Thread: Value of buffing for pens

Originally Posted by Tiger

Wow only 5 mins! It looks like a lot of labour to fit into that time period. Your results though based on your website are impressive, I thought it would have taken a lot longer for you to get those results.

This is how the time breaks down:
-Sanding wood 220, 320, 400 grit - lathe running, then lathe off with the grain, check for scratches before moving on, wipe with scrub pad along grain ->30 seconds total
-dry sand wood with MM, lathe running, typicaly 5-10sec per grit, 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, 12000, wipe -> 90 seconds
-4 coats medium CA, set with accelerator, 30 sec each coat ->120 sec total
-dry for 1 day
-dry sand CA with MM: 1500, 1800 with grain and then lathe running, all other grits with lathe running. ->30 seconds total
-pop mandrel off lathe and buff for 20 seconds. ->30sec
=> total time: 300 seconds = 5 minutes.

It does not take long to do this right, but it took me a couple hundred pens to develop my process and get to this speed.
Brad

I haven't used MM for a couple of years now, it is so over rated.
I sand to 400X, buff on the lathe with super fine steel wool and polish with Huts Ultra Gloss.
IMHO I get a nicer finish than you will ever get using MM.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...g-revision.pdf

Les

Thanks Brad and Les.

Les, that is certainly quick, will have to give it a try, don't recall seeing the Hut's Ultra Gloss here though.