# I Give Up on CA Finishes



## truittsosebee (Sep 30, 2009)

Alright, I think I'm about ready to give up on using CA finishes for my pens.  Last night I spent 30 minutes making a pen, then wasted another hour trying to get a good finish.  I've read and re-read all of the articles on CA finishes, but I'm just not getting good results. 
What's the next best option for a high gloss, durable finish?


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## wolftat (Sep 30, 2009)

You are going to need a lot more than an hour to learn how to do a good CA finish.


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## Displaced Canadian (Sep 30, 2009)

If your still game, Fold a paper towel into a strip 1 inch wide, put a bead of CA the width of the paper towel, turn on the lathe speed is not that important, wipe the paper towel back and forth fast 5 or 6 times then WALK AWAY. Come back in 15 to 20 min. and repeat 6 or 8 times sand your done. The enemy of a good finish is impatience. Learn how to do a good finish then learn how to do a fast one. I use thick CA because it is what I use to make pens. If you have any more questions please ask and I can try help you. What kind of wood are you trying to finish?


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## warreng8170 (Sep 30, 2009)

I agree with Neil. I have been doing CA finishes for about two years and (for me) to do it right, it still takes about an hour per pen. A couple (4-5) coats of medium with cure times in between (WITHOUT accelerant) and then WET sand with automotive grade sandpaper (400, 600, 800). Then micromesh up to 12000 and finish it off by polishing with Plasti-X. Some people may do it quicker, but everytime I try to speed things up, I end up ruining an otherwise good pen.


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## Manny (Sep 30, 2009)

Displaced Canadian said:


> If your still game, Fold a paper towel into a strip 1 inch wide, put a bead of CA the width of the paper towel, turn on the lathe speed is not that important, wipe the paper towel back and forth fast 5 or 6 times then WALK AWAY. Come back in 15 to 20 min. and repeat 6 or 8 times sand your done. The enemy of a good finish is impatience. Learn how to do a good finish then learn how to do a fast one. I use thick CA because it is what I use to make pens. If you have any more questions please ask and I can try help you. What kind of wood are you trying to finish?


 

Beware! Fast lath speeds causes the CA to fly around. I would not advise this. 

Keep at it. 

Manny


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## wolftat (Sep 30, 2009)

And if ten more people chime in on this, you will have 10 more opinions on the right way to do it. Take your time and learn what works for you. You can't give up when something becomes difficult or you may as well lock yourself in a room and fingerpaint the walls.

If you have  alocal chapter in your area, I'm sure you could get some asistance from someone at a meeting. A good finish may take years to develop.


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## Displaced Canadian (Sep 30, 2009)

Manny is right. I don't worry about it because I have my lathe set on a medium speed and I do everything at that speed. Don't like to move belts.


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## wizical (Sep 30, 2009)

I use unaxol for my finishes now....it is easy to apply and no smell.  PM for advice on it


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## Texatdurango (Sep 30, 2009)

truittsosebee said:


> Alright, I think I'm about ready to give up on using CA finishes for my pens. Last night I spent 30 minutes making a pen, then wasted another hour trying to get a good finish. I've read and re-read all of the articles on CA finishes, but I'm just not getting good results.
> What's the next best option for a high gloss, durable finish?


 
I disagree with the others, I say *GIVE UP!* If you can't master a technique in an hour, there is no sense wasting any more time on it!

You want a high gloss, durable finish, try lacquer, no wait, that takes time to learn too. Better just stick with friction polish and if that doesn't work, just crank your lathe up as fast as you can and rub a candle against your pen!

Had you posted, interested in learning rather than just giving up I might have suggested STOP practicing on pens and grab a 2x4 or any other piece of wood in your shop, turn it into a cylinder and PRACTICE applying CA. When you finish one application turn the cylinder down and do it again, and again, and again... until you learn how to do a nice finish. THEN move on to finishing a pen blank.

Good luck with your candles! :biggrin:


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## Bree (Sep 30, 2009)

I am just starting to get the knack of the CA.  Just follow instructions.  If you deviate, you get problems.

I just did a pen with CSUSA French Polish and it was very EZ to apply and seems like it is pretty durable.

