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Resin - best finishes?

Margo

Full Member
Joined
May 25, 2020
Posts
73
Location
England
First Name
Margo
Hi folks.

I have a Resin query - tell me some good ways to "finish" resin to be nice and shiny. And stay that way!

And tell me like I've never done it before, as I probably haven't... ?

(I hate CA, although do use it, and I don't have a buffing mop system!)
 

flexi

Executive Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Posts
6,159
Location
Maidstone
First Name
mark
If it is just resin, then I sand as usual radial and longitudinal, then move to car polishing compounds....my preference is Farcla, but have been using one (and others courser/ finer) from Machine Mart,(I have one in walking distance) once done...walk away....nice and shiny
Flexipads LP110 Liquid Shine Fine Cut 500ml - Machine Mart - Machine Mart
If you have a mixed media blank then it will need finishing first, I normally use CA first to seal everything, then sand and polish:thumbs:
 

ValleyBoy

Graduate Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Posts
645
Location
Cardiff
First Name
Ash
Hi Margo

There are lots of opinions on this so you'll probably get quite a few answers but the main principle is the same, which is progressing through finer and finer abrasives until you get to the point where the scratches are so fine that the naked eye can no longer identify them and it looks nice and shiny.

It starts with getting the best finish you possibly can off the tool. The process I then apply leads to using a buffing wheel but as you don't have one I won't confuse you with what I do and instead encourage you to have a look at the advice Phil gave on using burnishing cream in your previous post. If you follow those instructions you'll get a fantastic finish.

(I do effectively the same thing but in my case I hold the stationary pen against a spinning buffing wheel which has polishing compound rubbed into it. The approach Phil is suggesting is where the pen is spinning and you hold the polishing liquid against it via a paper towel).

And you don't need CA when finishing resins/acrylics. CA is used frequently to finish wooden pens and hybrids as it helps to seal and stabilise the wood (especially if it is a bit punky) and also gives you a thin coating of "plastic" over the wood that you can then polish to a shine. In effect it turns the wood into something you can finish in the same way as you would with resin, if that makes sense. (However you don't really need CA to finish wood either, as there are other options that are documented on this forum).

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Ash
 

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,340
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
So much variety. My original treatment was off the tool then 600 grit then Brasso cream then when that was dicontinued Brasso liguid. Nowadays that still works a treat and I use a metal cream polish.

Peter.
 

Pierre

Graduate Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Posts
996
Location
Southern Central France
First Name
Pierre
I think I'm with valleyboy/ash I havent tried the creams or liquids (too many memories of being a squaddie and brass buttons) but by the time I get down to 12000 grit micromesh I really cant see any scuffing marks apart from once when I had a bit of grit on a tool then it took a complete redo from basics to remove it (never magnetise your tools using a magnetic tool holder) :rolling:
 
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