Wood Pen CA Finish and Polishing Techniques

[@billrobinson8939]

Been turning about 4 months now and just turned my first pen this week. Been trying different techniques of CA finish from various videos with improvement on every pen. Did a key fob tonight with same basic system that you used here with similar results. Thanks for sharing and cutting it short.

[@jeffreymoscowitz3079]

Thank you for this video!!! I just started pen turning a few weeks ago and my finishes have been terrible! I used your method today and it worked like a charm! Bonus, not having to change the belt to apply CA!

[@d.johnson3076]

Great video thanks. I’m new to pens and this helps very much. Hopefully soon I can get good results like this!

[@christophergomez3440]

Wow that is beautiful I’ve never used medium CA which I’ve always used thin CA which I’ve always had great results EXCEPT for open grain woods and I end up with little white dots from the friction polish would I be able to cure that if I switched to medium CA ?

[@gregjones9224]

A question. After I am done with applying the CA finish and am pushing on the pen parts, it many times separates. That is the CA finish separates from the wood. That is after cleaning the wood with denatured alcohol and also lightly sanding the ends of the finished piece (after CA applied) to eliminate an tiny protrusion of the finish that is pushing on the parts. Does that make sense? I try to only push hard enough to seat the pieces and not over push. Any ideas?

[@mannycontreras1360]

David I've been thinking on going into the wood pen making. My question is what type of matching can one buy without breaking. I'm talking about the machine where one places the wood blanks to turn and polish. Thanks David ahead of time for any info regarding the pen making hobo.

[@lawrencealdridge-yk6dm]

what oil finish would you recomend instead of using (ca )

[@georgebrill3072]

Enjoyed the video. What speed are you running lathe during the polishing phase? Is Hutt the only polish you use? Thanks.

[@davidtroutman625]

Hey George, I polish at 2670rpms. And yes, HUT is the only stuff I use.

[@georgebrill3072]

@@davidtroutman625 Thanks. I'll have to try HUT.

[@eddiestone3918]

What level grit of sandpaper did you use when you decided you were finished sanding the blanks and they were ready for the CA finish?

[@davidtroutman625]

Eddie Stone I dry sand with 320, 400, 600, and 800 grit before applying CA. So, 800.

[@toolmanlh]

Your cup center in the tailstock isn’t a proper 60 degree center for use with a mandrel. You should use a 60 degree live center or a mandrel saver when using a mandrel, otherwise it will eventually deform the end resulting in out of round blanks. I prefer to do one blank at a time between centers without any bushings ... no more glued bushings that can chip the finish when being removed.

[@lamac23]

Camera focus is not happening bro.........

[@ChipperoniD]

Thanks for the great video, it's very helpful. A couple quick questions for clarity. 1. You brought us in on the 7th coat. Is the full process of application of the glue the same for each previous coat (Rub on glue - spray - full run of grit pads...)? 2. Is glue build up on the bushings ever an issue? I'm always concerned that the work I do on the pen (sanding and polishing) is effecting the integrity of my bushing sizes. Is this an issue, or am I worrying too much about it? Thanks!

[@davidtroutman625]

Hey Chip, great questions. And I'm intending on re-making this video soon with better quality video, and I'll include more clarity on these concerns. As for the other coats, I do not do any sanding or buffing between each coat. I apply the CA, hit it a couple times with activator, wait about 30 seconds and apply the next coat. As far as ca buildup on the bushings, it's sort of purposeful. I let it build up a tiny amount on the bushings and snap it off when i remove the blank from the bushing. That leaves a small film of ca on the bushing, which provides you a bit of cushion when you cut your next pen down to the bushings. Once you hit the "bushing" your technically only run through the leftover CA. that keeps you from shrinking your finish diameter. I've just replaced my first set of the bushings i use most often after two years of constant use. Over a hundred pens before it began to lose diameter.

[@ChipperoniD]

@@davidtroutman625 great info, thanks for the response. 👍

[@deanthomas5466]

David & Chip: I agree on the minimal change to bushing diameter, but I have a concern about "snapping off" of bushing and the leaving of a small film of CA for the next time. Snapping it off can cause your finished blank to chip at the edge or crack into the good area. Some use plastic, non-stick bushings when finishing and then use 400 or 600 grit sandpaper to re-level the edges that used to be next to the bushings and will be next to the kit parts. As with everything, my two cents worth of "IMHO". Chip, if you think you're a heavy-handed sander, measure your bushings and write it down somewhere--maybe on the plastic bag in which you store the bushings. 8^)

[@arymza6196]

Hi. The CA Is in gel or liquid

[@davidtroutman625]

It's liquid

[@jlewis979]

Did you apply all CA coats with the lathe off?

[@davidtroutman625]

Jared Dean Yes, I always apply my CA coats with the lathe off and rotate by hand. I find that with the lathe running the centrifugal force pulls the CA away from the blank and makes the finish less smooth before beginning the wet sanding process and thus takes more effort to achieve a perfect finish.

[@jlewis979]

Thanks, great video.

[@nathanbooth3204]

So you finish at a semi high rpm. Im new to turning and have seen where alot of people say to finish at a slow speed. What's better?

[@davidtroutman625]

Nathan Booth yes, there are several methods that will end in similar results. I've tried several options, but the speed that works best for me is 2670 rpms from start to finish. Regardless of material, or step in the process. I never change the lathe speed. EXCEPT to apply my CA coats. I do that with the lathe turned off, rotating it with my hand. "Best" is open to interpretation. This speed works best for me, in efficiency as well as finish quality

[@MrSuttonp]

Hello, I’ve just started turning and I’m have an issue with my finish. I’m using stick fast ca, and after I finish sanding and polishing a couple days later a chalky film is on the pens. Can anyone help me with this issue?

[@davidtroutman625]

Hey, yes. Don't use Stickfast. It's well known to have issues as a finish. Get some Titebond or Mercury Flex CA. I'm using the Titebond here with the Stickfast accelerator. Good combo.

[@deanthomas5466]

Old CA glue, over-use of accelerator, wet-sanding of bare wood. You might also want to wipe down first with denatured alcohol. Certain exotics have a lot of oil in them. Oils mess with CA in bad ways and not always while still on the lathe! The good news is that you can remove the finish and start again.

[@deanthomas5466]

this might have been a good video if your remarks had basis in fact and if you were organized before recording and if you rambled less. "Texture" on paper applied to an object whirling at 1000+ RPM is not going to transfer or translate to your project; that's sheer hypothesis, IMO.

[@davidtroutman625]

Lol the other 9,084 people disagree with you. The texture does in fact translate to the project. Not the pattern, but if you laid the paper towel on its side, and looked at it from a 90° angle you'd see a bumpy texture. That dear sir, is what translates to your project. The rpm is irrelevant. Thanks for commenting though! 😁😁 Any engagement helps 😉

[@thisismoc]

This would be awesome if it were focus...

[@davidtroutman625]

I know man, I'm gonna remake this video in the next couple weeks with my new camera, and a couple GoPro's.

[@thisismoc]

DAVID Troutman Very cool, looking forward to it. Either way, it was still very informative to listen to!

[@riceast9054]

David,,,too much yap yap. For instance I could care less why uou prefer a white cloth over the blue. My Advice keep the talk to a minimum and to the poing or as in my case I went to another video because I was bored.

[@davidtroutman625]

Baahahahaha thanks for the input. 🖕🖕🖕