On Aug 15, 11:19*am, "Kevin Cleary" wrote:
I was just wondering what everyone was using for a finish on bowls,ect.
I want to try something different.

Been a while since i posted , but i couldnt resist this one. I do a
little something extra at times to fiinish my bowls.

I like a really shiny glossy finish so it looks like glass.

The thing about how i do it the bowl never leaves the lathe until it
is completely done,

Once all the sanding is done, get some cheap felt and cut in to 1"
strips, keep em on hand.

Get some pumice, powdered. I use a course and a fine.

Rotate the bowl at low speeds. Sprinke course pumice on a felt strip,
and hold the coated strip against the bowl while it turns. Do this as
much as you like. Use a clean strip after you burnish with pumice. Do
the same with the fine pumice if you want to.

For finish coating i put spray laquer in a light coat on the turning
bowl. This helps keep the coat even and dries it in seconds. Once each
coat dries, take a clean felt strip and LIGHTLY hold it against the
bowl to burnish and polish that coat. If you get it too hot, it will
melt the laquer and make a mess. Then you have to remove it and start
over. Be gentle and dont let it get hot.

I stop here, speed up the rpms, and just let it spin high speed for
about 30 minutes to cure it.

Last item, i use spray gloss polyurethane. Low rpms and very light
coats. Let it spin dry in between coats. I usually do a minimum of 6
coats this way.

Another alternative to all this fuss is find an old LP record player.
Make a hub to fit the spindle. Place your bowl on the hub and turn it
at 33rpm while you spray it with poly. This does an outstanding job of
even coating.

cad aka jimmy holland