Wrong wrong wrong

[flexi]

Hi all.....OK what am i doing wrong....
In my quest to move from CA as a finish i have gone to melamine finish (chestnut) but i just dont have any luck...i applied 3 coats to a pen on Friday and then today rubbed it 'lightly' with burnishing cream on a cloth...and then buffed with a clean cloth and its patchy....
Advice please!!

 

[silver]

Great question, I Can't help with melamine as never used it but look forward to the replies and learning something here..

 

[bigbob]

I also bought a tin of the same stuff the other week after posts on here suggesting it was better for you than CA I tried Phil's method but was not impressed and have gone back to using thin CA as a finish. The stuff I get from poundland does not smell too bad anyway and most of the fumes go down the dust extraction hose and the melamine has not gone too much to waste as I use it as a finnish on workshop handle that I have made.

 

[rayf6604]

I tried melamine once but I could never get a nice shiny finish. haven't used it since

 

[Penpal]

Never used it but I have seen some excellent pens finished with it recently on this forum. Phil as a seller has a good handle on what to do in using, my feeling in every method used you have to establish repeatability, safety and get fair dinkum with it. I am guessing few of us would succeed in presentation without putting in the hard yards. All the best in your efforts.

Peter.

 

[wm460]

Another finish to cross of my list.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Try acrylic high gloss spray instead Mark. I've used melamine & it gives a nice satin finish which suits some timbers.

 

[Phil Dart]

Pedants!!

Melamine is never going to give you the glass like finish I saw on the pen you sent me the other day Mark. It's virtues are that it gives you a shiny finish that does not encase the wood in a resin like casket - in other words, you are still in touch with the wood so to speak. You haven't said what the blank was you were dealing with.

Take a look at this thread (not mine) to see what you are missing out on. Give me a ring Mark, and I'll tell you my method, and one day, if I ever get 5 minutes, I'll write a "how to"
http://www.penturners.co.uk/wood-turned-items/18413-matching-pair.html?highlight=pair

 

[Buckeye]

Sounds like a lot of secrecy surrounding a decent melamine finish, I'll wait until someone gives me some melamine to try or it becomes easier than it appears at the moment to get a good finish which might not be all that hardy.

Peter

 

[Neil Lawton]

Sand blank.
Wipe blank with cellulose thinners.
Apply thinned cellulose sanding sealer (60/40) and wait a gruelling 30 seconds or so for it to dry!
Turn lathe up to warp speed 9 and buff with kitchen towel only.
With lathe off, apply a thin coat of liquid Melamine, and wait at least a minute for it to dry.
Buff with burnishing cream, if you feel the need to sand, return to sand blank at the beginning of this post!
Apply another couple of coats, burnishing between them.
In my experience most woods don't need more than 3 or 4 coats to show an even "shiney" finish

 

[Phil Dart]

Don't know what all the fuss is about, do you Neil?

 

[Phil Dart]

Sounds like a lot of secrecy surrounding a decent melamine finish, I'll wait until someone gives me some melamine to try or it becomes easier than it appears at the moment to get a good finish which might not be all that hardy.

Peter

No secrecy at all - it's just that I've written my method so many times on this forum, I just though it might be easier (for me) if I just explain it over the phone to Mark.
My method is more or less similar to Neils, except I have not found the need to wait as long as a a minute for it to dry, and after the first couple of coats I apply mine with the lathe stopped, then burnish with dry tissue with the lathe running.

 

[EStreet]

What's the problem you are having with CA? There are 3 solutions that I know of that can be a good substitute.

 

[clement]

My method for melamine finish :

After sanding until 1200 grit I apply one coat of nitrocellulosic sanding sealer. When this is dry I buffed with a part of soft leather or Micromesh 3000 grit.
With the lathe stopped I apply a first coat of melamine and wait until it is dry when I put my finger on it , buff it again with the leather, I repeat this 3 times !
The last step is with Shellac Polish and buffering on the lathe until the shine becomes brilliant.
That's the method I use for my wooden pens.

 

[steveisfound]

I am very new to this pen turning lark... but totally hooked!

Phil has been kind enough to share his way of finishing with melamine and like anything else... it does take practice.

From my limited experience the temperature in your workshop/shed makes a big difference.

Before the cold spell hit us in the U.K. I could buff immediately each layer of melamine without worry, however, now the cold spell is here I find that if I buff immediately the paper towel grabs and I am having to sand off that layer/s to reapply. Now I wait a whole uk minute before buffing!

It's like anything really - different woods need to sometimes be dealt with differently and the same with finishes. Tools, temperature, skill set, concentration, desired end result - all add to the equation.

I use melamine to protect the wood on the pen during daily use and "shine" the pen with whatever I am experimenting with at the time - as I am still learning.

Currently I am sanding the final coat with the very fine micro mesh to produce a very flat surface and buffing with coats of menzerna glossesx g16, carnauba wax and microcrystalline.

Depending on how much you buff you can control the end "shine" and still "feel" the wood.

As Phil and many others have pointed out to me, my old finishing - sand to 600 and finish with either a wax, oil or friction finish - will look good for a day or two, but quickly rub off during use. This maybe also a desired effect, as the owners oils etc in their hand will give a unique patina truly their own. (Instruct them how to maintain the wood over the years to come).

The wonderful thing about this hobby is that there are so many variations on how you can produce your pens, it can never get boring.

I am attempting to try as many methods and finishes as I can. I am sure after a year or two I will have my favourites, but will hopefully still be open minded enough to try out (or create by accident) new methods.

Sorry about the length of this post, but since joining here I have gained so much knowledge (working on the experience side of things as we speak!) from everyone's kind input, I felt I should start to share my own experiences - from a novices point of view.

Cheers!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[flexi]

Thank you to all who have helped here....i am over complicating the whole thing....here's to the next try

 

[bigbob]

I will give it an other try too I have no burnishing cream but will try with farecla 500 then canuba wax

 

[Penpal]

What's the problem you are having with CA? There are 3 solutions that I know of that can be a good substitute.

Ed I would like to hear your three methods.

Peter.