What am I doing wrong?

[Cam]

I have a couple of Tryhon products that I'm trying to use to restore a little dazzle to a few shabby Sheaffers. However, no matter what I do, it seems to make very little diffference.

 

I have both the Scratch Remover and the XP Polish. I'm putting the Scratch Remover on and then rubbing for as hard and as long as I can stand using a cloth. Once I've given up on that, I'm applying some Polish using another cloth, again buffing as hard as I can, but there's very little improvement.

 

Is there a secret to using these products properly (I even tried letting the Scratch Remover dry before rubbing off)?

 

Any pointers gratefully received (by my epoor, throbing arms!).

 

c.

[Elaine]

I like using Simichrome. It works well and doesn't leave a greasy feel on the pen like Flitz.

[Gerry]

It's tough to say exactly Cam, without seeing the pens themselves. The polish won't do much unless you have already achieved a pretty good surface already, but I would have expected the Scratch Remover to work better than it seems to.

 

If these indeed are shabby and in need of rescue - and are also pens you don't mind practising on, then I would suggest that you move up the scale in aggressiveness, and bring in the good old auto body wet and dry paper. Trying a fine abrasive first - no coarser than 1000 grit, see if you can't get an area to a uniform matte finish - no scratches showing. Then try finer papers - 1500 should be easy to obtain - and work 90 degrees to the first application. Although I would try even finer abrasives - MicroMesh products are great, the scratch remover and polish you have from Giovanni should be able to take it from there.

 

You should have a look at the kits offered by Wood Bin for a complete range. I recommend their Micro Gloss highly.

 

Gerry

[Cam]

Hi Gerry,

 

Awesome advice. I have 800, 1200 & 1500 wet and dry. So I should start with the 1200, say, around the barrel followed by the 1500 length-wise along the barrel?

 

Should I allow the scratch remover to dry or start polishing while still wet?

 

Much thanknesses!

 

c.

[Gerry]

Yes, your proposed process sounds good, including the choice of going around with the coarser abrasive. I would be gentle with the coarser one, and as lengthwise sanding is usually a little easier, the finer paper will be a little more effective in that direction.

 

Another possibility is to do both at opposite diagonals, if that is easier for you. The intent of the different directions is to make it very easy to see when you've removed the sanding marks created by the previous sanding phase.

 

Re the scratch remover, unfortunately I'm not familiar with that particular product, but I suspect that it is very similar to the Micro Gloss I do use, and the instructions for that indicate that the process is to rub briskly with the liquid until it dries - or dissappears. You then leave it to dry a bit more, and then buff to a (hopefully) high gloss. The heavier the pressure you use, the more scratches it will remove. You can repeat the process again with less pressure for a higher gloss. The polishing should be done with a small piece of clean lint free cloth that you know is soft (like used, but clean diaper cloth - or flannel < a piece of Keith's favorite shirt would be ideal >). You don't want to scratch your ultra gloss with an abrasive cloth <_< . Polishing with the liquid material is usually done with small circular motions over the entire area of interest.

 

Gerry

[Gerry]

Perhaps I could add that power polishing is *way* faster than that ...

 

Although you do have to practise a little to avoid mistakes and possible damage to your pens. If you hunt around the forum a bit, you will find a fair amount of discussion on the use of Dremels and Dremel equivalents. I guess they do work (I have several - yeah, three I think) but generally only use them to work on the nibs. They are prone to damaging the pens if you aren't careful.

 

I'm a big wheel man, through and through. Six inch dia cloth wheels charged with a white diamond abrasive polish for the initial surface work, and another wheel with a special plastic polish stick for the final gloss (ultra deep). If you intend to go that way, I can get the name of the stick for you.

 

Re the big wheels - I figure if it's good enough for Victor Chen, it's good enough for me... . Never have damaged a pen on these wheels (knock on wood).

 

KCat has had good success with a fingernail buffer...

[Maja]

Cam, sorry I can't help you with some advice on those products; all I have in my polishing arsenal is some Simichrome (which is pretty "strong stuff", I have heard) and some Turtle Wax scratch remover (which is milder, I think, than the Simichrome).

 

Giovanni at Tryphon seems like an extremely helpful person, so perhaps sending him a quick e-mail might get you a rapid response...

 

Good luck!