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High shine options for shave brushes?

Aaron Cheateaux

Aaron Cheateaux

Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
119
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97
Location
Steilacoom, WA
I’ve been making shave brushes for Army buddies. Mostly stabilized maple burl. While I’ve had some great looking results with CA glue, buffed out on a Bealle system, I’m looking for something a bit faster.

I picked up some Odie’s Oil and some Ren wax yesterday to try out on bowls, but would love something that would only take a couple of coats and a buff to get that glassy finish. I’m giving preference to finishes that seem to hold up on daily use, in the shower or bathroom.

So far it seems the CA finish holds up well, so if that’s the best option, I can stick with it, but it seems to take me at least an hour or two to finish one handle waiting for it to set up, sand, micro mesh polish, etc.
 
What kind of wood are you using? Is it soft, or porous creating such a long set time? I've used the ca/linseed oil technique for years on small projects, and it's super quick. Once a piece is sanded (400 min up to 1600) it takes 15-20 minutes to do the finish. Wood is hard (walnut, hard maple or any of the exotics). Admitted that this is not a super obsessed pen turner's finish, though, so it may not qualify as glassy.
 
Wipe on Poly applied with with a cotton patch of cloth (I use shotgun cleaning swatches from Easter Maine). Use high gloss if that is what you are after. 2 to 3 coats and it'll shine like justice. Other option is epoxy coat. Something like totalboat. I think that would be 2 coats and done. Maybe one if wood is sealed and not porous.
 
A high gloss finish is never a fast finish, on anything. If you are making batches, use a touch up gun and a spray finish like table top varnish. There are better commercial finishes, but not in the quantities you use.
 
I did a GluBoost review in More Woodturning Design Magazine a few years ago. It is very easy and the results are very good. I'll add a pdf of the review if it works.
 

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Thanks for the info Bill. I am impressed with there finishing system and will check out there other products.

I don't have much experience with finishing with CA products. In fact I never had any success with the few tries before I used this for a couple of pins I made for Emiliano.

It took me about five minutes to finish this pizza cutter handle. The wood was really porous so I used some gold gilders paste.

pc809.jpg
 
Jamie Straw said:
What kind of wood are you using? Is it soft, or porous creating such a long set time? I've used the ca/linseed oil technique for years on small projects, and it's super quick. Once a piece is sanded (400 min up to 1600) it takes 15-20 minutes to do the finish. Wood is hard (walnut, hard maple or any of the exotics). Admitted that this is not a super obsessed pen turner's finish, though, so it may not qualify as glassy.
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He says he is using stabilized wood, so it has a plastic like finish and will not absorb much of anything. So a film finish is the only way to get a glossy finish. I would go with a timberlox urethane varnish spray finish. Acts like lacquer but waterproof. But I’m a painter so always have it loaded in a sprayer. I think you can get rattle cans of it. But a ca finish can be done in 5 minutes. No spray system where you have to spray, dry, sand spray dry repeat will take less than 5 minutes to be finished. A urethane finish will be thicker and last forever but will take a bit longer.
 
With stabilized wood, you are already waterproof, so you just need the surface appearance you want. Maybe sanding to very high grits, as with micromesh, or possibly wet sanding with silicon carbide paper, then polishing/buffing/burnishing is all you need. I've done this with dense exotics and it seems to work just fine.
 
Glenn Lefley said:
He says he is using stabilized wood, so it has a plastic like finish and will not absorb much of anything. So a film finish is the only way to get a glossy finish. I would go with a timberlox urethane varnish spray finish. Acts like lacquer but waterproof. But I’m a painter so always have it loaded in a sprayer. I think you can get rattle cans of it. But a ca finish can be done in 5 minutes. No spray system where you have to spray, dry, sand spray dry repeat will take less than 5 minutes to be finished. A urethane finish will be thicker and last forever but will take a bit longer.
Click to expand...
Maybe I just need to work on my CA finishes!
 
I use 3 coats of lacquer on the shaving brushes I make.
 
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