# Hmmm. CA finish looked great, then turned!



## Parson (Jul 21, 2014)

I've been doing thick CA coats on my cigar replica pens for a long time. After many months away from penmaking because of life being so crazy, I got back to the shop on Saturday morning and made a pen I could use at the office.

I used multiple coats of thick CA glue to cover over the cigar band and make it smooth over the course of two days. 

I finished the pen yesterday and the results were stellar. However, I woke up this morning and looked at the pen again and was disappointed to find that the shiny finish I'd work so hard to get just right has dull spots on it at the thickest areas of CA glue use.

Did I not allow enough time for curing before I finished with MM pads? I think this is what happened, but I thought I'd throw out the thought and see what others who use a LOT of CA glue on pens for finishing have experienced.

BTW, it was outrageously hot and humid in my garage this weekend.


----------



## southernclay (Jul 21, 2014)

The CA may have gone bad if it's pretty old


----------



## keithbyrd (Jul 21, 2014)

Parson said:


> I've been doing thick CA coats on my cigar replica pens for a long time. After many months away from penmaking because of life being so crazy, I got back to the shop on Saturday morning and made a pen I could use at the office.
> 
> I used multiple coats of thick CA glue to cover over the cigar band and make it smooth over the course of two days.
> 
> ...



I changed my approach - I was building up a lot of CA - never used the thick, but a lot of coats of med and noticed on several pens that I was getting cloudy spots or after a few weeks a lot of crackle look in the finish.  So I backed off and focused on less coats and better polishing - no problem since.


----------



## Parson (Jul 21, 2014)

Keith, in this case I had no choice. I had to flood the cap with CA because the cigar band needed to be covered and the surface of the CA smooth across it. I routinely put 1/16th of an inch of CA glue on these pens...


----------



## keithbyrd (Jul 21, 2014)

Parson said:


> Keith, in this case I had no choice. I had to flood the cap with CA because the cigar band needed to be covered and the surface of the CA smooth across it. I routinely put 1/16th of an inch of CA glue on these pens...



Try to build it up with med CA.  It cures faster than thick - I would let it set a couple of minutes between coats also just to make sure it was curing.  I know you can let it set a lot longer to "fully" cure but I think a minute or two between coats when you are trying to build up a thicker coat would be sufficient.  
Sanding between coats might help too.
I also used to use BLO and found the cloudy spots went away when I quit using it.


----------



## glenspens (Jul 21, 2014)

Why not turn the blank under size put on the band ...cast in pr then turn to size ????


----------



## Parson (Jul 21, 2014)

Glen: nice idea... I don't cast though. really good idea though!


----------



## Rick_G (Jul 21, 2014)

I do this all the time with decals.   I only use medium CA.  I do not sand between coats.  That defeats the purpose.  I am trying to build up layers of CA not put a little on and then sand it off again.  after 8 or 10 coats I will give a very light sanding with 800 or 1000 grit, just enough to check for shiny spots around the edges of the decal.  If there are any I add more CA.  When sanding you have to be careful not to sand through the CA into the label or decal.  Once I am happy with the build I wet sand with 2000, 2500 and 25000 grit, then plastic polish.  My basement shop is next to the rec. room so I put on a coat of CA then go watch TV till the next commercial.  It takes a while this way but I am not generally in a hurry.


----------



## MikeinSC (Jul 22, 2014)

I had, what sounds like, the exact same thing happen to me the other day. After an evening of fighting with the ca, I conceded that it must have gone bad. Sure enough, after getting a new thin and med, I could tell the difference and the offenders were place in File 13. 

As for the crackle, Ive had that before and usually as a result of building the layers without letting the underlying layers cure thoroughly. So as the underlying layers cure and contract over time, the layers on top crack. It could also happen if the blank is not dry if using blanks from found timber.


----------



## edstreet (Jul 22, 2014)

In my tag line I demonstrate sculpting, i.e. casting, with CA http://www.penturners.org/forum/f56/dragon-sceptre;-gent-tube-conversion-114232/.  I did show you can easily obtain a very thick layer with this method.  In 60 days it will be the 1 year mark since the Dragon Sceptre was created and still to this day there is no cracking, clouding, dulling or the like.  

I also did not use regular CA, I use odorless.  Not only does it have a 4x fold increase in shelf life over regular CA (2 years); it has, no odor at most given times, some odor when chemical reactions take place.  Even the spray that I use allows for a slow cure and that is very helpful and reduces many problems faced with CA.

By searching the archives here one can become vastly overwhelmed by post after post after post of various problems associated with CA but if you look closer you will see trends.  Trends, such as this topic include stale expired labels.

Also what we do not see in this thread is the brand used from the OP, something that will be helpful down the road when others look for information.

p.s. I would also like to urge everyone to get to know the chemicals, materials and tools that we use.  Not only does it help you become a better turner, it helps you become safer, more experienced and allows you to do more advanced projects.


----------



## Jjcold (Jul 22, 2014)

I have had best results with med CA, thin coats, let them cure without using accelerant.  
The humidity and age of the CA would be my guess.


----------

