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Walter's Post on Friction Polish

Walter

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Walter
Woody is right, woodturner's lathe polish is not the same as friction polish. There are also differences between the various brands of friction polish, and shellawax is just another make of friction polish with a fancy name. The one thing they all have in common is shellac, and they will all leave a coating of shellac on the finished pen that is similar to a piece of french polished furniture. (Again see Woody's comments above)

For at least the first ten years of making pens I used nothing but these kind of polishes and I have yet to have had a pen returned through a failed finish. As several people have suggested regular maintenance with any kind of wax polish will maintain the quality of finish and extend the life of the pen. I apply a coat of Renaissance wax (microcrystalline wax) to all my pens whatever they are finished with as helps reduce fingerprints even on the metal parts.

The EEE that Jim and Neil use is an interesting substance in that it is a mixture of a wax polish and a mild abrasive. It could be used either before or after the application of a friction polish or indeed a lacquer or CA finish.

I still finish some of my pens with friction polish, but for the more expensive kits I now use either CA or a lacquer finish. Cellulose or acrylic lacquers both work fine and really only differ in the solvent used to carry the finish. Both can be applied either by hand or spray and once dry can be buffed with a buffing system or polished with micromesh and a fine abrasive such as burnishing cream (or toothpaste George).

Mostly however I now use CA. I tried Mr Young's method and I still have a link to the video on the "How to make pens" page of my website, but I found that the combination of BLO and CA gives off much more offensive vapours than just using CA on its own so I now apply two or three thin coats of CA by hand whilst turning the lathe spindle slowly by hand and then polish as described above for lacquer.

A safety point if you use CA or CA/BLO, don't use a powered respirator as the filters are designed for dust not chemical fumes and the fumes will be drawn in to your lungs rather than giving you any protection. I use a Camvac Extractor and direct the exhaust tube outside the workshop.

It is also possible to get a good finish using a drying oil like Danish Oil or Gunstock Oil. This however relies upon building up coats over time and most people, me included, want a finish that can be applied more quickly than that.

When it comes down to it,there is no absolute right or wrong way to finish pens.

Walter
 
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