Our new address is 979 York Street, Hanover, PA 17331. Phone 717-646-0102. Fax 717-646-0104.

Polishing

WoodWrite, Ltd. has developed three special polishes for pens and pencils, or for any work done in wood on a lathe, for that matter! WoodWrite, Ltd. Gloss Sealer (CN-11) is a great polish and provides the glossiest finish available. The finish is alcohol-based, however, and is not impervious to hand oils, alcohol, water or perspiration - all materials that could regularly contact a pen or pencil and dull the finish.

We’ve developed two other polishes to overcome the problem of dulling. Turner’s Magic™ Semi-Gloss (CN-16) and Super-Gloss (CN-17) are lacquer-based and provide the greatest durability available to our knowledge. (They are so impervious to water and alcohol that you can finish bar tops with them!)

All three polishes are applied in the same manner. Shake the can briefly (before every application, every time) to ensure product uniformity (some settling between uses is normal). Fold a wiping pad into six layers and hold it over the mouth of the can. Tip the can over and back to moisten a portion of the pad about the size of a quarter (25mm diameter). With the lathe running, rub the liquid onto the smoothly sanded wood barrels, rubbing back and forth while applying finger pressure. Press hard to generate friction, and thus heat the polish. Sufficient pressure will generate enough heat to evaporate the solvent in just a few seconds. As drying is achieved, remove the wiping pad before stopping the lathe. Check that the finish is dry; if not, continue turning and rubbing. Repeat for several coats as needed to achieve the finished appearance you desire. When finished, and dry to the touch, and built up to your satisfaction, you’re done.

CN-11 Gloss Sealer May be used as is on any wood for the highest possible gloss, however, this is not impervious to hand oils, etc., as noted previously. CN-11 should be used on any resinous woods (such as Nicaraguan Cocobolo, Bloodwood and others) to seal the surface before applying any other polish. Without a surface seal, the resin works its way to the surface of the wood and will dull other polishes from beneath. (How do you know whether you’re dealing with a resinous wood? Look at your abrasive cloth. Is there a resin buildup after sanding? If so, you should seal the surface with CN-11 Gloss Sealer.) After sealing wood with two or three coats of CN-11, apply three to five coats of either Turner’s Magic™ polish for a finish that resists dulling from beneath as well as from handling. Hint: we always use CN-11 first. It makes a great base for CN-16 and CN-17.

CN-16 Turner’s Magic™ Semi-Gloss lacquer-based friction drying polish provides a softer, more satiny finish than the other two polishes. It has a higher polymer content than the other polishes and thus is ideal for open-grained, porous woods, as a filler. Put three to five coats on woods like oak, ash, walnut, mahogany or Mexican Wenge. If you want additional gloss, apply one or two coats of Turner’s Magic™ CN-17 Super-Gloss on top.

CN-17 Turner’s Magic™ Super-Gloss lacquer-based friction drying polish provides a glossy, very durable shine to most woods. Except as suggested above for resinous or porous woods, CN-17 may be used without any other modification - three to five coats is desirable.

As a general procedure, we have found for an all-around, attractive, durable finish on all woods, one or two coats of CN-11 followed by three or four coats of CN-17 can’t be beat for shine, protection and durability. Note:   these finishes are not waxes. Wax finishes tend to simply wear off with use, and we do not routinely recommend their use, except for an "unfinished" appearance, where the ultimate goal is to allow the pen or pencil to develop its own patina, characteristic of its owner’s body chemistry. With time, the wood, whether waxed or left totally unfinished, will typically develop a deeper hue under the influence of the hand oils of its owner. WoodWrite, Ltd. CN-02 Dark Finishing Compound and CN-03 Light Finishing Compound, both waxed-based, may be used to gently enhance a pen or pencil where a relatively impervious finish is not desired. These finishes may be applied, while the wood is turning, with fine (OOOO) steel wool, or with a wiping pad. Be sure to buff to a shine with a dry pad after application.

CHANGING THE COLOR OF WOODS Sometimes it’s fun to color the woods used in pens and pencils. Regular stains may be used, but they sometimes create difficulties. Water-based stains tend to raise the grain, destroying the smooth surface you worked so hard to achieve. Oil-based stains take quite a while to dry. We do not recommend either of these.

Instead, we recommend aniline stains using an alcohol base. Try bright colors, such as red, green or orange, on various light colored woods. The results are often astonishing. Aniline stains are available from Constantine, 2050 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10461 USA (telephone 800-223-8087).

For best results, after applying the aniline stain, finish your work with Turner’s Magic™ CN-11 Sealer and then CN-17 Super-Gloss.