# Finally Mastered the CA finish ??????



## JAB1 (Sep 23, 2008)

OK folks.....I think I have finally got a CA finish down....here is my method and I want you to give me your honest opinion......

1)  Sand with MM to 12,000 ( dry)
2)  Apply 1st coat of THIN ca glue with blue paper towel, followed by a spray of accelerator
3)  Apply 4 more coats of THIN ca glue followed by accelerator in the same manner
4)  After the 5th coat, sand again with MM beginning with 1500.  Sand thru 12, 000.
5)  That is it !!!!!

It seems to give me a nice CA finish.....of course, probably 2-3 coats are taken off while sanding after the 5th coat...........it seems to be a beautiful, glossy finish....

Please critique this method, especially you that have a heckuva lot more experience than I do......thanks....Allan


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## sdlewis (Sep 23, 2008)

That is pretty close to what I do.  It works well for me.  No complaints from customers.


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## rdunn12 (Sep 23, 2008)

Yep pretty close to my method also.I think you have got it!Works great for me.


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## DurocShark (Sep 26, 2008)

The accel doesn't haze your CA? What brands are you using?

I can only use accel when I know I'm going to turn or sand down through that layer.


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## Monty (Sep 26, 2008)

Don,
I use EZ-Bond (wonder why :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin. The only time I seem to get a haze on my pens is when it is an oily wood such as coco or BOW. Wiping the blank down with accelerator after sanding and just prior to applying my CA seems to eliminate this problem.
I also have found that if I use one of these from Harborfreight - 
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=1102
I can better control the amount of accelerator I use. HF has them on sale quite often for around $7.


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## leehljp (Sep 26, 2008)

From that as a beginning, consider medium CA for a thicker layer. On softer woods, a thicker layer will protect it from dents much better.

I do what you do with MM. I sand at least to 4000 and often to 12000 with bare wood. On some dense woods I can see scratches in the right light at 3200/3600 and below. And covering them with CA, they can be seen in the right light below the CA. So, keep on. Overkill won't hurt, but not carrying it far enough will be picked up by a persnickety person with good eyes and a $100 bill in his wallet. Satisfy the persnickety person and your goals will be reached.


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## Texatdurango (Sep 26, 2008)

JAB1 said:


> *Please critique this method, especially you that have a heckuva lot more experience than I do*......thanks....Allan


Allan,
OK, so don't shoot the messenger! 

In my opinion after doing a few hundred CA finishes now, I think you are doing way too much sanding, both before and after applying the finish. Like most everyone else, I got caught up in the "MM to 12000" routine last year because everyone else was doing it but soon realized it was a lot of excess work and now save time and money, not having bought any micro mesh in over a year.

Depending on the wood I will usually sand to 800 or 1000 then apply a bit of Mylands sanding sealer to bring out the wood color then apply a few thick coats of medium CA then wet sand up to 1,000 grit (1,200 if I'm in the mood) then use some Novus polish. If I'm happy with the shine, I leave it at that, if not, I'll buff with some white diamond. You will be amazed at how much sanding is saved by using the Novus polish compounds. It can be purchased right here on IAP with the best prices on the web.

I don't recall using any micro mesh at all this year and my pens get better and better so I must be doing something right.

So there you have it... just another opinion!


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## DurocShark (Sep 26, 2008)

As far as sanding, I'll take the wood to 400 before applying the CA. It seems to me that any higher, I'm just burnishing the wood. I can do that with shavings...

After however many coats of CA I think I need, I'll then sand starting at 400 through 2000 using "safe" MS as a lubricant. Then I apply Meguiar's Plast-X. Once like a friction polish, then one wipe-on, wipe-off application. 

Safe MS: KleenStrip's KS Pro Paint Thinner. It's odorless and doesn't mess with your skin. Just wear a face shield to keep it out of your mouth and eyes.


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## Rudy Vey (Sep 26, 2008)

This is pretty much my sequence as well. However, I am not sanding first to 12000MM, I go to 3200/3600 or so (depending on the wood, sometimes I begin after the 400 Abralon mesh). In my case, I apply 3 to 4 coats of thin CA. Then I MM from 1500-4000 and follow with Novus fine polish or one could buff. This is the sequence demonstrated by Rich Kleinhenz at the AAW Symposium in Louisville in 2006. As for accelerator, I am using the spray cans.


