Shopsmith Forums

I’m looking for a real glossy finish for some bottle stoppers that I have turned. The stoppers are sanded to 600 grit. Currently, I apply 3 coats of EEE Ultra shine and 3 coats of HUT Crystal Coat friction finish. The finish looks good but would like a higher gloss. Suggestions appreciated.

Bob
San Diego

If you want a High Gloss finish, I would recommend two products. The first is Minwax, Wipe-On Poly, and the second is Micro Mesh Pads, http://www.micro-surface.com.
The Micro Mesh Pads consists of Nine colored individual pads, ranging from a coarse grit of 1500 to a fine grit of 12,000! They last a very long time, and can be used wet or dry, and can also be cleaned with water and brush.
You sand normally to 600 grit, and then start using the Micro Mesh Pads.

With Wood Finishes such as Poly, you sand up to 3200-3600 between multiple coats, and then start "polishing" the surface beginning with 2400 thru 12000!
As the process continues, you will discover that you are actually "polishing" the surface! The company states that the 12000 grit will leave a scratch pattern that cannot be detected by the human eye!
You continue this process until you are satisfied with the sheen. Somewhere around 5-6 coats, and you will have a very high gloss. But..........suddenly, you are addicted! You find yourself, depending on the project, applying more and more coats.
Wood turners are discovering the above two products, and find themselves applying several more coats. One fellow wood turner that I know has applied up to 12 coats on a segmented bowl that he turned.
For myself, I try to stop around 7-8 coats when using the above combo!

Good luck!
John

I agree with flashbacpt. I think the micro mesh is the key. I personally cannot see any scratches on the wood after 1500 grit. Therefore I spend a lot of time (2-3 minutes) on 1500 to ensure all are gone and then use each grit for about 20-30 seconds with a lathe turning about 1700 rpm.

For wood pens and for some of the bowls or other items I turn, I used 7-8 layers of boiled linseed oil after sanding/buffing with the micro mesh. I apply the BOL with a couple of gun cleaning patches as the ones I buy seem to be lint free. And they are small enough so they won’t get wrapped around the mandrel. Some use paper towel but I don’t like the lint. Apply enough pressure to get the blank warm and the BOL will dry and buff to a nice shine then apply the next coat.

After the BOL is dry I apply usually 3 or 4 layers of CA glue with a small brush and then buff with the gun patch. I find the glue will fill in any pores left in the wood. Again slight pressure to make the blank warm and the glue will dry.

WARNING: About CA (cyanoacrylate) glue. It is exothermic (heat producing) and also produces noxious vapors WHEN WARM. Cyanoacrylate is used as a forensic tool to capture latent fingerprints on non-porous surfaces. Ca is warmed to produce fumes which react with the fingerprint residues to form a white polymer on the fingerprint ridges. THEREFORE Use CA in a well vented area. Allow your blanks to dry over night prior to assembling the pen.

Applying ca to materials made of cotton or wool results in an exothermic reaction. The heat released may cause minor burns, and if enough glue is used, the reaction is capable of setting the cotton product in question on fire, as well as releasing additional irritating vapor in the form of white smoke.

With that said I find CA to be a high gloss, easily applied, water resistant finish that dries quickly.