dollis

I have heard several different types. They seem to lean to the BLO/CA glue side. I have had mixed results with that. I tried these combinations so far….

CA
CA / Hut
CA / Crystal Coat
CA / Hut / Crystal Coat
BLO / CA
BLO / CA / Hut
BLO / CA / Crystal Coat
BLO / CA / Hut / Crystal Coat

I nearly got my finger broke when the CA glue grabbed my latex glove and tore it off my hand. CA glue also seemed to darken the wood so I am trying to avoid the CA if I can.

Shellac
Shellac followed with Hut polish
Shellac followed with Crystal Coat
Shellac followed with Hut polish and Crystal Coat
BLO with Shellac
BLO with Shellac followed with Hut polish
BLO with Shellac followed with Crystal Coat
BLO with Shellac followed with Hut polish and Crystal Coat

Poly
Poly followed with Hut polish
Poly followed with Hut polish and Crystal Coat
Poly followed with Crystal Coat
BLO with Poly
BLO with Poly followed with Hut polish
BLO with Poly followed with Crystal Coat
BLO with Poly followed with Hut polish and Crystal Coat

Has anyone tried any of these combinations? I am interested in long term wear issues, and maintaining their shine. I was told to try a Denatured alcohol ,Boiled linseed oil, Shellac in equal amounts for a friction polish.
Any feedback on these or others I would greatly appreciate.

P.S. Yes I do have WAY to much free time.

Bob Willing

When I finish pens I prefer the following:

I start with Mylands "high friction polish" (HFP) and I follow-up with 4 coats of Shellawax Cream. I have tried Shellawax liquid in place of the Mylands HFP, but I was not happy with the results. If I am finishing a burl I may put a coat of thin CA and hit it with an accelerator after it soak in to the wood. I do this just before my fine sanding. You can go on line at PSI and I think there is a video on pen making/finishing. They use another Shellawax product but I have not tried it so far.

One more thing use a zip lock bag or similar bag against the wood to spread the CA this will not stick to the bag.

Dvoigt

I have switched from the wax only finish to a CA finish for pens. I find that the wax wears off after a few weeks of daily use. I do a 3-6 coats of thin CA over BLO and then sand it with mirco mess up to 12000 and then apply a light coat of Ren wax for some additional temporary protection and encourage people to reapply wax to help protect the wood.

I havn't tried any of the other finishes out there yet

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