Thread: New to Pen turning and eager to learn

Stick with the Rustins

Hi Jenny welcome to the pen group lots to learn here. Look forward to seeing some of your work.

Try Minwax wipe on poly very easy to use

Just tried to add a picture of my first efforts.... cant get it to upload. What is the secret formula???

Jenny

Originally Posted by jenlwren

Just tried to add a picture of my first efforts.... cant get it to upload. What is the secret formula???

Jenny

You have to make sure the picture is under 100 kb and the size as well

Welcome Jenny, if you had dull spots with CA it probably didn't dry enough before you put on another coat. Rustin'ds is very good also, once you get the knack of it. Amos

Welcome to the Madhouse Jenny

Have a look at this sticky for hints and ideas on how to go about loading pictures

Originally Posted by jenlwren

Hi Everyone,

I only started wood turning at the beginning of the year and have recently been really having fun turning pens. Stumbled across this forum recently and the info has been so helpful. My main problem at the moment is getting a good finish. Im using Rustins and thats good, but I am still experimenting at getting a great finish. I watched DJ's video, so had a go with the superglue. That was okay but there were dull spots... any hints on what I did wrong.... to much sandpaper... or not enough glue????


Looking forward to learning from all the wealth of knowledge that I have seen so far.

All the best

Jenny

You are either sanding two much, or not sanding enough.

If you sand too much, you'll go through in places and get dull spots.

If you don't sand enough, you'll have low spots that the sandpaper and polish won't reach, thus will appear dull.

What sanding and finishing process are you using?

You'll want to wet sand it down to 2000 grit and then polish it with a polishing compound or two.

Take it easy when sanding, after I've applied the CA I don't use anything other than 1500 or 2000 unless there is a major blooper that needs to be knocked down and the surface quickly smoothed, if so I'll use some 600 just long enough to knock the surface down flat, then switch to the 1500.

Take your time, keep the paper wet and dip it periodically to get rid of the build up.

Spend plenty of time with the polish as well, then buff out with a rag.

Practice makes perfect.

Originally Posted by Simomatra

You have to make sure the picture is under 100 kb and the size as well

Or upload it to a picture hosting site, still a good idea to keep it under a 100kb though, some of these chaps are still on dial up.

Hello Jenny, Glad you can join the insanity, look forward to seeing some of your pens when you get the photo thing sorted out, Russ



If going in a straight line is boring, you can always TURN.

Here is my first attempt at a Titanium Sierra, (had only done a few pens before.) Realise the finish is not that good. Any tips greatly appreciated. Also can anyone ID the timber. I think its Black Wattle, but cant be sure as the only timber I have is a mixed bag and I foolishly forgot to label the timber...... obviously a newbie!!!

Thanks everyone

Jenny

G'day Jenny

Welcome to the Forum, and to penturning - I just thought it might be worthwhile, before you get too caught up in the trendy CA/plastic finish thing, to encourage you try out some other finishes before deciding what suits you best.

Not all of us find high-gloss plastic finishes very exciting, and personally I think they look really tacky - if someone wants a plastic pen, then I tell them to go to Woollies. I much prefer a finish which brings out the best in the grain and colour of the wood itself, while leaving it as natural-looking as possible. I finish all my pens by sanding to 1200, then I polish the wood with Ubeaut's EEE Ultrashine and seal with several coats of Shellawax GLOW (I use GLOW rather than plain Shellawax, because I find it really adds depth to the timber colour). Once I have applied the final coat of GLOW, I handle the pen assembly with white cotton gloves, and leave the assembled pen to cure for at least 24 hours, and preferably several days, before any further handling. I find this avoids any problems with dulling the finish, and once the Shellawax has cured, it's as durable as it needs to be. And, best of all, applying this simple finish takes hardly any time at all, compared to the extraordinary lengths to which the fantastic plastic fanatics seem to go.

The reality, however, is that some woods will achieve a rich, deep shine, and some will always look bland, no matter what you do to them. Finding out which is which is part of the challenge, and it teaches you how to look at timber with an eye for unusual grain patterns, contrasting colours (such as heartwood vs sapwood) and that most elusive of qualities, "chatoyance" - a French word which means changing in lustre, like the eye of a cat. All these features can be quite subtle, but they are what makes timber beautiful, and I think it is crazy to drown such beauty in a thick plastic skin which makes the finished product look, and feel, artificial.

I know, I know - I can already hear the howls of protest from the CA-BLO/Rustins brigade - a high-gloss finish is "what the customers prefer". Well, not all of us make pens for commercial reasons, and for those potential recipients of our hard work who can't tell the difference between gloss and quality, there's always Woollies ....

Jenny,
Welcome to the group. Well turned pen you have there. One thing I realized is the finish really is a personal preference. My worthless two cents is to try a few different methods and see which one you prefer the best. Personally, I am a fan of the EEE/Shellawax method, but have been playing with the CA.

Tornatus,
You really need to quit beating around the bush...how do you really feel about the CA finish process? buwahahahahahahahaha...just kidding.


Rick

That's a nice looking pen there I'd say the timber is Red Cedar

(Hey, Bdar? Anything about the above few posts that strike a bell? )

Jenny, there are several different types of finishes - Rustins, CA/BLo and Shellawax aren't all that's out there, not by a long shot - and you should really familiarise yourself with 'em all as they each have advantages and disadvantages. One thing they all have in common is that they all take a lot of practice to consistently get perfect.

Worse, there are as many different ways of applying each type of finish as there are individual pen turners. Everyone who can manage a decent finish has found the way that works best for them but that doesn't automagically mean those methods will work for you. (Although of course there are some tips that are good advice for everyone. Such as "always have good ventilation when working with CA." )

Really, the best tip is: practice, practice, practice.

BTW, a belated welcome to the forums and I think funky is on the right track with the timber ID...