Liquid abrasives

[Karl Card]

i am still toying around with trying to get the perfect finish. Usually I use 3 coats of lacquer and then use 0000 steel wool then EEE cut n shine.

They look nice, very clear and shiny but the EEE is getting expensive.

I am wondering if it is worth it or can I buy tripoli myself and make a slurry or (start laughing) has anyone actually used toothpaste and if it did work what brand.

At first some stories on line were saying rottenstone and tripoli were the same thing then I did more reading and find out that tripli is finer than rottenstone so there goes the rottenstone.

Basically I am looking for a less expnesive alternative than the EEE cut n shine. At 25 bucks (after shipping) i go thru a bunch of it.

[John Keeton]

Karl, when I was a kid, a cousin was really into model cars. He used Crest toothpaste to buff out the paint jobs he did on the models. I have no idea what the composition of Crest was in the early 1960's, and I have never tried it on a wood finish.

Is the White Diamond too coarse? Since I don't do pens, much of this is Greek to me.

Sorry, I am not much help to you!

[Tom Sherman]

Karl, have you tried any rubbing compound used in the auto industry. Paste or liquid.

[Bill Wilcox]

Well in French polishing they use Rotten stone. I would think that a mixture of RS or pumice and liquid car wax would do the trick. When I restore a straight razor I use Mass polishing paste to shine the steel. I don't think wood would (is that a pun?) be any different. Just be sure no to get the paste into any cracks or crevices.

[Jeff Nicol]

Karl. There are powdered polishing grits available through rock and gem sites that would work and also there are powdered grits available for use in lapping of plane blades, and other sharpening of cutting knives. I think if you got the grit that was as fine as you wanted to could create a paste with some mineral oil, bees wax and a little carnuba to create your own polishing paste. There are also sticks of polishing compounds made for plastic and the grit is very fine, I guess you couldmix it with some mineral oil and get the same thing. Most times the plastic polishes are blue or green in color. That being said as mentioned already auto rubbing compound comes in different grits and does a fine job on lacquer finishes. Last but not least here is a picture of a bottle of stuff I got at a local hardware store and it comes in differnt grits. It works wonderfully for restoring old finishes and for buffing out new ones.

[John Keeton]

Just had another thought - at one time (decades ago!) I was really into the buckskinner thing - flintlocks, powderhorns, etc. I used wood ashes, with a little mineral oil, on a buffing wheel to polish out powder horns and final polish on brass. Of course, put a little water with that and you have LYE!! So, one might want to take caution with that. But, it does fall into the category of CHEAP!

As Jeff mentions, there is the green compound for honing. I use it on MDF, with some mineral oil, for the final polishing of edges. Leaves a mirror finish on metal.

Karl, I want you to know how much effort it is for me to remember this stuff from my youth!!! But, good mental exercise!

[Karl Card]

Good info here. I have some super fine polish for countertops that I useon acrylic but I do not dare use it on wood or with finishes because it does have a little ammonia in it. Not sure why you need ammonia with an abrasive but unfortunately they didnt ask me how to make it...

I see that woodcraft sells rottenstone but does not sell tripolli in the powder form anway. I did buy a bar of the white diamond and tripolli bar that replaces the bars in the beale buffing system. I thought if anything id try and see if I could get it to go on a rag and then try to use that to buff the surface of the pen. I do have some automotive rubbing compounds here and I may just play with that and see what it can do.

John - the only 2 things I remember about model cars and trucks is that I had built a big ole kenworth complete with trailer, well my brother in law used to smoke dope and being that he was at our house on a regular basis he would hide weed in my kenworth trailer, I didnt even know it, until my dad found it and it was hard convincing him that it wasnt mine. luckily the bro in law fessed up though.

[David E Keller]

Karl, I'm a bit curious about the pace at which you are going through the buffing componds. I bought a couple of chunks of tripoli and white diamond from Arizona silhouette a few years ago, and I've yet to use even a third of the bars. I've probably made a few hundred pens with them so far.

I've also used platic polish for a final shine. The stuff I use comes from the same source, but I understand that most auto stores sell Novus plastic polish pretty cheaply. If you're using a CA finish, you basically have a plastic surface.

If you find something cheap and effective, please let us know.

[Daniel Heine]

Hello,

When turning acrylic pens, I use a product called Novus 2 and Novus 3 to produce an incredible finish. I have never tried it on wood, but it might be worth trying. Take a look at this link: http://www.novuspolish.com/

Dan

[Karl Card]

John,

I have not tried the bars yet. To me they were so inexpensive I had to buy them to see what I could do with them. My only real problem is that the EEE from shelewax is great stuff but at 25 bux a jar (including shipping) yes it is worth it but yet if there is something less expensive I could use it. I go thru EEE like crazy but I have been known to use it on small bowls too. I have a bowl here that looks like colored glass due to using it.

I have gotten away from ca finish mainly due to sparatic results. One time it works great the next time it doesnt. I just cant seem to get the clear finish other due and not sure what it is due to because there are so many variables. I really prefer the deft lacquer finish and it has proven itself time and time again so I will stick with it and also the deftthane spray can.

Plastic polish i cant say but the corian counter top polish kits that i have do make acrylic look wonderful and smooth but they do contain ammonia. I have tried it on other finishes over wood just to see what it would do and it did make the finish a little cloudy as expected.

Karl, I'm a bit curious about the pace at which you are going through the buffing componds. I bought a couple of chunks of tripoli and white diamond from Arizona silhouette a few years ago, and I've yet to use even a third of the bars. I've probably made a few hundred pens with them so far.

I've also used platic polish for a final shine. The stuff I use comes from the same source, but I understand that most auto stores sell Novus plastic polish pretty cheaply. If you're using a CA finish, you basically have a plastic surface.

If you find something cheap and effective, please let us know.

[Mike Peace]

Karl, I use the EEE for small stuff like ornaments and lidded boxes. For bigger stuff like bowls and platters I use the Beall buffing system with tripoli and white diamond. The bars that came with it seem to last forever.