the clean back side to clean it off.

I did this twice more (using new super secret application material for each application) the second time I had the lathe run in reverse.

I then took an unused piece of sandpaper and used the back side to burnish the blank.

Whole thing, from the beginning of sanding to the burnishing took no more than a few minutes.

So far, I think this stuff is great. If it wears well, it will be my go to finish on all wood pen turnings.

It is cheap, fast, does not stick your fingers together...has no noxious fumes and it actually smells good.

So far, I could not be happier.


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## islandturner (Jul 16, 2011)

Hi Mark

The following is not meabt as criticism -- your pen and finish are as close to perfect as you can get...!

But I'm not sure I can see the difference between a CA finish and the Doctors' product?  Both are perfectly smooth and finished to varying degrees of gloss.  Can you see a lot of difference between the two?

And is the finish shellac based?  I'd worry about that as shellac is far from a durable finish.  I'd be keen to learn how your every-day pen fares after a few months of use.

It would sure be nice to find a good alternative finish, instead of the acrid stink and burning eyes from CA.

But again, fantastic look to your pen.

Tks
Steve


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## sgimbel (Jul 16, 2011)

Are you going to tell us what your "super secret application material" is?  Or is it Super Secret?


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## Paladin (Jul 16, 2011)

*"super secret application material"*



sgimbel said:


> Are you going to tell us what your "super secret application material" is?  Or is it Super Secret?




Only if I am asked nicely by 4 or more people. You are one.


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## Paladin (Jul 16, 2011)

islandturner said:


> Hi Mark
> 
> The following is not meabt as criticism -- your pen and finish are as close to perfect as you can get...!
> 
> ...



It is shellac based. I has the word "SHELLAC" right in the name.

It looks very much like a perfect CA finish, but it does not look like the pen is wearing a CA condom.

It is just wood, finished and polished and looking great.


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## renowb (Jul 16, 2011)

I'm #2


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## hunter-27 (Jul 16, 2011)

Paladin said:


> sgimbel said:
> 
> 
> > Are you going to tell us what your "super secret application material" is?  Or is it Super Secret?
> ...


I'l be # 2+1 Pleeeeeeeez!:wink:


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## Balasharc (Jul 16, 2011)

Can my wife and I count as #3 & #4?


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## Paladin (Jul 16, 2011)

*Oh alright!*



Balasharc said:


> Can my wife and I count as #3 & #4?



Quit your begging and crying. I will tell you, you just have to promise not to tell anyone else!

For a long time, I have been keeping clean, old rags (cotton) in a box. Very handy for lots of things. I use old socks to flood stain on wood, more socks to clean it off, throw them away.

One day, I was looking at a pair of discarded cotton men's underwear (mine). I pulled off the elasticized band, and had a big (and I mean, big) loop of usable stuff. I cut it with scissors, and have a 3 foot long section of "super secret application material". 

I apply a drop or two to the end, apply the finish until it gets hot, turn over the "super secret application material" and use the clean sided to burnish it in and pick up the excess. 

Grab the scissors and cut off the inch or two I used and repeat.

I think it work great because it does not absorb quickly and I can get the finish on and still feel the heat. All the way around, I think it works great.

Remember....shhhhh!


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## DSurette (Jul 16, 2011)

Boxers or briefs?  I want to make sure I get this right.


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## Paladin (Jul 16, 2011)

*Boxers or briefs...*



DSurette said:


> Boxers or briefs?  I want to make sure I get this right.



I have used both...boxers work best if ambient temperature is under 75 and you are drinking an American beer. If it is over 75 and you are drinking an imported, I would go with briefs.


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## ctubbs (Jul 16, 2011)

Here we have info on a new, to us, finish and it already is starting to sound like the instructions for a CA finish, one yellow sock, stand on your left foot while mumbling an ancient Cherokee chant during the full Moon/ New Moon, etc.  I love it!
Thanks for the review and your application info.  If this finish is durable on our pens, it will be great.
Charles
Moon is not spelled Moos.  I'm only 67, still trying to learn to spell big words


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## Timbo (Jul 16, 2011)

Paladin said:


> I read about these products here, and called the inventor/owner Mike Meredith. I purchased two products... The Walnut Oil/Carnuba Wax & Shellac and the Walnut Finishing Oil.
> 
> Turned HRB pen blank, and finished it according to Mike's suggestions.
> 
> ...



