TURNER'S MAGIC    -    See notes below!!!!

LACQUER-BASED FRICTION DRYING POLISHES

• CN-16 SEMI-GLOSS $16.95 (8 fl oz)
• CN-17 SUPER GLOSS $16.95 (8 fl oz)
• CN-11 SEALER $16.95 (8 fl oz)
• Buy 2 cans for $15.95 each  or 3+ cans for $14.95 each

Shipping for 1-2 cans  =  $6.50   for 3-6 cans $10.50

For many years wood turners have searched for a finish which could be applied while turning and dry instantly. Many substances have been tried; alcohol-based "French" polishes, waxes of various types, even heat-dispersed products in bar form, none of which has proven completely satisfactory. "French" polishes contain alcohol, shellac, linseed oil or tung oil, and other substances, none of which are impervious to alcohol, hand oils, water or perspiration. They look fine when first applied, but will quickly become dull after even limited exposure to hand oils, water or alcohol. Most also become tacky on warm and humid days.

If you use wax, you'll notice that the color of the wood begins to change as it absorbs moisture. Wax-based polishes in bar and paste form are not waterproof and certainly not impervious to alcohol, water, hand oils, perspiration or heat. A better substitute would be the natural oils of the wood itself, which can be brought forth with a little hard burnishing.

WoodWrite, Ltd. offers two polishes which are durable enough to be used on a bar top and contain no tung or linseed oil, alcohol, or shellac. CN-16 Semi-Gloss and CN-17 Super Gloss are carefully formulated blends of several inert polymers with a base of lacquer thinner. CN-16 Semi-Gloss contains more solids and is an ideal coating for open-grained woods such as mahogany or walnut. We recommend sealing resinous woods such as cocobolo, tulipwood or bloodwood first with CN-11 Sealer. CN-17 Super Gloss is a perfect final coat or may be used directly on non-resinous closed-grain woods.

Application is simplicity itself:

• Sand and burnish the wood with sandpaper or abrasive cloth of 400 grit or finer. Be sure all sanding marks are removed.
• Fold a lint-free cloth so that six thicknesses separate your fingers from the work. (Scott "Rags in a Box" work well for this purpose.)
• Shake the can vigorously for a few seconds.
• Open the can and place the rag over the spout. Tip the can to wet the cloth. Whatever adheres to the cloth with "one tip" is sufficient for one coat.
• With the lathe running (highest speed), apply the polish directly to your spinning work, from under the work, using firm finger pressure to move the rag back and forth to properly, uniformly, spread the polish over the work. When the heat of friction comes through the folded cloth to your fingers, you can be certain the finish is dry.
• Using the same spot on the rag, apply several coats, one after another, until the desired depth of finish is achieved. You may apply as many coats as you wish.

You have now created a magic finish which will last for years under normal use. There has never been a finish like CN-16 Semi-Gloss or CN-17 Super Gloss for wood turners. We're sure that you'll love it! A little bit goes a long way. If you are using our polishes for pens and pencils, you'll find that one 8 oz can will provide as many as 1000 applications.

Is Turner’s Magic™ food safe?

Many of you have inquired whether Turner’s Magic™ finishes are safe for use with food and drink. The answer is YES, definitely! Although you wouldn’t want to use the CN-11 Sealer by itself, CN-16 and CN-17 dry to a non-toxic finish, and are an excellent choice for finishing your bowls, cups, bottle stoppers, etc.

The Turner’s Magic™ system is superior to waxes or even the poly substances. Waxes are soft and as such, may not be built up on the surface of the wood. When you add a second coat of wax, it softens the underlying wax and smears around, not adding to the depth. When you use Turner’s Magic™ , however, each coat adds to the last because each coat is dry before the next is added. Even woods like Oak, Walnut and Mahogany fill up when using our CN-16, which has more fillers than CN-17. Top it off with CN-17 and you’ll have a hard, long lasting surface which is completely food safe.