Give the CA more time.  I think you will like it once you fall into the right step with it.
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## workinforwood (Sep 30, 2009)

Next best option would be an Acrylic urethane...examples being Enduro, Bristol, Sherwin Williams, all great stuff, but not going to finish your pen in an hour.  I find it best to use a rod finishing machine.  You can build one, you simply need a very slow spinnning motor, a rod and some corks.  You mount the rod to the motor so the rod turns super slow.  You drill holes in the corks so they can slide on the rod, just like a bushing.  You mount the pen between the corks.  You turn on the motor and you spray the finish on to the blanks.  You can use an airbrush and you can spray the finish quite thick if you like.  The idea is that the rod spins real slow keeping the finish from sagging.  I do it all the time myself.  There's a lot of advantages, such as a finish that is actually stronger than CA, more flexibe, cheaper, and has no reaction to oily woods such as ebony.  But it takes time. You have to spray 3-5 coats depending how thick you spray.  You have to let is sit at least a good 24 hrs to harden up, but it is better if you give it 4-5 days.  You have to then mm wet sand the pen and polish it just like you would any other finish, in order to make sure the finish is even/level, and of course the more you sand and polish, the glossier the finish.  You have to be a bit more careful sanding because if the finish isn't cured enough, it will melt from heat of the sanding.  The longer you wait, the better it will be, because finish takes at least a week to fully cure, if not longer.

For a CA finish..sometimes I do that, I'm in a hurry or am working on something very grainy or pitty like a pine cone.  I have found that titebond CA works best for me over other brands.  Price is the same, but seams to dry more clear.  I use thin CA.  How hard is it to spread glue anyhow?  You take a part baggy, turn it inside out so as to not have any red letters exposed..depends on where you bought the parts of course as to whether this is a problem.  You put the baggy on finger.  You turn lathe on slow as it will go, a towel over the bed of the lathe.  No bushings..just put the tube between centers and tighten just enough so it spins.  Apply a coat of thin CA as even as you can..just one pass would be best, then imediately turn off lathe.  Keep the lathe spinning with your left hand and quickly grab the spray can accellorator and spray the pen real quick.  Doesn't take much.  Wait about 3 minutes.  Repeat step 1, wait about 3 minutes, repeat. and then one more time for 4 coats.  Wait an hour. Yes, you just do one barrel at a time between centers...1 min after the 4th coat you can remove barrel and start next one.  After a good hour at least, then you put the finished barrel back on the lathe between centers, or you can sand the ends flush and put the barrel back on the bushings, but I don't bother.  You will need to re-flush the ends as you'll have CA crusted overhang.  Pull down with sandpaper towards the pen only to remove, if you pull away from the pen, you can cause a chip out.  anyhow..back to the body of the pen.  You will hand sand with 220 by hand only the length of the pen.  This is to even out the finish, remove any ridges.  Once all the ridges are removed, fire the lathe up full speed scotty.  Wet sand with 320, 400 then switch to mm pads, all wet all the time.  After that, some plastic polish and you are done.  takes maybe 15 seconds per grit.  If you sand too much, you will remove finish and be back to the beginning of course.  You learn over time, you need to underspin the pen just barely so that the finish doesn't cause the pen to be proud of the pen parts.   this works for me.  You get 10,000 other guys to tell you there method and they will all be different.

It aint finished till it's finished.
No finish happens in 2 minutes, or it aint a finish.
After a finish is applied, it's still not finished.


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## workinforwood (Sep 30, 2009)

Texatdurango said:


> Good luck with your candles! :biggrin:



HAHAHA George.  Why waste a perfectly good candle???  Remeber the good ole days...Spit shine! :tongue:


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## truittsosebee (Sep 30, 2009)

Well, when I said I was ready to give up, it was mostly out of frustration and in jest.  I like the idea of practicing on scrap wood, and really don't know why I didn't think of that.  
After reading every tutorial I can find, it seems I may have been trying to sand too soon after application.
The funny thing is, I was able to get a brilliant CA finish on the first pen I tried it on.  The next day, same wood, same CA, same technique (I think) and I just made a mess.
Practice, practice this weekend!


