Shellac for Pens

[Babytoolman]

In a another forum someone said they used shellac on pens. Do you guys think this is okay? how would you stop it from running? I am not getting great results with my finishing and i use sandpaper from 80 down to 800 and using a wax, eee, glow and gillies stuff. not all together however i have tried different combinations and i feel it is not right.

Help please

Roger

[ubeaut]

80 grit is much too harsh to begin sanding with on a pen. Preferably start with nothing courser than 180. Sand up to 1200, apply Shellawax liquid with the lathe stopped, turn the lathe on and burn the polish into the timber using the same section of the rag that you used to apply the polish. Never use steel wool and don't use anything else with the Shellawax other than EEE which you can use before applying the Shellawax if you like.

If you must use shellac then our Hard Shellac and white Shellac are by far the best, Hard Shellac is also the base used for Shellawax. A bit harder to use than anything else you have been using so far but works pretty well. Your best bet is to apply it using a super fine brush or a rag then as it dries apply a coat of our Waxtik over the top and melt it in with a rag with lathe running flat out.

However, before going to the Shellac it would be worth trying again with the shellawax, there really isn't much that will come near it on a pen if done right. In most instances if you aren't getting a brilliant finish with it, there is either a problem with the way you are using it or you have a timber that just isn't right for it, and if that is the case it is probably a timber that you shouldn't be using in a pen in the first place. IE timbers that have deep open pores and pretty well all white woods.

The ideal timbers for pens are close grained with a good colour and figuring, use these and your Shellawax will astound you. For everything else try the Shellac and Waxtik. Click here http://www.ubeaut.com.au/ubhome.htm then on the links to the products to the left of the page for more info.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil

PS You might also like to take a look at this page http://www.ubeaut.com.au/swinfo.htm

[gatiep]

YEP, what the Master said!

Please remember to burnish the Shellawax on. For that you need both pressure on the cloth and the highest possible speed, which gives the friction which gives you the heat which gives you the ubeautifil finish. Seriously though, please don't expect results with the pen spinning at 500 rpm and a powder puff style pressure from the cloth. Read the instructions which should be available free from your supplier or just do as the creator of Shellawax has just told you in the previous reply!