# CA finish woes



## tone (Apr 6, 2006)

My CA finishes are very inconsistant.  I'd like to say they are getting better but despite all my efforts, a few come out really well but most have spots that are more glossy or dull and sanding them all the way back to the wood doesn't seem to help.  It seems to be in the sealing coat with thin CA because anything I do after that doesn't help. I've tried with paper towels, gloved finger, sandpaper, etc.

When sealing/stabilizing with thin CA, even if I soak the whole barrel, some spots get like glass and others stay dull. Burls especially seem to absorb it irregularly. I've tried wet sanding with thin ca and 400g wet dry paper but it seems the paper is rendered useless in seconds and then makes a mess of it.

What am I doing wrong here?

Tony


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## gerryr (Apr 6, 2006)

Are you cleaning the blank with DNA before applying the first coat?  It might be that some of the DNA hasn't evaporated and that's causing it?  I don't follow Fangar's method totally, I tried to once and glued some sandpaper to my finger.[:0]  My method now is to clean with DNA and wait about 5 minutes, then I apply 3 coats of thin with the lathe running at low speed and spreading it with a paper towel.  After that's totally dry, I apply two coats of medium also with a paper towel barely touching the blank.  Then I sand and polish.  I had a lot of trouble like you describe until I started applying the medium with a paper towel.  I was getting so many ridges that by the time I had them all sanded down, I had taken it down to bare wood in spots.  I believe that the real secret is in getting a smooth application of the medium or thick CA.  The smoother it is, the less sanding you have to do.


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## airrat (Apr 6, 2006)

I agree with Gerry, I also apply 3 to 5 coats of thin CA (matters on how smooth it is) then do Thick or Med.  I only use DNA on oily woods and wait a few min before anything.


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## its_virgil (Apr 6, 2006)

Tony,
If I must say so myself, I have developed a rather nice CA finish. I do not sand after the last application of CA...its straight to the buffer. I have written an article with pictures and have sent it to Jeff. Maybe he will make it available soon. Not trying to compete with others whose CA finishes have been published here, just offering another way to "skin the cat" and add to our knowledge base and library. If my article doesn't show up soon, email me and I'll send you a copy.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## DCBluesman (Apr 6, 2006)

Since modesty doesn't prevent me from bragging on Don, here's a link to an article he wrote.  The article is on page 10, but the whole newsletter is a good read. http://www.pens-pens.com/Issue8.pdf  [8D]


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## its_virgil (Apr 6, 2006)

Hey thanks Lou...DUH! I didn't even think about the article being there...stupid me.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by DCBluesman_
> <br />Since modesty doesn't prevent me from bragging on Don, here's a link to an article he wrote.  The article is on page 10, but the whole newsletter is a good read. http://www.pens-pens.com/Issue8.pdf  [8D]


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## LanceD (Apr 6, 2006)

Great article Don. I really enjoyed it.


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## wdcav1952 (Apr 7, 2006)

Bravo, Don.  I really enjoyed the article and got some questions answered by reading it.


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## its_virgil (Apr 7, 2006)

Thanks Lance and William...Glad you enjoyed the reading and that it was helpful.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by wdcav1952_
> <br />Bravo, Don.  I really enjoyed the article and got some questions answered by reading it.


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## tone (Apr 7, 2006)

Thanks for the link to the article. I'll give that method a try.  I'm a little confused. I would think the BLO on the wood first would keep the ca from sticking to the blank. I guess not since I can't argue with the results that you get.

Last year when I first got into this and before I knew much of anything, I made a slimeline set and penlight from BuEB and thick CA. I wish I could remember the details but I don't.  I know I used Special T (extra thick ca) without the lathe spinning and dont think I used thin ca first. I believe I just sanded it down to 400g then used EEE shine wax, then the thick ca with a paper towel. No sanding afterward. One very thick coat that looks like glass. There are a few small ripples that you can't see but can feel if you run your fingers lengthwise along the barrel. These pens have bounced around in my pocket for a year and been dropped and abused and still look great. The shine won't quit. I don't know if it was fresh ca, air temp, humidity, technique, or the alignment of the stars but I haven't been able to duplicate the results.

Thanks again,

Tony


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## its_virgil (Apr 7, 2006)

The #1 cause of failure (that I've figured out) using boiled linseed oil is using too much. You may need to adjust # of drops I sugges to account for yuour "dropper" size. One friend could not get it to work and we found out his drops wer twice the size of mine and when he adjusted down it worked fine.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## tommyrobbins (Apr 8, 2006)

What I have learned is, if you startout with a smooth piece of wood (micro mash the wood to 3600), then apply even coats of thin CA and then use micro mash after the CA is completely dry, it will come out glossy all over. []


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## Pipes (Apr 11, 2006)

Since I have been hereing about and using this finish a few weeks ONLY now !! I have found that trying to use it on a wood like Black palm with a lot of filler needed you or I get spots were it builds up using thick CA ! I have found that if the wood need a LOT of filer using CA thick befor  you get the wood sealed up and smooth make for spots were you need filler ! The CA dries in the place were filler should be and and being its really heavy there tends to cloud ! I have found using any good friction filler specialy the HUT bars to fill and then use a thin coat or 2 of thin ca and it comes out perty decent MOST a the time some woods IMHO are just not gona take the finish properly and using lacquer or friction polish is about all I can get to work BUT on MOST woods the ca a work fine as long as the wood is smooth and does NOT require a LOT of filler or as long as the wood does not have those small craters to collect little piles a CA that is IMHO what causes the spots !! I use Black Palm as an example because its a PITA to get smooth nature of the wood ! again IMO only ...


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## its_virgil (Apr 21, 2006)

Several have emailed me about the CA finish article I recently wrote for the "Tutor Rose Woodturning Club" newsletter. The article is now available on the Pen Makers Guild website, along with other articles written by guild members. The link to the article is:
http://penmakersguild.com/articles.htm

Do a good turn daily!
Don



> _Originally posted by its_virgil_
> <br />Tony,
> If I must say so myself, I have developed a rather nice CA finish. I do not sand after the last application of CA...its straight to the buffer. I have written an article with pictures and have sent it to Jeff. Maybe he will make it available soon. Not trying to compete with others whose CA finishes have been published here, just offering another way to "skin the cat" and add to our knowledge base and library. If my article doesn't show up soon, email me and I'll send you a copy.
> Do a good turn daily!
> Don


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## Max (Apr 21, 2006)

Don, what thickness of CA do you use with your technique?

(Hope I didn't miss that fact in the articles)

Thanks,
Max


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