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## Steve Busey (Sep 30, 2009)

Truitt,

A wise man (or it might have been a wise guy) on the forum once said "there are 500 ways to apply a CA finish. 499 of them work. I use the other one." :tongue:

I'd encourage you to keep experimenting on some cheap wood with some variations on your technique until you get repeatable results. 

Plan to attend the Southeast chapter IAP meeting at Woodcraft on December 19 and ask someone to help you out. We'd all be happy to help.


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## les-smith (Sep 30, 2009)

This post below saved me. I was ready to give up at one time, a long time ago. I did it exactly like Fangar says for a while, now I've changed it suit my needs. I still screw it up sometimes. 

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17317&highlight=fangar%27s+finish

I also use delrin strips to apply the CA now, it has really improved my method.


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## Rick_G (Sep 30, 2009)

workinforwood said:


> HAHAHA George.  Why waste a perfectly good candle???  Remeber the good ole days...Spit shine! :tongue:




I don't even want to think about spit shine any more.:frown:

And now for method #300387 or what ever number of members we have here.  I put my blank between centers and tighten just enough so it spins and sand to 600 grit. Wipe the blank with a folded piece of paper towel (I use bounty but everybody has their favourite) soaked in alcohol (DNA if you can get it, not easy in Canada) This removes the oils.  Fold another piece of paper towel and keep it handy, now turning the lathe by hand soak the blank with thin CA grab that towel and wipe the excess off.  Go do something else for 10 minutes or so.  
Now with another piece of folded paper towel, several layers thick and about the width of your finger put a bead of medium CA across it's width.  With the lathe running (I have mine at about 1800) wipe the med.CA along the length of the blank 3 or 4 times.  Set the paper towel down turn the lathe off and go do something else for 20 minutes or so. When you come back the CA should be cured and dry, if not give it a little longer.  Repeat with the medium CA 3 more times.   Don't worry about any small ridges that may have formed at this time.

With another piece of folded paper towel put a few drops of BLO on it.  Then place a bead of Medium CA just ahead of it.  Apply the CA as before but then move the towel so the BLO is rubbing on the blank.  Keep rubbing back and forth until the CA cures.  Repeat 3 times.  

If there are still ridges left take your 600 grit sandpaper and lightly sand them off then add 2 more coats of CA/BLO as above. You should now have a good finish.  To improve on it take some liquid automotive polish with scratch and swirl remover and polish blank.  No MM needed.

This works for me but depending on temperature, humidity, your longtitude and latitude and a million other variables it may or may not work for you. 

Keep trying, and you will eventually come up with method that will work for you.


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## jkeithrussell (Sep 30, 2009)

I've posted almost the exact same thing twice over the past year, but I'm too stubborn to quit.  I finally found a system that works for me, and at the same time I developed a very serious allergic reaction to CA fumes.  I'm pretty sure that I can work around it with a respirator and better ventilation, but I haven't been brave enough to try in the last month or so.  

The best 2 bits of advice that I've seen in the other replies here are: (1) round over a bunch of cherry blanks, sand them, and practice your CA finish -- do this until you find a way that works with repeatability, then go back to making pens; and (2) it really isn't that hard.  Eliminate steps and simplify what you are doing.  Spread glue, let glue dry, build up base, sand/smooth, buff/shine.  I finally started getting good results when I stopped trying to follow everyone else's systems.  All you are doing is putting a thin, smooth layer of plastic over a piece of wood.


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## Texatdurango (Sep 30, 2009)

truittsosebee said:


> Well, when I said I was ready to give up, it was mostly out of frustration and in jest. I like the idea of practicing on scrap wood, and really don't know why I didn't think of that.
> After reading every tutorial I can find, it seems I may have been trying to sand too soon after application.
> The funny thing is, I was able to get a brilliant CA finish on the first pen I tried it on. The next day, same wood, same CA, same technique (I think) and I just made a mess.
> Practice, practice this weekend!


 
I sorta had a feeling where you were coming from, that's why I posted what I did. 

*It is my opinion that.....* One of the BIGGEST mistakes people make is trying to follow someone else's "method" or "process" to the letter and that is when they mess up!  EVERYONE seems to have their own little secret to success, but if the truth were known, their isn't a nickels difference between any of them!

