african blackwood box

[cornucopia]

hello all, here is a method i use to deal with the fine sanding marks that are still visible after 800 grit or so on timbers like African blackwwood, ebony, ziracote etc
firstly i slow the lathe down and sand to a 240 ish dry then using lemon oil as a lubricant i carry on sanding to my final grit which in my case is 800, every other grit i reverse the rotation of the lathe.
then i use a u -beaut product called eee ultra shine its a cut and paste wax with tripoli in it, i buff the peice of the lathe with a 6" loose leaf mop held in a jacobs chuck in my 3mt headstock. (You can buy these mops from metal polishing places on the web there about £2 per mop)
By ths stage all sanding mark will be gone and you can either leave it at that or as i do apply another u- beaut prodouct called shellwax cream again using a 6" mop.
here are my results

the thread is 22tpi and was hand chased, the wood came from a clarinet bell blank that was rejected as being a second.

hope this is of help to some.

 

[Blister]

Must say , I like the shape and form , looks super and the finish , 10 out of 10 , if you like shiny

 

[NickWelford]

Very classy. I've tried chasing a thread on boxwood and just can't get the hang - wouldn't want to attempt on African blackwood - just too expensive. Now, if I could get reject clarinet blanks ......

 

[loz]

Speechless, Just very very sexy.

 

[CHJ]

Thanks for describing your methods cornucopia, the buffing and burnishing of differing finishes is something I have been interested in for a while and your sharing of practical experience is appreciated.