Mylands Friction Polish

[Brice Rogers]

I think that the ideal finish for a pen is CA glue. I prefer the medium-thin grade. It goes on very quickly and you can put on 3, 4 or 5 thin coats in a session with perhaps only a couple of minutes between applications. It also sands and polishes very well. Of all finishes for a pen, it probably the best in terms of resistance to wear. So, if it was me, I'd throw out the 5 year old Mylands or use it for something else.

[Jim Morgan]

Um, that Mylands that was five years old at the start of this thread is now 18 years old. OP has one post since 2012, inactive since 2016.

[John K Jordan]

When applying Mylands to thin spindles i apply with a small cotton strip about 1”x3” piece of an old tee shirt, soak the cloth and apply with as high a speed as the lathe will produce. The small strip prevents injury from wrapping your fingers around the cloth. I apply multiple coats with the lathe at fully speed. I top with Reniassance Wax.

But I agree with others that Mylands is not much good on pens or other things that get handled a lot. I use it a lit on finials for ornaments and such, small finger tops, and “magic” wands since they don’t get handled a lot. I tend to use CA glue for pens. Shellac based mylands will soften and get ugly in the presence of alcohol and even moisture.

A good finish for pens is multiple coats of “danish” oil, perhaps wet sanded with fine paper, dried overnight between coats, then buffed. Add Renaissance wax.

I occasionally apply Mylands to larger things, off the lathe, with a larger cloth, rubbing vigorously. If finish applied earlier have gotten messed up I usually don’t remove the old first.

That said i rarely use Mylands on boxes, bowls, etc - too much effort and the finish can degrade with handling. Multi-coat “danish” oil is my first choice for most things that get handled, second is multiple light coats of spray lacquer, often followed with 0000 steel wool or pumice to cut the gloss. I’m not a fan of thick, high-gloss mirror finishes on wood.

JKJ

Hi All,

What's the best way to apply this pen polish? Is there a technique that results in the best shine? I have some of this that's about 5 years old. Think it's too old to use? Thanks!