Some swear by using BLO (boiled linseed oil) between coats, some do not even use BLO.... they all produce brilliant shiny finishes, there is no right or wrong way!

Some swear by multiple thin coats, some use a few thick coats.... they all produce brilliant shiny finishes, there is no right or wrong way!

Some swear by using micro mesh to 12,000 grit, some sand to 1000 then buff.... they all produce brilliant shiny finishes, there is no right or wrong way!

If you remember one simple concept, you'll improve your finish right off the bat.....  You are applying glue, letting it cure, sanding it smooth then polishing it.  That's it!, the rest is hokus pokus, smoke and mirrors "my method is better than your method" hype!

Ten bucks says you'll be doing nice finishes before the weekend is up!


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## Texatdurango (Sep 30, 2009)

jkeithrussell said:


> .... *I finally started getting good results when I stopped trying to follow everyone else's systems*. All you are doing is putting a thin, smooth layer of plastic over a piece of wood.


 
Wow, I didn't see your post when I typed mine.  Looks like I'm not alone in my thinking.  That's scarry!


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## handplane (Sep 30, 2009)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jkeithrussell*
> 
> 
> _.... *I finally started getting good results when I stopped trying to follow everyone else's systems*. All you are doing is putting a thin, smooth layer of plastic over a piece of wood._


When I started thinking of it this way it started working for me.

The other alternative is using only plastic blanks.  Then all you have to do is polish.:wink:


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## jkeithrussell (Sep 30, 2009)

Texatdurango said:


> Wow, I didn't see your post when I typed mine. Looks like I'm not alone in my thinking. That's scarry!


 
Great minds think alike! 

Curtis demonstrated his CA method during the local chapter meeting over the summer. 5 minutes of watching him cured a year of bad habits for me and made it all very simple.


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## MesquiteMan (Sep 30, 2009)

jkeithrussell said:


> Great minds think alike!
> 
> Curtis demonstrated his CA method during the local chapter meeting over the summer. 5 minutes of watching him cured a year of bad habits for me and made it all very simple.


 
Well at least you got something from the meeting other than a headache! 

Did it really help, Keith?  I have thought about making a video, just have not had the time.


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## PTJeff (Sep 30, 2009)

what really worked for me is to see how someone did it their way.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=319
good luck, patience and practice


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## leehljp (Sep 30, 2009)

Now to throw a monkey wrench in the deal: Temp and humidity will affect the outcome also. As fall and winter come, slower curing time of the CA as temp drops will confound you more. On one pen, it will work fine and the next - WHY is this so Hard? 

What is the advantage of CA? Speed and hardness. I have been told that enduro is harder and I won't dispute that since I haven't tried it. But even withi Enduro and most other finishes, several hours to a couple of days for "curing" to polish - per pen. For wax finishes and buffing - fast, but not much protection.

These are the reasons it is beneficial for most people to spend some time learning CA. There is one other finish that is as fast and close to the same in durability - Acrylic - acetone/plexiglass mix. But it has its learning curve also, just different.


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## jkeithrussell (Sep 30, 2009)

MesquiteMan said:


> Well at least you got something from the meeting other than a headache!
> 
> Did it really help, Keith? I have thought about making a video, just have not had the time.


 
Yes, it helped tremendously.  I'm sure the video would be very well received.


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## davinci27 (Sep 30, 2009)

warreng8170 said:


> I agree with Neil. I have been doing CA finishes for about two years and (for me) to do it right, *it still takes about an hour per pen*. A couple (4-5) coats of medium with cure times in between (WITHOUT accelerant) and then WET sand with automotive grade sandpaper (400, 600, 800). Then micromesh up to 12000 and finish it off by polishing with Plasti-X. Some people may do it quicker, but everytime I try to speed things up, I end up ruining an otherwise good pen.




An hour.  My favorite part of a CA finish is how fast It goes on.  A CA finish usually runs between 10 minutes or less for me. As stated by a many other people,  there are dozens of way to put on a CA finish.  The only right way is the way that finally works for you.

I use about 10 coats of thin, MicroMesh, and Novus plastic polish.  I watched many many videos and tried several different things before I found teh formula that works for me.  The key is to put on enough CA that you don't sand through it.  

