Comparison of finishes

dogcatcher said:

I am a finish junkie. I have bought every finish known to mankind, I have created more conconc0ctions of finishes that is humanly possible. I used to have notebooks with notes on what worked and what did not work. A 12 Step Program for finish junkies is futile. I have been a woodturner since 1961 and a finish junkie for almost as long.

The end result, in my opinion there is no one perfect finish for everything, and there is no fast, easy and simple finish. Additionally every good finish starts with a good sanding job.

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Hah! I guess I am a finish junkie as well. I am new to woodworking, and I am still exploring everything. I haven't used poly much, for example, but I hear so many good things about it. I have a whole shelf in one of my workbenches packed full of various finishes.

I agree with you about sanding, though...for a really good finish, you need a really good sanding job. This seems triply true with friction polishes. Right now, Pens Plus is my favorite pen finish, but I have definitely found that an extremely, extremely smooth, fine sanded finish is required for it to come out properly.


On the subject of the thread:

It should be noted, and this is based on my experience with Mylands friction polish, my own O.B. Shine Juice mix, Doctor's Woodshop friction polish, and Doctor's Woodshop Pens Plus...Pens Plus is definitely different than other friction polishes. I feel it just gets lumped in with "all the rest" of the friction polishes, but the synthetic microcrystalline wax is a key differentiator. Friction polishes include shellac, which seems to break down when in contact with human sweat. Pens Plus, however, was specially formulated specifically for pens, and the wax was chosen to provide a durable, fingerprint-resistant finish.

In my experience, having been using a pens plus finished pen for months now, almost daily, the finish is as good now as it was the day I assembled the pen. There has been none of that breakdown that I find when I use a pen finished with Mylands High Build friction polish, which used to be one of the top finishes I used to use on my pens. I no longer use it, as there is a distinct difference between the Mylands polish and Pens Plus. The latter actually lasts, and seems to handle sweat or oily fingers just fine.

So it might not be best to lump Pens Plus in with all the rest of the shellac-based friction polishes. To do so, I think it means certain individuals who have experience with shellac based finishes will reject it out of hand, unaware of the real-world differences between them.

Hah! I guess I am a finish junkie as well. I am new to woodworking, and I am still exploring everything. I haven't used poly much, for example, but I hear so many good things about it. I have a whole shelf in one of my workbenches packed full of various finishes.I agree with you about sanding, though...for a really good finish, you need a really good sanding job. This seems triply true with friction polishes. Right now, Pens Plus is my favorite pen finish, but I have definitely found that an extremely, extremely smooth, fine sanded finish is required for it to come out properly.On the subject of the thread:It should be noted, and this is based on my experience with Mylands friction polish, my own O.B. Shine Juice mix, Doctor's Woodshop friction polish, and Doctor's Woodshop Pens Plus...Pens Plus is definitely different than other friction polishes. I feel it just gets lumped in with "all the rest" of the friction polishes, but the synthetic microcrystalline wax is a key differentiator. Friction polishes include shellac, which seems to break down when in contact with human sweat. Pens Plus, however, was specially formulated specifically for pens, and the wax was chosen to provide a durable, fingerprint-resistant finish.In my experience, having been using a pens plus finished pen for months now, almost daily, the finish is as good now as it was the day I assembled the pen. There has been none of that breakdown that I find when I use a pen finished with Mylands High Build friction polish, which used to be one of the top finishes I used to use on my pens. I no longer use it, as there is a distinct difference between the Mylands polish and Pens Plus. The latter actually lasts, and seems to handle sweat or oily fingers just fine.So it might not be best to lump Pens Plus in with all the rest of the shellac-based friction polishes. To do so, I think it means certain individuals who have experience with shellac based finishes will reject it out of hand, unaware of the real-world differences between them.