Thread: Now for something completly different

Very very nice pen. Absolutely stunning
Reminds me of autumn leaves
Superb!

Make a nice "camouflage" end for a rifle pen hehe, nice kits the cambridge ,must have been a delicate turning job that one cheers ~ John

It looks OK but failing eyesight means you need to send it to me for closer inspection.

Would you like me to PM my postal address

Originally Posted by edblysard

A very spalted maple blank, full of beetle larva holes, dressed in a Cambridge kit.
Lacquer dipped times 10, no sanding or polishing.
Comments welcome.

That is very very nice ... I think,

I would never ask for such a nice pen kit as that ...

However, that being said, feel free to send me the rest of the left over timber to me as it may just fit a EB and
I could see first hand the wood!

Did you stabelize the wood yourself Ed? Very nice!

Ed
I've seen you mention a few times that you lacquer dip your pens
So I've the usual series of questions: what, how, why, product used, problems etc
Thanks in anticipation

Yes, I second that. I think a small tutorial on lacquer dipping is in order.

Oh, yeah, nice pen.

Very unsual and beautiful, Amos

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

Reminds me of autumn leaves

Yeah it does too! Great looking pen, especially when you consider it is a "natural" finish.

Russell.

That's stunning. I hope I can make something as nice one day.

Very nice indeed

I really thought that was an acrylic blank until I read the text. Love it

Thanks for the comments...if you look again, you can see one of the blanks I still have, the pen is propped up on one.

Dipping is easy...just sand as you normally would, and..







You can see the bushings allow the lacquer to run off and pool on the bushing instead of the pen blank...I use PPG Duracryl automotive lacquer, but I have also used Deft and Behlen's funiture lacquer with the exact same results.
Lacquer "cuts" back into itself in that every time you dip the blank back in the lacquer, it dissolves a little on the surface and rehardens as it dries...un like poly or CA, you are not building up thick coats, but thin, very thin coats, each one "melted back" into the previous one...around dip 5 or so, you will see it begin to fill the voids and pores of the wood, you just keep dipping till you notice the glass like finish...again, the number of dips depends on how porous the wood is, the rooms tempature and the humidity...I have had Cocobola finish out in 3 dips, and oak take 15 or so....

I reduce or thin the lacquer 1 to 1 with the thinner...simply my choice and PPGs reccomendation for spraying...it dries quicker and harder that way...the thinner is actualy a solvent that melts the acrylic lacquer and keeps it liquid, it evaporates or flashes off fast...the more thinner you add to the mix, the faster the lacqure dries and hardens, but...
Too thin means more dips to achieve the desired results...to thick means several hours dry time between dips and several days before it is hard enough to handle...1 to 1 is what works best for me.
In the photos you can see a mason jar in the background painted black...I mix my lacquer and thinner in that..(stirred, not shaken)...the jar is painted black because in the liquid form, if exposed to UV, it will yellow...once dry this reaction does not occure...I painted the jar to keep the mix in the dark so to speak...and this jar full is about 2 years old.
I simply put a mark half way up the jar, fill with lacqure to that mark, and top off with thinner, stir then use...once mixed you don't have to re stir it, it will stay mixed.
Last thing, the 1 to 1 ratio dries fast enough that dust is not much of a problem...I place a cardboard box over the rack for a few minutes to allow it to set, then remove the box and use a shop lamp to keep the tempature around 80 degreesF. which is the recomended temp for this ratio.

Oh, rhossack, no I did not stablize these blanks, we got them from a guy in Arkansas...they are pretty well impregnated through and through, it is my understanding he has an industrial vacuum chamber he does these in...plus he does knife handle scales too...but they are very brittle, more so than any acrylic blank I ever turned.

And I think it looks good on a Elegant Beauty too...

Decided to see how thick the finish really is, so I when out to the shop and peeled a slice off the top bushing from this dip on the Cambridge...





0.0095...pretty good for this smooth a finish, and the plus side is if it scratches, you can dissamble the pen and sand it lightly, then re-dip it to repair...

A very beautiful pen, thank you for the tutorial.