Issues finishing redwood burl pen

[mikefm101]

Hi,

Been trying to get a decent finish on a lace redwood burl pen blank.

The issue is the sheen is very splotchy.  Some areas it has a crisp and clear gloss, others it gets flat and dull. 

Photo below does a good job showing the fluorescent light reflection on the left side of the blank is fuzzy, while the right side is a crisp reflection.  It's like this in numerous spots on the blank.

So far I have about 9 coats of medium CA on this.  Applied three coats at a time, then cut back with as coarse as 320, then worked back up to about 4000 micromesh.  The photo below is wth it taken all the way to 12000 micromesh.  I cleaned the dust from the 320 and 600 sandpaper with denatured alcohol if that matters. 

I am a bit worried about more sanding as I am right down to the bushing diameter on three of the four ends.  After having more than a few hours into this I really do not want to toss it. 

Any thoughts on how to get a crisp and even sheen on the entire blank?  Another nine coats of CA???

Hope you can help.

[crokett™]

What kit are you using for that? First, I would turn off all the CA and start over. Second, if it's a kit that means someone will be handling the wood a lot when using the pen, I would just wax it and skip the CA. My experience with CA on wood pens where the user will handle the wood a lot is

1) the CA will dull through use, and it's tough to renew. Wax is much easier
2) most of my customers who like wood pens prefer the wax because the the pen feels more like wood and less like plastic.

Having said that, the way I do a CA finish is with the lathe on and the part spinning, put some CA on a rag and wipe it on just to the point of being tacky, then I let it dry. I've had issues with cloudiness if I have the rag on the piece for too long while the CA is drying. I rinse and repeat for several coats, then I wet polish.

[AHill]

I'm not a CA finish expert, but 320 seems like too coarse a grit to me.  I think you're sanding off too much of the CA on one end.

[MichaelMouse]

Burls and curls look as they do because many aspects of the wood grain are displayed.  End grain will suck up more than face, and areas of bark or punk still different.  I'd go with something you can apply to refusal and soak rather than something you're wiping on and off in the same moment.

May have some of that in operation already, with resin under the CA providing shine.

[Gary G™]

My perspective is different than David's.

I prefer CA over wax because my personal experience is wax wears off too quickly and dirt gets into the wood before users realize.

When I do a Burl such as redwood, I sand thru all the MM grits, then coat the blank with Mahoney's Walnut oil.
After it cures, I start laying on coats of thin CA building up to medium but always very thin layers.
Let it cure fully; don't rush!
I wet sand with MM using a very light touch.

[Wildwood]

Have a different approach and would wipe down blanks with acitone until had a level wood suface.


Would inspect the blanks to see have no big sanding scratches or other flaws even if have to remove mandrel and and look at them in sunlight.


If all looks good would remount mandrel & blanks and start applying first coat of CA. Would wait for CA to flash off before feeling and looking for uniformity of that first coat of finish.


If CA is old may take longer to flash off and dry. So waiting a minute or more between coats won't hurt. Already mention burl wood absorbs finish differently so waiting a bit should give you better idea of what you are dealing with.


If still palqued with same problem might consider removing that firts coat using same procedure as above and using a redwood stain. Perfer oil stain over water base but WB dries faster. If staining not agreeable might try using Zinsser Seal (Bulls Eye) coat before continuing. Some people might recommend Zinsser seal coat before applying CA. Me too but already too wordy to explain why!


If that first coat looks good, continue applying CA coats without sanding between coats. To finish the finish wet sand/polish using micromesh! If don't have micromesh use silicone wet/dry paper to wet sand & polish. Adding a drop of dishwashing soap to water breaks surface tension & makes saning/polishing easier/


CA really just another film forming finish (poly, Varnish) that do not dissolve into previous coats as they build while shellac & lacqure do. If have an even level coat of finish with no dust nibs, runs or drips not always neccessay to sand between coats.