First CA finish - Red Elm slim

[sachbvn]

First off - major thanks to Doug (and everyone else!) for helping me work out a system for the CA finish. I ended up going with Doug's instructions, mostly - but I appreciate everyone's input.

Second - thanks to Deepsplinter for generously offering up some of his Red Elm - this pen came out wonderful IMO.

So.... here it is... now - I will admit, the nib came out a little proud... I'm not happy about it - but it happens. I'm not sure at "what point" will I start measuring each pen part with a digital caliper and then working that to the lathe.... crap - I may as well, not really much more work is it, unless you are busting them out with a chisel down to the bushings every time, which I don't. (close, but not all the way)

Thanks guys!
Zac

[maverick31]

looks good, that wood is pretty sweet. Doug helped me get my ca finish down too. I think it is the best finish for pens, except on the ones ca clouds up on(cocobolo and a few others). I have also been using laquer a lot more lately on stoppers and it is even easier to use than ca without some of the aggrevating cloudiness or dont have to worry about papertowel sticking to the blank either.

[Doug B]

Looks great Zac! Nice job.

To me, there is nothing worse than a nib not matching up exactly with the turned wood. You will start measuring with the digital caliper when you realize that the quality control is not all that great in China and you simply cannot rely on the kits anymore. Or the bushings for that matter.

And the problem is getting worse and worse. To convince yourself that this is true, all you have to do is measure your bushings once...write it down somewhere handy, then for each pen kit, measure the nib - you will know right off the bat whether you can match up to the bushing or not...before you ever start turning the blank.

Each kit is different on which dimensions are the most critical to be matched up...but that almost always includes the nib. Some center bands are really not that critical and the clip end is usually not as noticeable as either the center band or the nib. A digital caliper really is quick and easy to use and makes a tremendous difference.

[Leo Voisine]

Nice job Zac.

Love the CA for a finish.

Sonny actual helped me finally "get it" way back when.

Nice when you get it.

[sawduster]

Looks purty darn good to me.

Another problem with matching up parts to pens is that the bushings get sanded down in use, and it don't take long for them to end up under sized for the kits, if, in fact, they were ever accurate to the pen parts.

While a CA finish does add a few minutes to the process of completing a pen, to me the added longevity of the finish is well worth the extra time. I've personally carried pens I've made that had a CA finish for 2 or more years and have had the finish look as good after that time as it did the day it came off of the lathe.

I've got a habit of carrying one of the pens I've made for a while then giving it away to someone who admires it along with a card with my contact info on it. I've never been embarrassed by giving away a CA finished pen I've carried for quite some time, though the pen I'm carrying now is one from a period when I switched to my home brewed friction polish from shellac and I would never give that one away because the finish is all dulled.

[sachbvn]

Thanks Jerry,

Yeah - since this post I've made..... I think two more with CA glue...and to be honest - it takes a little more time, I turn, shape, sand, clean, and then finishing using the CA glue, then micro-mesh - each barrel at a time, so - it takes longer to get to that second barrel - but - when I get done with the second barrel - I am pretty much DONE, the last thing I do is hit them with the buffing wax, but that isn't a "have to" kinda thing - AND it's real quick. Before it was buffing EACH pen barrel with: tripoli, then white diamond, then wax. So..... I completely agree - WELL worth the extra time, and I am so glad for the guidance of this board in helping me achieve a finish that I know will last - and is manageable to do!

Zac

[Doug B]

I am glad the CA finish is working out for you Zac. I learned it from the previous generation of WW on the forum and you will be teaching the new batch of penturners some day. I know that my method is almost exactly like the way Monty does (or at least did back then).

A neat trick that I picked up from Monty is to clean the wood barrels using CA accelerator prior to applying the first coat of CA to remove any sanding dust. If you think the barrel is clean after wiping with a dry paper towel, just try the accelerator trick. Other guys use other things like Mineral Spirits or DNA, but the CA accelerator flashes off much quicker than even DNA. A little expensive, but my pens are worth it ;D

Also, if you are taking the time to wax your pens after the CA finish, try using EEE. I don't remember where I picked up that little trick, but it sure works for me. And you can easily apply it while the pen barrels are still on the lathe.