I imagine you will have it figured out by the time the next South Eastern Chapter meeting, but if not let me know.  I'm already doing a demo, so I can throw in a bottle of CA and run through my CA procedure.


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## LEAP (Sep 30, 2009)

After reading one of these CA threads I went out in the shop and tried a number of different suggestions to the extreme. I put on a dozen or so extremely thin coats, Worked fine. I put on a VERY heavy coat of thick that worked fine also ( had to wait a while for that one to dry though) Tried using accelerator with my usual method, no problems. The results of my day experimenting was that there were a bunch of methods that all worked although some required a little more sanding than others. The only constant was the wood and the paper towels used for application. Each method left a good layer of CA that polished up nicely after varying degrees of sanding. While I would not reccomend putting the CA on the blank in 1/8 inch layers it did work even if I had to start the sanding with 120 grit to get the lumps off the surface. Guess the conclusion I made was it did not matter how I put the glue on as long as it got on the blank I could sand it smooth and polish it. Some folks seem to be able to get the CA on so that it does not require sanding before polishing, I'm not one of them. It took me a while before I could get a consistent CA finish and I think I was my own worse enemy. I had read so much about how hard it was to get it right that I was making things much more difficult than it really was. After I chilled out a bit and just glopped the glue on and it worked I knew I could get a good finish and refined things from there.


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## Reb (Sep 30, 2009)

Hi

I use Minwax finish, on oil woods you need to use a sealer first. Then Ren wax.
reb


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## nava1uni (Sep 30, 2009)

I use minwax, CA and even friction polish depending on what I want to accomplish.  My own pens don't have CA on them since I really love how the wood feels when I write.  I learned to so a CA finish from a video that I watched and downloaded from the Australian wood forum.  Made it easy to understand for me.  Here is the link- http://www.woodworkforums.com/f207/djs-ca-pen-finish-tutorial-71268/
You will have to join, but it costs nothing and there are also a lot of good tutorials and really nice turners.  Check it out.


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## Displaced Canadian (Oct 1, 2009)

The other solution is to drink heavily.


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## mick (Oct 1, 2009)

truittsosebee said:


> Well, when I said I was ready to give up, it was mostly out of frustration and in jest.  I like the idea of practicing on scrap wood, and really don't know why I didn't think of that.
> After reading every tutorial I can find, it seems I may have been trying to sand too soon after application.
> The funny thing is, I was able to get a brilliant CA finish on the first pen I tried it on.  The next day, same wood, same CA, same technique (I think) and I just made a mess.
> Practice, practice this weekend!



I've found that after applying my CA finish if I wait overnight before sanding out and buffing I get a much better finish. I'm sure it doesn't take that long to cure but I do several pens and then just sit them aside until the next day while I;m doing something else


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## dow (Oct 1, 2009)

MesquiteMan said:


> Well at least you got something from the meeting other than a headache!
> 
> Did it really help, Keith?  I have thought about making a video, just have not had the time.



Curtis, it helped me a bunch, too.  I think that a video demo would be helpful to other folks as well.


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## Silly Rabbit (Oct 1, 2009)

I think I sand too much of the CA glue back off. I still don't get a good finish but it is getting better. My problem was misunderstanding the process of the whole thing. I didn't know what the finish was supposed to look like from start to finish. I thought that once you put it on it was supposed to not have lumps or ridges in it and look bright and shiny without sanding. I actually finished a bottle stopper once without sanding or anything and thought I had finally figured it out only to be upset the next time I tried it. 

My question is, how much sanding on each grit to avoid starting over? I know the answer will be "depends" but what is a general rule. Now that I understand that you need to put a larger amount of CA glue on and globs and ridges are part of the deal I might have some more patience.


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## GouletPens (Oct 1, 2009)

The best advice I can give is seek to understand WHY everyone does certain things differently. Most of it comes down to individual technique and preferences. For example, if you like to sand at a high speed, you may want to use med. CA and build up thicker coats so you don't cand through it. If you sand slowly, you may be able to use thin CA better and get the same result. Some will swear by med and some by thin, but it's all about how you use it. So try to understand WHY people have different steps, and find out which techniques you tend to use and what will be easiest for you. The reason a CA finish is hard to do is because you have to know yourself and how you work best to find the best process for CA. It's like how a painter can paint really nice paintings using the exact same materials as a novice yet the painting looks amazingly better b/c the artist knows how the paint works and what to do with it to get their intended look.

