I started using this method a few months ago, and it has become my favorite method of finishing. Beautiful finish and I like the feel of these pens much more than a ca glue finish.
For me I think it's a much better finish, can take longer to build up the coats but CA can be hit and miss on getting that perfect finish and it loses the feel of the wood. I've not used a CA finish on anything for quite some time.
I have always stayed away from using Melamine Lacquer for my pens due to hearing some bad reports of it not working due to the Melamine catching on previous applied coats. After watching this I will give it a go. Great video Paul and I will leave them a week before using T Cut. Keeping this for reference. Take care mate and thanks again. Cheers, Huw
Thank you Huw. I think the key thing with the Melamine is apply thin coats. It does dry quick, but you can go over several times to smooth it out unlike CA. I think Shellac is worse for sticking which is why you add a little oil when adding extra coats. So this works the same way but without clinging to the previous coat too much. I did try a larger spindle and that does cling at times, I think it because you can't get enough on to start with and therefore it dries while applying it and the clings to the cloth.
Totally agree with you. I found that the CA finish left my wood pens feeling to “plasticky”. With the melamine the wood feeling seems to remain. Excellent video, never thought to use T-cut, I’ve been using burnishing cream but think I’ll give the T-cut a try.
Thank you. If you use T-Cut just beware of the white residue in any open grain etc. On something smooth like beech it's great but open grain like Oak can make it a real pain to clear up.
Very informative video. Thank you. I'm new to pen turning and had been using sanding sealer and wax but was concerned about longevity of such a finish. I think I'll now try melamine instead. Do you thinkYorkshire grit microfine would work as well as tcut?
Biggest problem I've found with the lacquer is it can hold on to streaks. You need to be very careful with application, keeping layers super thin and consistent. Any error and it's back to bare wood. CA is a bit more forgiving in that it's tougher and you can sand it quite a bit to even things out.
No argument from me. I might use CA as a sealer coat, but that’s it. I’d rather use a melamine lacquer or even a simple abrasive paste/wax finish. It feels so much better.
I started using this method a few months ago, and it has become my favorite method of finishing. Beautiful finish and I like the feel of these pens much more than a ca glue finish.
For me I think it's a much better finish, can take longer to build up the coats but CA can be hit and miss on getting that perfect finish and it loses the feel of the wood. I've not used a CA finish on anything for quite some time.
I have always stayed away from using Melamine Lacquer for my pens due to hearing some bad reports of it not working due to the Melamine catching on previous applied coats.
After watching this I will give it a go.
Great video Paul and I will leave them a week before using T Cut.
Keeping this for reference.
Take care mate and thanks again.
Cheers, Huw
Thank you Huw. I think the key thing with the Melamine is apply thin coats. It does dry quick, but you can go over several times to smooth it out unlike CA. I think Shellac is worse for sticking which is why you add a little oil when adding extra coats. So this works the same way but without clinging to the previous coat too much. I did try a larger spindle and that does cling at times, I think it because you can't get enough on to start with and therefore it dries while applying it and the clings to the cloth.
@@PaulLockwood Thank you Paul. Appreciate your detailed reply.
Totally agree with you. I found that the CA finish left my wood pens feeling to “plasticky”. With the melamine the wood feeling seems to remain. Excellent video, never thought to use T-cut, I’ve been using burnishing cream but think I’ll give the T-cut a try.
Thank you. If you use T-Cut just beware of the white residue in any open grain etc. On something smooth like beech it's great but open grain like Oak can make it a real pain to clear up.
Couldn't agree more Paul, I found CA hard work but this much nicer. Geoff
Thank you Geoff. I think this is much easier on small items like pens, but can be harder on bigger items.
Very informative video. Thank you.
I'm new to pen turning and had been using sanding sealer and wax but was concerned about longevity of such a finish. I think I'll now try melamine instead.
Do you thinkYorkshire grit microfine would work as well as tcut?
All finishes will only last so long but I'd expect wax to wear far quicker than any. YG should be fine too.
Biggest problem I've found with the lacquer is it can hold on to streaks. You need to be very careful with application, keeping layers super thin and consistent. Any error and it's back to bare wood. CA is a bit more forgiving in that it's tougher and you can sand it quite a bit to even things out.
No argument from me. I might use CA as a sealer coat, but that’s it. I’d rather use a melamine lacquer or even a simple abrasive paste/wax finish. It feels so much better.
Thank you Doug. CA can be really hard work to get that even coats, especially when you build up lots of layers.