# Inexpensive CA that dries gloss



## MiteyF (Jun 5, 2018)

All of my pens right now are finished with Loctite 416. It's an amazing CA. We use it at work and I take home whatever is "expired". We cannot legally use it past its expiration date, but it's still plenty good far beyond that. I save the company hazardous waste disposal fees, I get free glue. However, I'm getting ready to move across country and will have to (gasp) *purchase* my CA from here on out. 

Recently I've been turning some (OK, a bunch) of fishing floats, and decided to experiment with other CA's. I still use CA as a finish for my bobbers, but because they are frequently lost, dinged, broken etc, I don't bother sanding or polishing. I just seal, paint, and apply a thick coat of CA, and the finish is a perfectly acceptable gloss (with the 416) for what it is.

HOWEVER, upon trying 2 or 3 other types of CA, it seems most of them dry to a matte finish. I'm not willing to take the time to sand/polish these, nor am I willing to pay the big money that Loctite 416 demands.

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive, thick/extra thick CA that will cure to at least a reasonable gloss finish on its own?

Many thanks in advance.


----------



## magpens (Jun 5, 2018)

I use the BSI (Bob Smith Industries) line of CA and apply with the lathe turning very slowly, while rubbing lightly with the usual blue shop towel or a pen kit baggie or craft foam.

To me, it seems to dry/cure with a glossy finish.  However for pens it needs sanding/polishing.

For your purposes it may work


----------



## TonyL (Jun 5, 2018)

I don't know of any that do not require some polishing. to bring the finish to a very high lustre. I am following.


----------



## Monty (Jun 5, 2018)

Everybody has their favorite CA. Mine is EZ Bond. Been using it with great results for over 12 years. I get it from Exoticblanks.com.


----------



## MiteyF (Jun 5, 2018)

Monty, Mag, thanks for the suggestions.

Obviously all of my pens get polished to 12k MM, but these little guys aren't worth the time.

Tony, I do not need a high luster, I just prefer a general "gloss" finish. 

For example, I snapped a quick pic of my last 4 bobbers. The lighting is bad, and it was taken with a phone (quick snapshot) but even here you can tell the difference.

3 of the 4 were finished with 416, the other was another brand. This is the finish straight off the lathe, apply and let sit. Not hard to tell which is which.


----------



## TonyL (Jun 5, 2018)

Your bobber pics are better than my phone pics. In my experience, regardless of which brand of CA (from Hobby Lobby-who knows what brands to EZ Cure to Mercury- and everything in between), my pre sanding finish look like the two on the right. I must be very lucky, but I have not had any that looked like the bobber on the far right. I would be happy to send you some of the EZ Bond (medium) which is actually quite thick. I use Mercury flex for 9 of 10 of my finishes (it is made locally here and it is sold at a local hobby shop).


----------



## farmer (Jun 6, 2018)

*Finish*



MiteyF said:


> Monty, Mag, thanks for the suggestions.
> 
> Obviously all of my pens get polished to 12k MM, but these little guys aren't worth the time.
> 
> ...



Couple of bobbers the finish dont look right to me , on a pen i dont think that finish would be exceptable ..

As of using expired CA , sooner or later its going to catch up with you if it already hasnt .

I  use polishing creams and hand rub out the finish. I hate Micro Mesh ..

I dont really care for CA finishes, but when I was using CA i used stickfast .


----------



## Dehn0045 (Jun 6, 2018)

I am able to get a decent finish using Mercury Flex Thin without any sanding or polishing.  It's a little more viscous than other thin CA I have used, and has a much longer work time.  Having a little Flex in the CA might not be a bad thing for a bobber either.


----------



## MiteyF (Jun 6, 2018)

Tony, I'd love a sample if you are willing. I'll shoot you a PM.

Farmer, like I said, none of those bobbers are even close to what I consider acceptable for a pen, I just wanted to show the difference between CA's. Also, (as mentioned) I don't plan on doing any sanding/buffing/polishing. These are made to be lost. I only started turning them because at $2-3 a pop, it was much cheaper to make them, then it turned out to be fun. They make great cheap, easy gifts too. I like to trade them for beers while fishing! But if I can get a better finish with the same amount of work, I think it would be silly not to. As far as expired CA goes, I'll cross that bridge when it comes. I've used this 416 *years* past it's "expiration" date, and never once had an issue.

