Finishing Dymondwood

[Bucko]

I am scheduled off work this coming Tues/Wed. and amoung other things I would like to do is to play with some of the Dymondwood I purchased off of Curtis Cubaniss[sp?].I have used Dymondwood previously only w/pens and used friction wax which gave off a very nice finish.I am curious though what other forum members are useing to finish off the material they have purchased.I'll be making a squirell call and working on a striker.Thanks  8)

[BigB]

I treat my dymondwood just like acrylic.  I take it to the buffer, and hit it with tripoli and white diamond after it comes off of the lathe.

Brian

[Braz]

+1 to what Brian said. Although I like to hit it with the carnuba too, because I like the satin feel it give to it.

[VECtor Calls]

Don't HAVE to finish it with anything.  Its already fully sealed the way it is.

BUT......

I either hit it with HUT Plastic Polish while its still on the lathe

OR.....

Usually what I do is put two coats of Deft gloss on it. 

DON'T........

Try to use Spar Urethane on it, because it sits and sits and sits and never dries.

As far as making strikers out of it, it makes some REALLY good ones.  I've made a couple hundred dymondwood strikers.  You'll need a smaller head, and especially a smaller shaft than you're used to.  The stuff is SUPER dense.

BEWARE of the dymondwood exploding off the lathe on you when you're turning strikers.  Its DANGEROUS.

Here's some strikers I finished a couple years ago.  Most of them are dymondwood.....so you've got some size references to think about.  I've had to re-chuck a lot of dymondwood strikers because the sound is just TOO low when you take it off the first time. 

Also, these all have a Deft finish on them.

Parker

[Bucko]

Thanks for the replies,I am heading in the right direction now.I appreciate the pics. posted by ya Parker--

[Braz]

I appreciate the pictures also Parker. Those are some fine looking strikers. Are they hollowed out or solid?

[VECtor Calls]

Sorry guys.  I should've come back to this thread.  That duck call is supposed to be a picture of a bunch of strikers.

The strikers are solid, not hollowed out.

Here's the picture I meant to put.  There's no dymondwood involved in that duck call.

Parker

[Heirloom]

Parker, how much smaller are you talking???

[Braz]

Wow Parker, that is a bunch of strikers.

[Al_at_THO Game Calls]

Two words.......

Micro Mesh

Maybe some wax.   But usually not.

Al @ THO

[VECtor Calls]

Parker, how much smaller are you talking???

Looks like the heads are a hair over 5/8" at the widest points and the sticks are a hair over 1/4".

The total length is around 7 3/4". 

This is a SKINNY striker, but that wood is HARD and DENSE. 

I've messed with a TON of strikers (my own and others) in the last 5 or 6 years, and this size is the best I've come up with to get a slate, Al or glass turkey call to flat-out SCREAM.

Parker

[VECtor Calls]

Wow Parker, that is a bunch of strikers.

Took me a long time to get those ready, and they were gone in a matter of a couple hours.   ;D

That's the most of anything I've ever had together of mine at one time.

Parker

[Bucko]

I thought I would add a follow-up this morning before I head off to afternoon shift.I got my turning done but I must say that Dymondwood is slow to work and does make quite a bit of fine dust.I used a combination of finishing from the responses left and after all done and over I would say it's best just to take the call right from the lathe to the buffer.The call on the left is Rio Grande Applewood which I smoothed out with a piece of worn out 320 grit then Micro-Meshed then applied a light coat of Gel poly then buffed 2 days later.The Gel Poly dried just fine before buffing so then the center call I smoothed out with the worn 320 grit then only Micro-Meshed;it was darn smooth to the touch and looked real well.The rigth call is a piece of Tulipwood I was working on also which has 2 coats of Watco Teal Oil with one coat of Gel Poly which was buffed,I must say that call came out real sweet.The top striker was finished with Micro-Mesh only while the bottom srtiker was only taken straight to the buffer from the lathe.I don't know what the idenity of the striker wood is as they weren't marked and I asked for a variety of the 7/8" material when purchased.The dymondwood isn't the easiest to work with but well worth the results.Thanks for the info on the strikers Parker,I stopped at 30 thousands on the shaft ends.Enjoy the pic. everyone :)              

[VECtor Calls]

 ;D  Lookin' good!  I especially like that top striker!

Parker

[Heirloom]

Sorry it took so long to get back here, been swamped. Anyways, thanks Parker.Bucko those are some pretty squirrel talkers there. I like th strikers too.