I gave up on CA twice...I would try different methods, get frustrated, think that something else must be easier with comparable results, find that nothing was better, try CA again....lather rinse repeat. What finally sold me for good on CA was when I saw a poll on IAP of what finises people used...more than half of everyone here uses CA, the next most popular thing I think was lacquer at around 10-15%. CA is far and above the most popular finish, and as you well know it's not because it's the easiest or fastest. It's because it's the best and once you find your technique it will be much faster and more consistent. Once I got my technique down, which I'll spare you b/c you don't need another chef in the kitchen, I have gotten extremely consistent and predictable results on the 100-150 pens I've made since switching to a CA finish, around 30-40 minutes per pen. Even still, I am tweaking my process here and there, b/c what you do for a Curly Maple might not work as well for Jarrah Burl. So yeah, definitely give up the things you're doing that are giving you a bad finish. But keep trying different things to find what finally works. With CA every step of the process must work in harmony to give a perfect finish, even one wrong step can ruin it in the end. You have to know what it is you're doing wrong before you know what you need to do right.


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## barrysj (Oct 9, 2009)

*PSI highgloss?*

has anyone tried the I can't believe this finish from PSI?  It's expensive, but looks like it makes a nice finish, seems like you could buy the supplies cheeper and get the same effect.....I'm willing to have the patience for it, just want advice. I use high speed friction polish now which works ok for a satin type finish, but want some of my higher end pens to have a glossy finish.  

Thanks,

Steve Barry aka "Dude"


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## ldb2000 (Oct 9, 2009)

barrysj said:


> has anyone tried the I can't believe this finish from PSI? It's expensive, but looks like it makes a nice finish, seems like you could buy the supplies cheeper and get the same effect.....I'm willing to have the patience for it, just want advice. I use high speed friction polish now which works ok for a satin type finish, but want some of my higher end pens to have a glossy finish.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Steve Barry aka "Dude"


 
Steve , The PSI finish kit is nothing but CA , no magic , just CA . Reread this thread and get some cheap wood , turn it round (about the size of a pen) and start trying some different methods of applying the CA . It could take awhile but you will get it eventually . 
Take the friction polish and put it away , save it for bowls or boxes or .... just as a paper weight . While it looks good when it's first put on it won't last a week on a pen . If you ever sell or give away your pens as gifts you will want the finish to look good for as long or longer then the plating on the kits .


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## barrysj (Oct 10, 2009)

Thanks Butch,

2 more questions then I'll start practicing...

1.  Is there any particular ca I should use?  Seems like medium would be a good start, and just let it dry and build it up with a few coats--no accelerator--just patience...then sand progressively.

2.  Is micromesh and water to develop a slurry good enough to get the shine or do I also need to use a plastic polish to get that last scratchless shine?

Thanks,
Steve


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## tim self (Oct 10, 2009)

Barry, I primarily use med CA from Monty.  will use thin for a sealing effect on spalted or pitted wood.  Even tho I have my own way of doing it, even after 300+ pens I have a pen not take a finish every once in a while.  I have never even considered an alternative finish due to wearability of CA.  Good Luck and keep practicing.

The water/MM I primarily use for PR and Acrylics.  I guess I'm chicken not wanting to get water in the wood.  And after MM, I use brasso, (about 15000 grit), then plastic polish (about 20000 grit).  Sometimes just for grins will do a light buffing on the Bealle wheel.


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## Verne (Oct 10, 2009)

I'm waiting for Curtis' video. It looked soooooo easy the first time I saw it. Or some on here use plexiglass (I'm trying) and many use Enduro which is really good 'cept it takes so darn long.
Don't give up on CA till you PM Curtis or see his soon to be released video on the subject. 
Vern


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## Verne (Oct 10, 2009)

geeze, I just noticed, I've been on here for almost 3 years and only 475 posts? Pitiful, just pitiful
Vern


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## george (Oct 10, 2009)

barrysj said:


> Thanks Butch,
> 
> 2 more questions then I'll start practicing...
> 
> ...



