What to do --- pen help needed

[Jon Lanier]

I just finished up my first Euro Pen using Tamboti wood. I had used the wolverine just to sharped up the bowl gauge and 1/2 skew. Talk about some serious shearing.

When I got done I went into my routine for finish prep. Even the 600 grit paper were cause cut streaks into the wood. What should I do with my skew get's smoother than sand paper? Do I go straight into the CA finish?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John....I've experienced that on certain exotics too that seem to be "waxey". I don't know what the answer is......

[Dean Thomas]

Jon,

Make sure that the sanding marks are actually in the wood and not in the waxy buildup, as Ken implied.

If you're working with a waxy wood, you can do the acetone wash thing and that may help. And when working waxies, know that you have to do more than just brush the dust between grits.

In the olden days, the rule was that you cleaned the bejeebers out of your project between grits. Tack cloths were as much for sanding as they were for pre-varnish. It's not nearly that bad any more since the adhesives that bond paper and grit are way, way, way better than they were 30-50 years ago when that was being taught (and being taught for really good reason!). The waxy substance that seeps out and surfaces your wood as you finish it can catch pieces of grit and other debris and hold it as it cools. Even chunklets of the very wood you're sanding could cause marking. The hard part of the growth rings can be incredibly hard, expecially in exotics.

Try being extra clean with an acetone bath between grits. Also try a much slower speed. If you're already on your lowest speed on a fixed speed machine, please ignore that. If you're on an EVS lathe, take your speed way down. Heat seems to make the wood produce more of the waxy substance. Less heat might mean less wax with less capture of unwanted materials, and a smoother surface easier.

Just some thoughts based on working with cocobolo and lignum and a couple of other waxies. Something will work for you.

[Alex Elias]

Not to contradict Dean but... if your are going to go with CA as a finish I'd watch the acetone steps, unless you let the acetone eveporate fully meaning postponing your finish for a few days don't use it. Do clean the blanks as good as you can (I don't use acetone any more for that) I I just use a towel. I used to use alcohol but again I rather not use anything. CA on Ebony and such, is not the easiest to apply, often enough you end up with cludy of milky or dull spots in the middle of a great finsh and that pretty much ruins the looks of the pen, so I rather not add to the problems. Make sure you sand with the grain between grits until you can't see any radial marks, then move on to the next one.
This was a pair of pens made with E-bony or something of tha nature.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q185/alxe24/IMG_0954copy.jpg

[Rasmus Petersen]

very nice set of natural pens... i am making something like it i som very oily danish wood. i think i will try you approch...

on the other side i just had yet an other zebra wood 90 degree cut pen explode in a milllion pices... this is the 2 try on a gift for the old farther in law... .... damikt

[Paul Heely]

Jon are you also stopping the lathe and sanding with the grain with every grit? I sand with the lathe running and then stop the lathe and sand with the grain to remove any circular scratches. Then onto the next grit and repeat. I'll do this until sanding with the lathe on does not leave any visible circular scratches. Depending on the wood, cocobolo comes to mind, I've also stopped and sanded with the grain using the first couple of grits of MM.