[sachbvn]

Doug - I've seen the stuff in mags. does it come as like a cream? Do you just dab a bit on a paper towel and apply it like a "finish" and then use a clean paper towel to make sure it's completely off?

Also - after the EEE is when you wax...correct?

EDIT: Ok - so I found the stuff on PSI's website. Do you do the EEE before or after your CA finish. My question is this.... if I am going all the way through the micro mesh process - is EEE going to be even finer grit yet? It sounds like it makes at 2000 grit - which, is more coarse than micro mesh I believe.

Just curious.

Thanks!

Zac

[Doug B]

Zac, I have seen bitter words over at IAP as to whether EEE is courser than the micromesh. It probably is courser, but it is basically a wax with some abrasive in it that both waxes and does a very fine sanding. I think the key is that it is like using a lubricated sandpaper.

You just have to try it to see if it works for you...it does for me. And, yes, I sand the CA finish thru all the Micro Mesh grits and then use the EEE. You apply it with medium to fast speed, then buff it off with a clean cloth at high speed. Repeat if necessary. It can actually remove some scratches in the finish. EEE is supposed to be used as a pre-treatment for a friction polish like Shellawax, but the secret is that is works great on CA finishes and also on Acrylic blanks too. And a single tub of it lasts forever. I am still using the same one I bought a couple of years ago.

[sachbvn]

Then it's done, I shall try it!!

The only part that didn't make sense to me was using something more coarse than micro mesh, but when you said "lubricated sandpaper" that makes PERFECT sense.... I am anxious to give it a whirl!

Zac

[sawduster]

A neat trick that I picked up from Monty is to clean the wood barrels using CA accelerator prior to applying the first coat of CA to remove any sanding dust.

I wonder if that might not also remove the surface oil from oily woods. I have had a few issues with mesquite and cocobolo with the CA fogging on me and think it might be caused by some oily spots on the wood. Normally I'll "burn in" some tung oil before applying CA but that seems to exacerbate the fogging with cocobolo and mesquite, so I quit doing that. Still get fogging sometimes and it is a PITA. Think I'll give the accelerator a shot and see. Gotta make a mesquite pen before Monday as a gift.

[Doug B]

Jerry, using accelerator has not helped me with the CA fogging sometimes when using oily woods like Cocobolo, so I either apply a first coat of Zinsser shellac sanding sealer (basically a 2 pound cut of dewaxed shellac) followed by CA, or more recently I have had good luck using Tim's Lacquer dipping technique.

So far, both of those methods have worked for me, but I have not done the Lacquer dipping very often...maybe 4 times with pens and once or twice with bottle stoppers.

I also tried wipe on poly on Cocobolo which worked very well, but it took several days to cure the last coat - I think I used 3 coats total and the first cured fairly quickly the second took longer and the last coat I did not think was ever going to cure. After 3 days it was still sticky, but I came back to it weeks later and it was awesome. I don't know if that would always be the case...Les used to always use WO Poly with good results, but that experience was enough for me to give up on Poly finishes.

[sawduster]

Well it was worth a thought.

You might try making your own WO Poly by diluting the brushing kind with naphtha instead of mineral spirits. It'll flash off faster than MS and be ready for the next coat sooner. Curing still takes a while, but it gets to the point of starting the curing process sooner.

Be real careful with that naphtha though because it is very close to lighter fluid in formula. In fact I have used it as such to get the BBQ going on a couple of occasions when I was out of charcoal starter fluid. It is more like the old fashion charcoal starter (that was much closer in composition to the lighter fluid used in cigarette lighters) than the modern stuff which doesn't flame up as violently.

[deepsplinter]

Looks good, Zac!! I'd say you gotter down pat.

I'm not following 99.5% of the rest of the thread.

All I know is that's a fine lookin' pen.

Now let's see what you can do with that sycamore.