I do not like thin CA ... medium and thick works better for me. I use accelator every second coat ... the key is to make thick CA layer, but as smooth as possbile. You can put on 15 layers, but if you end up with rough surface that needs lot of sanding, you did not make much .... you will come through the CA at least on one spot and then you must go from start.


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## DurocShark (Oct 11, 2009)

Another alternative is melted acrylic. The application techniques are similar, but the acrylic is more forgiving. (And a bit less durable maybe.)

I'm still in the experimentation phase of using it, but I've not yet gotten a finish I felt I would want to tear it down and start over. This is on 20 or so walnut scraps. I believe there's a walkthrough somewhere here, either as a post or in the library. 

The reason I'm trying to move away from CA is my garage gets below freezing in the winter and CA just plain won't work. At least not with the techniques I've found that work for me. I can get close with the blo on the paper towel technique, but that's it.


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## GouletPens (Oct 13, 2009)

DurocShark said:


> Another alternative is melted acrylic. The application techniques are similar, but the acrylic is more forgiving. (And a bit less durable maybe.)
> 
> I'm still in the experimentation phase of using it, but I've not yet gotten a finish I felt I would want to tear it down and start over. This is on 20 or so walnut scraps. I believe there's a walkthrough somewhere here, either as a post or in the library.
> 
> The reason I'm trying to move away from CA is my garage gets below freezing in the winter and CA just plain won't work. At least not with the techniques I've found that work for me. I can get close with the blo on the paper towel technique, but that's it.


I have CA down but I tried liquid acrylic and trust me, that's not easier than CA!!!!! You think CA is finicky and mysterious, boy liquid acrylic is 10 times worse IMHO. There's a reason CA is the most popular, and that's because it's all around the best (at least for now). Pay your dues like the rest of us and it'll be worth it.


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## writestuff (Oct 18, 2009)

*New guy here!*

Been turning pens for about four years, and started using CA within the last year.  I watched a tutorial on the Woodturner Russ website,  Tried it and love it.  I polish with a 1 in strip of paper towel, using auto body polish.  A higher shine can be achieved by using micro mesh.
I had an issue for a short time and was getting rough finish until I remembered to rub the newly applied CA/BLO down with grocery sack paper. follow the link below. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=54VkKcFRSWQ
 
Writestuff!


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## clthayer (Oct 18, 2009)

I found my problem was a lathe that didn't turn quite round.  I made a lot of nice pens, but when it came to sanding and polishing ca the out of round caused me to sand heavier on one side than the other.  The result was spots that were sanded down to bare wood.  

I bought a Rikon and have gotten back into ca finishes recently and am quite happy with the results that I am seeing now.

Christian


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## chriselle (Oct 18, 2009)

clthayer said:


> I found my problem was a lathe that didn't turn quite round.  I made a lot of nice pens, but when it came to sanding and polishing ca the out of round caused me to sand heavier on one side than the other.  The result was spots that were sanded down to bare wood.
> 
> I bought a Rikon and have gotten back into ca finishes recently and am quite happy with the results that I am seeing now.
> 
> Christian




Whether it's CA or urushi lacquer....I sand with the lathe at rest.  It takes a little longer but I find I get the best finish this way.  Remember we are not penmakers.....we are "polishers".


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## PaulSF (Nov 2, 2009)

Kind of a newbie question...When you use a sanding dust/CA slurry, do you do that prior to sanding? It seems like if you sand all the way to 12,000, then do a sanding slurry, you are just having to do another full round of sanding before applying the CA finish, so it seems logical to me to do the sanding dust/CA slurry right after trimming down the blanks.  Am I way off, dead on, high on CA fumes?


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## Rick_G (Nov 2, 2009)

PaulSF said:


> Kind of a newbie question...When you use a sanding dust/CA slurry, do you do that prior to sanding? It seems like if you sand all the way to 12,000, then do a sanding slurry, you are just having to do another full round of sanding before applying the CA finish, so it seems logical to me to do the sanding dust/CA slurry right after trimming down the blanks.  Am I way off, dead on, high on CA fumes?



I do this when I get to 600 grit if needed.


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