TURNER'S MAGIC    -Tips and Tricks!!

Turner's Magic Polish Notes. 10/18/2009

This is my response to the question of why the super gloss does not get as glossy as the sealer. I get this same question 1 or 2 times a week. When time permits I plan to study the formulation and see if there is any way improve the luster. Mr. Beste, the inventor of the Turner's Magic Polish and the WoodWrite lathe, went through over 150 recipes before he got the product to work as well as it does.

The Gloss Sealer, Semi-Gloss and Super Gloss Turners Magic polishes each have primary functions which are quite different. They all also have an ingredient in their formula, like no other polish, which acts as a lubricant making the application a smooth and non-sticky process. This ingredient disappears as the polish dries.

The primary function of the Gloss Sealer is to seal the natural oils and resins in the wood. It also keeps them from bleeding through the final finish. A resinous wood is one which will clog your sand paper or cloth. The lacquer based friction polish has a primary function which is to keep hand oils, perspiration and other things (alcohol included) from soaking through the polish into the wood. The Gloss Sealer, as well an any other product with wax or shellac ingredients, will allow these things to pass through the finish and into the wood. This is why these polishes also soft and not durable.

If you were to make one pen out of walnut and one of maple, and only use the gloss sealer (as well as any finish which is shellac or wax based - like wax bars, shellawax or french polish) in as little as 6 to 8 weeks the maple pen will be on its way to looking just as dark as the walnut pen. The walnut will start to look drab and murky. These finishes allow perspiration and hand oils to get into wood and turn it dark. All wax containing formulas in this group are easily identified by the way they separate into layers in their container just minutes after vigorous shaking.

The lacquer based polishes eliminate this darkening. They seal the surface and keep the contaminates out. The Super Gloss on initial application will not get as glossy as the gloss sealer. It is the nature of the lacquer chemistry and friction that keep it from getting as glossy. It is however a much harder and durable finish. The same two pens as mentioned earlier will keep their appearance. In several years the Maple pen will be just as white as the day it was finished. The sheen will also last for years due to the hardness.

The Semi-Gloss finish has 2 different roles. It is for those who don't want a high gloss on the turnings (yes, there are a few). The semi gloss is also used as a grain filler on open grained woods like walnut, mahogany and purple heart. It has more solids in it and has a milky appearance while in liquid form. If you can see the bottom of the can, it is in fact super gloss polish. You can put as many coats of semi gloss as you want. I use anywhere from none to 15 coats of semi gloss to fill the pores. If the high parts of the turning get built up too thick, I sand or use scotch brite pads to bring the level down to where I want it. I then always follow up with 3 coats of Super Gloss.

If the super gloss is not shiny enough there are several things you can do to make it shinier. First, you can give it a thin coat of wax (GOOD wax like 100% carnuba) and finish with a quick buff. This is what I usually do. The second option is to lay the finished barrels aside overnight. The next day, put them back on the lathe and buff them to a shine. The lacquer will have dried through more thoroughly . At this point you can also add a coat of wax. Sometimes I use a set of buffing wheels and buff with white compound then buff with carnuba wax. So far this has produced the best results. The turning can be held at an angle to the wheel which removes concentric rings or grooves made while sanding while still on the lathe.

One thing you do NOT want to do is put the sealer over the lacquer based products. This un-does the sealing out qualities.

One other note, the polishes were formulated with our lathes in mind, which sometimes has an effect on the results. Our lathe spins at 5780 rpm and tends to generate heat more quickly than some other machines.

For application, we recommend Scott's "Rags in a Box" available at Lowes and other stores. They are a thick LINT FREE paper towel that works very well. We fold them in half, then the other way in thirds. This provides a 6 layer buff to protect you from the heat. PLEASE, DO NOT use Tee Shirt material. This fabric contains polyester which is very hard and will scratch what you are working on. Cotton only cloth will do fine, but is probably more expensive.