my first ever turning project

[musomaniac]

first ever attempt at woodturning , all be it in a very small way , while i'm here whats the best finish for pens , i'm thinking it would have to be a hard finish to withstand the wear and tear
i used cyno on this one which seems pretty good as i didnt have long to wait in between coats , but what are the alternatives , i've seen someone on youtube using and i quote "shithot wax" and shallawax .

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Beautiful result...very well done. If my first turned thing looked like that I'd be well chuffed. CA glue is considered a very good option for hardness of finish given they're obviously handled constantly. I've also used sanding sealer and carnauba wax which is a staggeringly hard wax.

 

[musomaniac]

thanks bob , the only trouble i have found with ca , is it tends to stick the bushes to the mandrel and the wood , and when i cracked the bushes off the wood it left a sort of cyno lip around the very edge of the wood
could i use vaseline on the very ends where the wood meets the bushes ?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I'd be inclined to wax the ends of the bushes rather than Vaseline. Bit liquid Vaseline, whereas wax is more solid and perhaps less likely to bleed onto areas you don't want it. But I've not used ca myself so I'm guessing. Maybe give them both a try with an inexpensive pen kit to see which method works best??

 

[Dalboy]

I would use a little past wax on the ends and the bushings before starting to apply the CA finish once done any left on can be cleaned up by rubbing the end on very fine sand paper making sure to keep it square as when you fit together there will be a very slight miss match of blank and fitting.
Not a bad looking pen for a first, how many coats of CA have you applied

 

[SteveF]

that is a cracking first pen, you should be feeling extremely proud
keep it...forever..as a reminder..do not give it away
with CA you have 2 choices
take the pen off the mandrel \ bushes and put between centres before CA
or if lazy like me
twist the glued bushes off and a light sand on ends before assembly

Steve

 

[musomaniac]

I would use a little past wax on the ends and the bushings before starting to apply the CA finish once done any left on can be cleaned up by rubbing the end on very fine sand paper making sure to keep it square as when you fit together there will be a very slight miss match of blank and fitting.
Not a bad looking pen for a first, how many coats of CA have you applied

i applied approx 12 to 15 coats , i could have achieved a glossier finish if i'd had finer grit paper , but alll i had was 400 grit , i also used G3 as a final polish

i want to have a bash at a bowl next , but i'm a bit apprehensive at the moment

 

[Dalboy]

I would use a little past wax on the ends and the bushings before starting to apply the CA finish once done any left on can be cleaned up by rubbing the end on very fine sand paper making sure to keep it square as when you fit together there will be a very slight miss match of blank and fitting.
Not a bad looking pen for a first, how many coats of CA have you applied

i applied approx 12 to 15 coats , i could have achieved a glossier finish if i'd had finer grit paper , but alll i had was 400 grit , i also used G3 as a final polish

i want to have a bash at a bowl next , but i'm a bit apprehensive at the moment

Sanding to 400 grit is fine then apply the CA that should give you a high gloss finish. The two pens below is only with 6 coats of CA/BLO finish the same effect can be got with just CA

 

[Lons]

Ditch the bushes for polishing and buy or better still turn yourself some simple cones from metal, plastic or corian and you won't have the problem. Additionally you'll be able to seal the ends as well so belt and braces stuff. i do a final sand as well as polish on the cones.

Be careful with the fumes from CA, it can affect your eyes and mucus membrane quite severely, use a mask!

Nice first result btw!
Bob

Nice to see another Geordie lad, I'm near Morpeth 8)

 

[n0legs]

Good looking pen =D>

 

[musomaniac]

whats the best application medium for the CA , paper towels ?

 

[Lons]

whats the best application medium for the CA , paper towels ?

That's what I use. Cheap kitchen roll, tear off 1 piece, fold it over into a thickish strip about an inch wide, apply a coat, fold over and keep repeating. Can get a bout 10 coats per strip but watch it doesn't soak through the paper on to your fingers or there'll be a few swear words. :lol: plenty of vids on yuotube.

Bob

 

[musomaniac]

Ditch the bushes for polishing and buy or better still turn yourself some simple cones from metal, plastic or corian and you won't have the problem. Additionally you'll be able to seal the ends as well so belt and braces stuff. i do a final sand as well as polish on the cones.

Be careful with the fumes from CA, it can affect your eyes and mucus membrane quite severely, use a mask!

Nice first result btw!
Bob

Nice to see another Geordie lad, I'm near Morpeth 8)

Bob if you ever fancy having a newbie spectator watching you turn a bowl , let me know , and i'll pop up lol

 

[Lons]

Ditch the bushes for polishing and buy or better still turn yourself some simple cones from metal, plastic or corian and you won't have the problem. Additionally you'll be able to seal the ends as well so belt and braces stuff. i do a final sand as well as polish on the cones.

Be careful with the fumes from CA, it can affect your eyes and mucus membrane quite severely, use a mask!

Nice first result btw!
Bob

Nice to see another Geordie lad, I'm near Morpeth 8)

Bob if you ever fancy having a newbie spectator watching you turn a bowl , let me know , and i'll pop up lol

I'd be happy to do that but God knows when as I'm turning very little at the minute. I'll keep yo in mind as you're only 30 mins away from me
Bob