EEE and shellawax for pen finish?

[Jim Ketron]

Has anyone here tried the method on the free DVD from PSI? He uses sandpaper to 400 grit then the EEE polishing compound and then the shellawax for finish.
Is it any good?
Jim

[Darryl Fosbery]

I don't turn pens, but I use almost nothing but EEE & Shellawax on bowls & boxes and it gives a brilliant result. Dead easy too.

[Ken Salisbury]

Has anyone here tried the method on the free DVD from PSI? He uses sandpaper to 400 grit then the EEE polishing compound and then the shellawax for finish.
Is it any good?
Jim
There are as many methods of finishing pens as there is fish in the sea (almost). There are many, many choices of polishing compounds that can be used also. The free DVD from PSI naturally pushes the products sold by PSI. I have used a lot of different finishes on pens. Sometimes the finish used is determined by the type of wood/material used to make the pen in the first place.

As a general rule of thumb I sand to 600 grit, burnish with the shavings from the pen (in the case of wood pens), polish with some type of polishing, rubbing compound (at present using Hut's Plastic Polish), apply 2 coats of Hut's Crystal Coat followed by an light application of Hut's PPP (white) wax stick. When the last 2 steps are performed I apply enough pressure to generate heat which I believe is the key to success with those 2 products.

Many more methods can be used like a CA finish, etc which take a considerable amount of time and effort. These other methods are really great if you are making one of kind, special, high end products.

If you are making 10, 40 or even 50 at a time like I do, time is money and I have found the method described above gives me the best results in an efficient manner.

Just an Old Man's 2¢ worth.

[Steven Wilson]

Nope, I sand to 320 then apply a coat of shellac or lacquer and let it spin for a minute (to dry). Then I sand to 800 grit, apply a final coat of shellac or lacquer, let it spin for a minute and then lightly hand sand at 1200 grit. Finally I top it off with Hut wax and then Hut PPP, applying a little friction to get the wax/polish to flow.

[Michael Cody]

Has anyone here tried the method on the free DVD from PSI? He uses sandpaper to 400 grit then the EEE polishing compound and then the shellawax for finish.
Is it any good?
Jim

As Ken said, PSI does push products is sells, but EEE & Shellawax is a very nice finish. I use it pretty standard on production pens when I do them. For higher end (read hi-priced).. I use CA finnish sanded to 12000 micromesh and polish with Hut Crystal Kote...

[Jim Ketron]

Thanks guys I orderd the EEE and Shellawax. But I was thinking of getting the Hut products also.

Hey Ken! when I get some pens under my belt, I would like to do some freedom pens. I want to contribute and show my thanks to the men and women in our armed forces. :)

[Jim Ketron]

As Ken said, PSI does push products is sells, but EEE & Shellawax is a very nice finish. I use it pretty standard on production pens when I do them. For higher end (read hi-priced).. I use CA finnish sanded to 12000 micromesh and polish with Hut Crystal Kote...

Michael how many coats of CA do you use before the polish?
Jim

[Michael Cody]

Jim, I basically do this:

I sand to 220 ... then coat the wood w/2 or 3 coats of thin CA ... sanding between each coat with 220 ... this fills the pores. If it's closed pore wood or stabilized, I just do a single coat. Then I use Watco's (usually) and put on one more coat of Thin CA .. then sand with 320 and 400. Then switch to MicroMesh thru 12000.. lastly I use hut crystal kote and polish with paper towel generating some heat to make it shine, then finish with a buff with kraft paper (IE brown paper bags) ...

I apply the CA with the little plastic bags the parts come in. I stop the lathe soak some on and turn the lathe by hand whilst smoothing out the coating... then let it dry (I don't use accelerator) .. then after I coat with oil I put on the last coat which reacts with the BLO in the Watco's and polymerizes into a very hard coating that takes a great shine.

[Stanley Webber]

Has anyone here tried the method on the free DVD from PSI? He uses sandpaper to 400 grit then the EEE polishing compound and then the shellawax for finish.
Is it any good?
Jim
I am a turner and I started out just using beeswax on my bowls but the shine did not last very long. I tried EEE and Shelawax and it is all I use. At this point in my development I do not want to spend time doing a lot of sprays and coats of finish. I sand to 400 grit and then EEE. I have found that it works better for me to cover the wood well but I do not lather it on. Thinner is better. Then I heat the wood by rubbing at a high speed on the lathe. Then Shellawax. I am careful to keep out of the way of the spinning wax because it flies onto my safety glasses. If put it on too thickly it can get gummy and then becomes difficult to remove by polishing. I really love the stuff. I let the finish set for a couple of weeks before I use the bowls. Stan

[Grant Wilkinson]

I tried the EEE and shellawax combo when I first started wood pens. I went back and forth with the maker in australia to make sure that I was using it correctly. The finish is brilliant and very smooth. However, it never lasted for me. You can go onto the IAP and you will find many pen makers that had the same experience. I've not heard of any that had it last very long. I still use it on pieces that will not be handled frequently and it holds up very well. However, the abuse that pens receive has proven too much for it, in my experience.