Hard finish that can best withstand a ball point pen

[Warren Weckesser]

What would you recommend for a finish to use on a wood clipboard? I know there are "tough" finishes, and "durable" finishes, but in this case, I'm specifically looking for something that can best resist a ball point pen. Ideally the clipboard would be used with a pad of paper, but it would be nice if it could also hold up to a ball point pen when the clipboard has just a sheet or two of paper in it. I don't expect to find a truly impervious finish, but I'd like to know what some of the best options are. I'm either brushing or wiping on the finish, but spray in a rattle can would be OK.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

depends a lot on the substrate. Maple is going to do better here than pine.
I suggest that prefinished white masonite stuff at HD.

[Warren Weckesser]

My prototype (not that a clipboard really needs a prototype!) was pine--four strips glued up--but I'll use hard maple next, maybe with some walnut or cherry strips on the edges.

[Wayne Lomman]

If you want a hard finish, use epoxy. However, performance will be better with a hard timber. Alternatively, inlay an area of leather or good vinyl. A resilient surface is much more pleasant to write on. Cheers

[Jamie Buxton]

You're on the right road when you're thinking about the wood underneath the finish. The finish is just a very thin skin on top of the wood, and it is the wood that really resists the denting of the ballpoint pen. As you know, maple is better than pine. But there are even harder woods. There's a measure of wood's resistance to denting, call Janka hardness. Here's a link to one list of species by Janka hardness -- http://tinytimbers.com/janka.htm. In my local lumber dealers, I can readily find Jatoba (which is called Brazilian Cherry in that table), and Ipe. They're both more than twice as hard as Maple.