Be sure to put a tickler on your calendar about 3 months out, as a reminder to let us know how your pen is holding up.  Thanks.


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## Rmartin (Jul 16, 2011)

I would not use cotton or any elastic around the lathe. You can loose a finger in less than a heart beat!


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## wb7whi (Jul 16, 2011)

I assume the briefs were washed first?


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## Paladin (Jul 16, 2011)

wb7whi said:


> I assume the briefs were washed first?



At high temperature with extra bleach.


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## hunter-27 (Jul 16, 2011)

wb7whi said:


> I assume the briefs were washed first?


That might be what made them "special".  Don't want to wash the "special" away.


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## ohiococonut (Jul 16, 2011)

I don't even want to guess what the "special" stain is that he's applying


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## Oldmanwheeler (Jul 17, 2011)

Paladin said:


> I read about these products here, and called the inventor/owner Mike Meredith. I purchased two products... The Walnut Oil/Carnuba Wax & Shellac and the Walnut Finishing Oil.
> 
> Turned HRB pen blank, and finished it according to Mike's suggestions.
> 
> ...



I started the original forum a few weeks ago about Doctors Woodshop and I have to agree with Mac's statements.  However, I did not use a "Super Secret Applicator" I just use Scotts Rags (the blue ones) and they do an excellent job and I don't have to worry about any dark stains! :biggrin: 

I do exactly as Mac described except I finish by adding two light coats of  Doctors Woodshop Walnut Oil Wax. Once the pen is put together I put a very light coat of Doctors Woodshop Walnut Oil / Microcrystal Paste Wax over the entire pen to remove finger prints. 


So far  Doctors Woodshop is my finish of choice for wood pens. Now if we can get the creator, Mike Meredith to develop a finish for acrylic, Truestone and M3 Metal all of our life's will be much "brighter".  Thanks for a great product Mike.


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## Florida Marine (Jul 17, 2011)

Paladin said:


> DSurette said:
> 
> 
> > Boxers or briefs?  I want to make sure I get this right.
> ...



you got it backwards...if its hot, you want em hanging not tucked up tight

two tours in Iraq, one Qatar, I know hot

just sayin


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## Oldmanwheeler (Jul 17, 2011)

Florida Marine said:


> Paladin said:
> 
> 
> > DSurette said:
> ...



THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE FLORIDA MARINE!


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## Daniel (Jul 17, 2011)

Nice photo of the finish. And thank you for not including such a detailed photo of the super secret finishing material.

I can see the difference between it and CA just from the photo. I will also say that different is not a bad thing.

For those that are still wondering I will try to explain it this way. When I apply a CA finish I first polish the wood itself. I can get a fairly decent beginning of a shine on just the bare wood. In this case the oil and shelac are causing that "Bare Wood" shine to look far shinier. Now that is not completely true since the Shellac will stay on the surface to some degree and act like the CA in my Ca finish. When I apply the CA coat to my pens I can then polish that coat to a near glass finish. but it is the CA that is polished not the wood underneath. In this case it is much more the wood that is polished.

So if you are looking to polish the wood in your pens rather than a top coating. this looks like a very good way to get that effect. There is a whole array of effects that can be brought out of the wood by polishing it. and the higher the polish the more those effects begin to appear. It's one of those things you have to play with and start seeing for yourself. The result is much different than what you get with a CA finish. As I said before Different is not better or worse, it is just different. It adds one more level of choice in just how you make that wood into a pen.


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## MikeMeredith (Jul 18, 2011)

I'm glad you had success with the product.  I hope it meets your expectation for durability.  I find that this finish on a pen wears well but can be buffed back to shine every quickly.  The question about how the Doctor's Woodshop finish differs from CA is a good one.  Both are very shiny but the nature of the shine is different.  Mostly the difference is to the turner.  The shellac/oil/wax finish is quick, easy and doesn't cause you to drag out the respirator.  Putting a drop of oil on the applicator with the CA will help suppress the vapors, too.  CA is a good finish but people wanted an alternative.


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## MikeMeredith (Jul 18, 2011)

I know wood should look like wood but I'm not sure what acrylic should look like.


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## wolftat (Jul 18, 2011)

Now what part of the band do I cut off to use?????


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## Blindzman (Jul 18, 2011)

I'm #3


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## glycerine (Jul 18, 2011)

Put those back on, Neil!!!!


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## penhead (Jul 18, 2011)

Oh thank goodness you didn't model those for us 8>)


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