Dehn, the Mercury looks to be about $35 for a half pint, about 1/4 the price of the Loctite. I'll put it on my list to try. Thanks!


----------



## raar25 (Jun 12, 2018)

Sorry to change the subject a little but what do you use to color your bobbers that stand up to CA?  Those look great.
Thanks,
Ray


----------



## MiteyF (Jun 12, 2018)

If I'm brushing (while turning on the lathe) I like the coverage that enamels provide, but I've been dabbling with the airbrush (very new to that) and stick mostly to acrylics for the easy cleanup w/o acetone or other nasty chemicals. I've got about a dozen finished bobbers sitting here on the bench, maybe I'll toss a pic up in the "other stuff" forum sometime soon.

You need to be careful with either one, as both will run if you rub them while applying the CA on the lathe. I turn the lathe down as slow as it will go (about 500 rpm) and quickly and carefully apply a medium/thick CA using light pressure. Too much pressure and you'll rub out the paint, but if I'm careful with the first layer, it's all downhill from there.


----------



## leehljp (Jun 12, 2018)

MiteyF,

I know this was a last week question but I will add my 2cents.

A few people "dip" their turned pen blanks in finishes - CA (thin), lacquer, poly, maybe others. A few put them the dipped blank a slow rotisserie and they shine well.

For your information, only a very few people probably do NOT sand their finish at least once or twice, so you are in relative unexplored territory as far as not sanding a finish. You are welcome to find those here that think in that direction and develop it. New ideas are often challenged by some but welcomed by many.

I would love to see how this develops. Thanks for posting and asking this question.


----------



## mgatten (Jun 20, 2018)

*Wouldn't matte be better*

As a woodworking flyfisher, the idea of turning my own floats sounds great! I never thought of it before, but you can bet I'm gonna try it!

One question, though, and maybe it's just a difference between angling and flyfishing: I select floats that are as invisible to the fish as possible. The last thing I want is my indicator spooking them. 

With that in mind, wouldn't you actually be better off with a very dull matte finish? It would look to the fish like floating detritus on the stream, which they're used to. A high gloss might reflect flashes of light, which will keep them away.


----------



## MiteyF (Jun 20, 2018)

mgatten said:


> As a woodworking flyfisher, the idea of turning my own floats sounds great! I never thought of it before, but you can bet I'm gonna try it!
> 
> One question, though, and maybe it's just a difference between angling and flyfishing: I select floats that are as invisible to the fish as possible. The last thing I want is my indicator spooking them.
> 
> With that in mind, wouldn't you actually be better off with a very dull matte finish? It would look to the fish like floating detritus on the stream, which they're used to. A high gloss might reflect flashes of light, which will keep them away.



The thought of color spooking fish has certainly crossed my mind, but never finish. Most bobbers that you'd buy are white on the bottom, as the fish will be looking up into the light of day. You don't want a big dark shadow to spook them. Most of the bobbers I turn are either white or natural wood on the underside for this reason. I have also made a few that are other colors, mostly because I'm trying to teach myself to airbrush, and it's fun to play with bright colors. I think green is another good color, as it looks like a piece of leaf litter etc.

Personally, I don't think that a matte vs gloss finish would be much of a deterrent for a fish, certainly not as much so as a day glow orange! If you're fishing very close to the surface (super short leader between your bobber and bait), in extremely clear water, or around exceptionally spooky fish, I could see this being something to think about. However, I'd assume that the big floating *thing* would be much scarier than a light flash off the surface. Remember, fish see flashes from the surface all day every day, from even the slightest ripple in the water. I prefer the gloss finish for 2 reasons. One, when you've got a bobber waaaaay out there, where you can barely see it, sometimes you'll pick up a slight glimmer from the sun (after you've reached for your beer and lost your bobber's spot), and 2, they look prettier :biggrin:

However, I'm not a terribly "serious" angler (like most of you fly fisherman!). I love to fish, but it's as much about being on the water on a beautiful day with a cold drink as it is fishing. Sooooo... I could be very wrong! 

I haven't had time to turn many of these recently, all of my turning time has been spent working on an order for a co-worker. However, I've been playing around with the airbrush a little. Turns out, I'm not very good at it yet :biggrin:

If you turn some, or need some advice, please share!


----------

