Buffing pens with the Beall system

[Robert Parrish]

Does anyone use the Beall buffing system to finish their pens? I tried it this morning and it seems to work okay but I was worried about how durable the finish was. Carnauba wax is hard but is it durable? I made a small mandrel from some 1/4 x 20 threaded rod and I reversed the lathe to avoid hitting the bed. It sure saves a lot of time on finishing!

[Jim McFarland]

I buff pens using the Beall and IMO the Beall buff improves the finish for me over what I get off the lathe. I finish pens with BLO/CA for wood & Novus plastic polish for acrylics/resins. I've even "fixed" a few small scratches with the buffer! Good idea using something to hold the piece -- I've polished my fingernails a lot and sent a few flying around the garage. I have read that metal holders can sometimes leave black marks in your buffer wheels so you might watch out for that.

Sorry, no help re durability of the buffed finish. I've read many stop with the white diamond polish and don't bother with carnuba wax. Pen making is just a (very) expensive hobby for me. I suspect friends & family groan (internally so far!) when they see me coming with yet another pen.

[Robert Parrish]

Jim,
I see that you finish the pens before buffing, I was just buffing the raw wood with all three compounds. PSI recommends that you use Danish oil before buffing but that adds 8-10 hours to the process. Maybe I'll try one with Danish oil and see how it comes out.

[David Walser]

Robert,

Carnauba wax is hard and can be buffed to a nice gloss. However, I don't like it for use on pens and other items that get a lot of handling. Water leaves spots and fingerprints show well on the wax. Renaissance Wax does not show fingerprints and it sheds water without spotting. If anything, Renaissance Wax leaves a more durable finish than carnauba. To use, just apply a thin coating to the pen blank and then buff with a soft cloth after the wax dries (or you can use your Beall wax wheel). The wax dries in a matter of a few seconds, so it should be just as fast as your existing approach.

Here's a link to one of the many sources of Renaissance Wax: http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Finishing___Pen___Project_Finishes___Renaissance_W ax___ren_wax?Args=

[Robert Parrish]

Thanks David,

I have some Renaissance Wax I use for bottle stoppers. Can you mix it with carnauba on the same wheel or should I buy a new wax wheel?

[Chris Stolicky]

Thanks David,

I have some Renaissance Wax I use for bottle stoppers. Can you mix it with carnauba on the same wheel or should I buy a new wax wheel?

In my experience, you don't need a buffing system for Ren Wax. Just rub it on, wait a minute or two, and then buff a little with a cloth.


Note - I have actually even used it on my cast iron tables on tools - ts, bs, joiner... A little side tracked here, but thought is was worth mentioning.

[jack richington]

buffing is not a finish..it's like gentle sanding..a finish would be poly, lacquer..ca...very little in the long run holds up to hand acid and abuse, say in the bottom of a handbag...ca is toughest, but even that will eventually wear..fi the pen will reside on a desk as a piece of artwork, well then wax is ok

[Bernie Weishapl]

I buff Ren wax with my beall wax buff and have no problems. I don't use carnuba much at all on anything because it will have finger prints on it and if it gets wet it will leave water spots. I get a better shine with Ren wax off the beall than by just using a cloth to hand buff.

[David Walser]

Thanks David,

I have some Renaissance Wax I use for bottle stoppers. Can you mix it with carnauba on the same wheel or should I buy a new wax wheel?

I honestly don't know whether it's safe to mix the two waxes on the same wheel. I've used the same wheel with success, but I may have been lucky.

[Dave Garcia]

Robert,

Sounds like you've run into basically what all pen turns run into sooner or later; finishing that lasts.

I do not use plastics/acrylics so can not comment on what "finish" to use with those substances. But on wood, over the years, and with much feedback from my customers, I've found that the easiest and most durable "finish" on all of my wood pens, both soft and hard wood, is IEEE and Shelwax, both from Penn State Industries.

True, these products seem to darken the wood slightly, but I can live with that. And like everyone has stated at least somewhere in their comments here, water spotting, wear and finger printing can at times be a problem. But I've also found that with these issues, a little furniture polish takes care of these issues most of the time. That's what I recommend to my customers they use to "restore" the original shine and finish when necessary.

Granted, this does not work all of the time. And the bottom line is that nothing works all of the time. This just seems to work the best for me.

The important thing to remember, especially if you're in the business to make money, time is money. And removing your finished pen blanks etc, etc, to do whatever, takes time. I've found that with the IEEE/Shelwax combination I can do the entire operation (except for assembly of course) on the lathe.

I'm sure there will be many comments etc, etc with this. Again, this works for me and my customers the best. And being in business, that's all that really matters. Of course I'm still open to anyone that has a better idea that would help make my products better. Again, that's business as well.

Hope this helps.

Dave Garcia :)
The Wood Block, Ltd