# Using a heat gun to aid CA curing.



## MSpringer (Apr 24, 2018)

Living in the south we have a wee bit of humidity. Its a chilly rainy day and i turn in the garage where the wife is also doing laundry making the humidity even higher. It is taking 20 to 30 minutes before layers and the thicker i go the longer it seems to take to stop feeling tacky. 

My question is this. Would using a heat gun turned all the way down to 500 degrees and kept kept a safe distance away from the blank have any negative effects on the CA?


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## thebillofwrites (Apr 24, 2018)

Usually, the opposite effect is noticed. Very dry climates tend to extend the cure time, where as high humidity tends to speed up the cure time.

If it is very chilly, the cold may be having some effect.

Are you using an accelerator?

How old is your ca? Even if you purchased it recently, it may have sat on the shelf, or in a warehouse for some time before you got it.

For an experiment, you might try taking the ca in the house and wiping a thin coat on a scrap of wood and see how it reacts in that environment.

Bill


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## MSpringer (Apr 24, 2018)

I bought it a few weeks ago at my local woodcraft. Its nice having the store 5 minutes away.
It is stick fast brand.

Maybe i am confused or misread. I was under the impression that higher humidity extended curing time for CA glues. I have noticed on warmer days that the glue cures almost instantly so maybe it is a temperature issue more than humidity?


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## leehljp (Apr 24, 2018)

I have used a heat gun from a distance but settled on a hair dryer. In temps below 60° and been doing this for about 10-12 years. I find low temps prolong curing and 80° and above make for quick curing. 

Use the heat gun but keep a distance. Don't overheat! Something better to do is have a cabinet with a 20 - 40 watt bulb in the bottom and turned on for a couple of hours before using the CA to warm up the CA. Warm CA (70° - 80° ) cures better than CA at 50°.


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## robutacion (Apr 25, 2018)

MSpringer said:


> Living in the south we have a wee bit of humidity. Its a chilly rainy day and i turn in the garage where the wife is also doing laundry making the humidity even higher. It is taking 20 to 30 minutes before layers and the thicker i go the longer it seems to take to stop feeling tacky.
> 
> My question is this. Would using a heat gun turned all the way down to 500 degrees and kept kept a safe distance away from the blank have any negative effects on the CA?



I use a heatgun for every time I make a CA finish even in Summer, why...? because I want to make sure all those layers of CA are dry and hard for the wet sanding, only because each layer feels dry before you apply the next layer, the thicker you go, the harder is for the bottom layer to set hard and this is the very reason some folks instead of using the heatgun/airdryer sand their blanks the next day.

The lower the temps the longet the CA will take to dry even with accelerator so and in your case, using the heatgun between coats can only be a benefit and sure a quicker way to apply multiple coats in one seating, however, using a heatgun or hairdryer the risk of burning is very real so, the best way to prevent that to happen is to do the following;

Use the hottest setting and start away from the blank, I suggest 2 or 3 feet, then use the available hand to put in front of the heating tool at a safe distance, bring your hand closer until you feel the heat but you can stand keeping your hand there at that distance, that is the distance you need to keep from the blank you are finishing with the lather turned on, obviously.

The heat gun should not stay in the same place so it works wonders if you swing the heat source left to light (or right to left) to cover the lenght of the blanks surface, about 1 minute is all you need.

This is what I do and what I suggest to those learning from me, as a step they repeat everytime.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
George


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## randyrls (Apr 25, 2018)

Hmmmm....   I just had a thought go round my head like a pinball machine.  I wonder if ultra-violet light would affect the curing time?


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## MSpringer (Apr 25, 2018)

robutacion said:


> MSpringer said:
> 
> 
> > Living in the south we have a wee bit of humidity. Its a chilly rainy day and i turn in the garage where the wife is also doing laundry making the humidity even higher. It is taking 20 to 30 minutes before layers and the thicker i go the longer it seems to take to stop feeling tacky.
> ...



I tried using it last night and it did seem to help but i still had the heat low and was keeping a safe distance. Ill try this method and see if it helps.


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## MiteyF (Apr 25, 2018)

randyrls said:


> Hmmmm....   I just had a thought go round my head like a pinball machine.  I wonder if ultra-violet light would affect the curing time?



While there ARE UV cure adhesives, I don't think this would have any effect on CA.


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