The continuing story of DeVore's descent into woodcraft madness...

genuine leather wrote: »

Beautiful work Devore. Did you recycle copper for the pieces?
It looks so well as an inlay against the wood.

Nah, I should (and will in future) but I had it from a previous project and so used that... It looks terrific against the purpleheart and honestly, it broke my heart when I came down a few days before xmas and found it had split (my own stupid fault for bringing it into the house and keeping the heating on full blast over xmas).

I put it back out in the shed in the hope it would some how revert and amazingly it has!! The cracks are very hard to spot now and I might just try to hide them with some CA glue and sawdust from the remaining sanding...

This wood lark requires a lot of patience that I don't got.

delaney001 wrote: »

Would you mind giving a quick run down on your finishing process devore? What products you use and steps?

Sure, happy to!

I use a few different processes depending on what I'm looking for. I have 3:
1. Standard finish for spindle work (matt and gloss)
2. Foodsafe for salad bowls
3. The most complex ... pens.

1... For standard work I either use mineral oil for matt finish or I use carnauba wax on a Chestnut buffing wheel for gloss finishes. Oil is really easy and gives a nice matt finish, simple to apply and to reapply. Carnauba is very easy to get to a high shine finish BUT any amount of handling will wear that away. Its not a good idea to use for pens or even bowls. I use it for candlestick holders and lamps etc.
I've also used some spray on laquer lately for quick and dirty finishes but not for anything competition level.


2. For foodsafe I've been using mineral oil or lately I've started playing with beeswax mixed with mineral oil. I put the beeswax in the microwave and melted it completely liquid. Then added about 20% mineral oil (I could probably have done less but it works with this mixure). Let it all cool and harden in something plastic (to make it easier to get out) and when it does, pop it out and apply it directly to the piece on the lathe. YOU DONT NEED MUCH... this is quite like carnauba, a little goes a long way and it needs friction to heat up and nicely melt into the piece and then buffs to a nice shine.
Carnauba is food safe too btw but I prefer this finish. I cant speak for its longevity yet tho...


3. I use CA glue for pens. Sand up to 400 (600 if I'm feeling like it ) and then put a coat of CA on top.
Put a folded up tissue under the piece, lightly pressing against the pen. Pour a liberal amount of CA and move from left to right in one slow steady motion. Don't go back and forth. Let it dry until its dry to the touch (about 2-5 minutes).
Sand at 400 again until its smooth (no shiny valleys in the finish.. when you do it you'll see what I mean). Then glue again, and sand again. Do this 4-5 times.
The trick is after the last sanding... use Mylands Buffing Cream (I hear you can use Jif or any sort of scouring cream but I haven't tried it). The cream will bring up the glass like finish and will probably take two decent applications and buffings to really do the trick but its a terrific finish for pens as they are going to get a LOT of handling.

Two warnings about CA:
A. Its nasty stuff for eyes and lungs. Use a respirator if you have one or ventilate VERY WELL.

B. It reacts chemically to form the bond and it does so exo-thermically... meaning it gives out heat (and lots of it!) when it bonds. If you pour CA glue onto a ball of twine, it will go on fire. It will smoke when poured into a tissue. Just be careful about it around the workshop.


I've only just bought myself a Chestnut buffing wheel system and already I really like it! They run about 50 quid and are well worth it.


Finally a word about sanding. For a great finish, you have to really do a good sanding prep. A couple of things I've learned the hard way.

1. the most important sanding grit is 120. don't move on from it until its really well done... spend time and effort here and you will save 10 times as much later.

2. Slooooow the lathe down. I sand at 350rpm... I use to turn the lathe up to 2000 to try and get it done quicker!

3. After 240 or 320 put on a coat of sanding sealer (I've cut my sanding sealer down 50% with sanding sealer thinners btw.. ). This brings us any of the imperfections and you get to see them then rather than later! This is where having done a good job at 120 will pay dividends!

4. Power sanding is GOOOD. Get a nice handy portable drill. A Simon Hope power sanding set and a few bags of sanding disks. Its a little expensive but it makes sanding SO MUCH LESS A CHORE! The finish is also better as you avoid the nasty circular sanding lines from hand sanding.

So, there you have it. Any questions, just ask!

Heat kills sandpaper (and fingertips! OW!).... the faster the lathe is going the less you can press the sandpaper to it because of heat, and sandpaper needs to be pressed to the wood to work

I wasn't a convert until I started using slower speeds and it works much better for me (and much less painful! )
I still power sand though, because life is just too freakin' short to hand sand every sanding ring out

ok...

1. You haven't invested much time in it and its not exactly expensive timber. It wouldn't be a sin to bin it.

2. If you cant fix it, flaunt it. Drill 4 holes either side of the crack and lace it up with leather (I have some you can use if you like) or even cut a segment out of it when you are done and then stick lines of copper across the gap or any other sort of artistic affectation!

Yes, safety is a factor.. What I've done before was to wrap it in a couple of wraps of duct tape, good and tight, just to give it that extra bit of stability and support. This has worked for me but your mileage may vary! Do it at your own risk and wear a face shield