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## leehljp (Sep 26, 2008)

Rudy Vey said:


> This is pretty much my sequence as well. However, I am not sanding first to 12000MM, I go to 3200/3600 or so (depending on the wood, sometimes I begin after the 400 Abralon mesh). . .



I agree with Rudy on this - with an exception. In some cases of "curly" and especially where chatoyance is evident, sanding to 12000 or burnishing it even finer (if possible) BEFORE adding the finish - this enhances the chatoyance even more.

IMO and experience, the finer the finish sanding on bare wood - the better or higher the chatoyance and luster after finish. 

I just might be looking at the wrong variables and making wrong assumptions, but so far the logic from the information that I have from experience strongly suggests this.


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## JAB1 (Sep 28, 2008)

DurocShark said:


> The accel doesn't haze your CA? What brands are you using?
> 
> I can only use accel when I know I'm going to turn or sand down through that layer.



I am using the brand that Monty sells...it has not given me any hazing issues.....


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## JAB1 (Sep 28, 2008)

DurocShark said:


> As far as sanding, I'll take the wood to 400 before applying the CA. It seems to me that any higher, I'm just burnishing the wood. I can do that with shavings...
> 
> After however many coats of CA I think I need, I'll then sand starting at 400 through 2000 using "safe" MS as a lubricant. Then I apply Meguiar's Plast-X. Once like a friction polish, then one wipe-on, wipe-off application.
> 
> Safe MS: KleenStrip's KS Pro Paint Thinner. It's odorless and doesn't mess with your skin. Just wear a face shield to keep it out of your mouth and eyes.



I personally think you get a better finish if you sand to at least 600.  To 12, 000 is even better....this is why MM is used in the aircraft industry to get parts and finishes so fine...it seems to me that the MM does not burnish the wood, but actually sands it....even the 12, 000 according to what I read about it....Also, I have no problem with fine scratches if I take it to 12, 000 with the lathe on, then stop and sand horizontally .....I realize this takes a little longer, but the results are superb....


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## ldb2000 (Sep 28, 2008)

Allan , Bottom line is  "If it works for you , then that's how you do it" . We all have different ways of doing a CA finish , None of them are the "Right way or Wrong way" , it's all a matter of "Opinion" . Heck I even change the way I do it depending the type of wood I'm using .


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## JAB1 (Sep 29, 2008)

I agree with you 100%......Allan


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## TellicoTurning (Sep 29, 2008)

DurocShark said:


> As far as sanding, I'll take the wood to 400 before applying the CA. It seems to me that any higher, I'm just burnishing the wood. I can do that with shavings...
> 
> After however many coats of CA I think I need, I'll then sand starting at 400 through 2000 using "safe" MS as a lubricant. Then I apply Meguiar's Plast-X. Once like a friction polish, then one wipe-on, wipe-off application.
> 
> Safe MS: KleenStrip's KS Pro Paint Thinner. It's odorless and doesn't mess with your skin. Just wear a face shield to keep it out of your mouth and eyes.



I agree with Duroc on the sanding... I usually only sand up through 400 on the raw wood, then clean it with mineral spirits or acetone.. actually prefer the spirits, let that flash off completely, then with the lathe at 450, I apply one coat of medium CA...(I used to use thin, but always wound up with my fingers glued to my applicator or if I thought to put a glove on, then I glued the glove to the applicator and had a hole where it glued, then glued my finger to the applicator)  

After first coat of Med CA, hit it with a spray of accelorator... then 3-8 coats of Med CA.. depending on mood, or what I thought I needed... last coat gets spritz of accelorator.. 

I turn the lathe back up to about 1800 to 2600 rpms and sand from about 320 to 12000 using water as a lubricant and to keep the blank cool.  After last sanding, wipe the blank with damp cloth or wash with the water in my cool whip container, dry it, then a couple of coats of Hut PP... I get a great shine.

At this point I'm finding that I'm usually glued to the bushings, so I take a small skew and clean the bushings back to the edge of the blank - very carefully - usually I'm pretty clean when I pull the bushing away, but may have to rub the end of the blank on an old towel to smooth, or if I have a lot of CA I've put a pen mill to the ends to try to get it smooth to the tube.

In another thread, I found I was having trouble with an El Grande and El Presidente that I'm pretty sure I didn't mill the ends of and wound up flaking the CA finish at the ends of my blanks.


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