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Slowbee

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Both thick and thin. Thin stuff went on easier.

 

I guess my biggest issue is finding a clean, lint-free cloth in my workshop ... lol. The place is a damn mess at the moment.

 

I made a few pens with CA - originally started with CA & BLO, but did not get a shiny finish.  Nowadays I use only thin CA, around 10 to 20 coats and then micromesh for final shine.  And then two coats of Meguiar car polish.

 

I must say, I still struggle every now and then, especially when I use accelerator - I often get white spots and have to start over.

 

For some reason I just cannot get a shiny finish on Purple Heart - must be the oil content.  Any ideas?  (I tried wiping it with thinners to remove surface oil, but still no luck).

 

I saw one guy using "batting" to apply the CA - that white stuff used in quilting etc.  Apparently it does not react to the CA (i.e. the CA will not get hard on the batting).  I have bought a piece, but never tried it yet.  Up to now I just use plain white toilet paper.

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For some reason I just cannot get a shiny finish on Purple Heart - must be the oil content.  Any ideas?  (I tried wiping it with thinners to remove surface oil, but still no luck).

 

Try HUT from MrWoodturner - works a charm on almost any pen I've tried it on.

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Both thick and thin. Thin stuff went on easier.

 

I guess my biggest issue is finding a clean, lint-free cloth in my workshop ... lol. The place is a damn mess at the moment.

Paper towel is your best friend with that stuff, preferably thicker paper towel. Use a small folded piece and a new piece on every coat.

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I made a few pens with CA - originally started with CA & BLO, but did not get a shiny finish.  Nowadays I use only thin CA, around 10 to 20 coats and then micromesh for final shine.  And then two coats of Meguiar car polish.

 

I must say, I still struggle every now and then, especially when I use accelerator - I often get white spots and have to start over.

 

For some reason I just cannot get a shiny finish on Purple Heart - must be the oil content.  Any ideas?  (I tried wiping it with thinners to remove surface oil, but still no luck).

 

I saw one guy using "batting" to apply the CA - that white stuff used in quilting etc.  Apparently it does not react to the CA (i.e. the CA will not get hard on the batting).  I have bought a piece, but never tried it yet.  Up to now I just use plain white toilet paper.

I heard that with purple heart you need to leave it in the sun for a few days after turning and sanding, apparently the colour comes out better and its easier to finish. Going to be turning a purple heart pen for my wife this weekend so will give it a go.

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Nice, did you ebonize it?

"Aged" it with a mix of steel wool, vinegar and a dash of bleach that I keep in the garage, top it up every now and then. Brush on, leave to dry in the sun, light sanding and then clear Woodoc 10 to seal. I like the finish that it gives, and it's cheap.
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"Aged" it with a mix of steel wool, vinegar and a dash of bleach that I keep in the garage, top it up every now and then. Brush on, leave to dry in the sun, light sanding and then clear Woodoc 10 to seal. I like the finish that it gives, and it's cheap.

So the steel wool you just leave in the container with the vinegar and bleach? Does it corrode or something and add to the mixture? Or do you brush it on with the wool?

It looks really good.

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"Aged" it with a mix of steel wool, vinegar and a dash of bleach that I keep in the garage, top it up every now and then. Brush on, leave to dry in the sun, light sanding and then clear Woodoc 10 to seal. I like the finish that it gives, and it's cheap.

The yanks and poms call it ebonizing, its an old technique they used to try and make cheaper wood look more like ebony to charge more for it.

It has a really cool effect on pine.

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So the steel wool you just leave in the container with the vinegar and bleach? Does it corrode or something and add to the mixture? Or do you brush it on with the wool?

It looks really good.

the oxidising of the steel wool is what starts the reaction, I have never left it for long enough but I heard it will dissolve most of the steel wool if left for long enough.

I use vinegar to remove rust off of old tools before I start restoring them and the foam that comes off the top creates a similar reaction. 

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No woodworking skill required but a heck of a lot of elbow grease (4 rooms on hands and knees with a belt sander). First coat of Sabrethane looks awesome! (skirting boards still to be replaced)

well done, looks great

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It super rewarding watching an old rusted plane turn into a really good quality tool while you are restoring it.

If you search youtube for a guy called plane collector he has a very good instructional series on restoring old planes. I tried to paste the link but for some reason it wont let me.

 

Im fairly close to done with the first one I was working on so will post some before and after pics soon.

 

*edit* sneak peak on the new front knob I turned for it, this was just with sanding sealer on. The final product looked a whole lot nicer.

attachicon.gifknob.jpg

I know its probably useless information but I finally figured out what the plane is that Im restoring.

Its a Stanley defiance range. It was a lower end range produced from 1939 - 1953 and was made in the USA.

The defiance name apparently comes from some disagreement with manufacturing in England at the time.

This is a pic from someone that has restored one to a condition way better than it was produced!!

post-4822-0-71403400-1503470441_thumb.jpg

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I heard that with purple heart you need to leave it in the sun for a few days after turning and sanding, apparently the colour comes out better and its easier to finish. Going to be turning a purple heart pen for my wife this weekend so will give it a go.

 

My experience with Purple Heart is that is fades to a dull brown over time as does Red Ivory.

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My experience with Purple Heart is that is fades to a dull brown over time as does Red Ivory.

Is it a fairly fast change or does it happen over a longer time?

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