# CA/BLO finish



## RussFairfield (Aug 31, 2006)

Jeff has just posted a short video on how I use Boiled Linseed Oil with CA glue. Others will use different and sometimes more complex finishing schedules, but this is the one I use, and it works for me.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17155


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## JimGo (Aug 31, 2006)

Thanks Russ, that was very informative, even for a CA finish fanatic like me!


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## Dario (Aug 31, 2006)

Thanks Russ.

It is totally different from my style and I would love to give your method a try. [8D]


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## chigdon (Aug 31, 2006)

It has been a long time since I have tried BLO with my precious CA.  I am going to have to give it a try again.  Thanks for the info Russ!


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## Jim15 (Sep 1, 2006)

Thanks for the video Russ.


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## wdcav1952 (Sep 1, 2006)

Thanks Russ.  I saved the video to my desktop and will watch it on a regular basis.  I use the same basic method, but your way seems far more efficient than the way I was doing it.


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## emackrell (Sep 1, 2006)

Very helpful video Russ, thanks for posting!

Cheers  Eileen [8D]


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## ctEaglesc (Sep 1, 2006)

Russ I am going to hold my breath apply the CA directly to my paper towel (without the BLO on it first) and give it a try.
(If it doesn't work the first time I'll hook up the speakers to my computer)[]


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## alamocdc (Sep 1, 2006)

Thanks, Russ! I've never tried it that way, and even gave up using BLO with CA because I didn't like the way it was turning out. And no, I wasn't using the BLO first (after I reread the posted techniqie [:I]). However, I intend to give this a run on my next pen.


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## BRobbins629 (Sep 1, 2006)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the video is worth a million.  Well done and very much appreciated.


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## redfishsc (Sep 1, 2006)

I'll be trying this tonight! Great video. 


Russ (and others)--- if you are finishing a wood like Zebra or leopardwood, do you try to get a total grain fill? I personally prefer the open pored woods to be open-pored once it's finished, but I haven't yet figured out how to do that with CA. So I've been airbrushing them with a lacquer-type 2-part finish (great results just a lot of cleanup to do for the three pens I'll turn at a time.... a week).


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## RussFairfield (Sep 1, 2006)

I fill the grain by wet sanding with 150 or 180-grit and  medium CA glue and then sanding through the 12,000MM before finishing. The coarser grits work better for the wet sanding because they cut through the glue and make more sanding dust to fill the wood.

It's on the full length video.


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## alamocdc (Sep 1, 2006)

Russ, I tried it and I like it. You can see the reults in SWOP shortly.


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## bnoles (Sep 2, 2006)

Thanks Russ for the great lesson.  I am still fairly new at this and your video sure gives me some new ideas to look forward to trying.

I am looking at your site and will most likely order your latest DVD on finishing based on this preview.


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## Jerryconn (Sep 4, 2006)

Thanks a lot Russ I really liked the video I have finished a lot of pens with nothing but CA but this finish gives the wood a different look and feel. []


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## GregMuller (Sep 4, 2006)

Russ,
Just one question. What is slow curing CA and where do I get it?


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## redfishsc (Sep 4, 2006)

Greg, generally the thicker the slower. However, check out this page, it's the best price on a quality glue you will find and the guy is a regular visitor here. He has the slowest stuff I've seen yet (I normally just order thick and thin viscosities and work within that range). 


http://www.woodenwonderstx.com/WW-06/CA_Glue_Page.html


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## redfishsc (Sep 4, 2006)

Russ, 

I tried your method only to find that the only 600 grit I had was black wet/dry, and I was doing it on a yellowheart pen (ie, I'm not touching it with black paper). So I used my 1500 grit MM instead of 600. 


Anyhow, when I was done, I could see distinct Barber Shop Pole swirls/rings in the finish. Would you say this was more from inadequate sanding or from my inexperienced application of the CA (I tried to mirror your--- my non-VS lathe, applying CA at 500, using thick viscosity). 

Thanks for any input.


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## RussFairfield (Sep 4, 2006)

The only time I get anything that looks like a barberpole on the finish is when there is a hard spot in the paper towel, there is a a piece of dust or a wood chip on the pad, or I get a fingernail in the way. If it isn't one of those things, I have no idea what you are doing wrong.


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## redfishsc (Sep 4, 2006)

I wouldn't be suprized if it was hardened CA. I was reading Eileen's post about Bounty making CA instantly harden. The towel I was using was a white one like in your video, can't remember the name, but I would not be in the least suprized if there was something in my towel that was also acting as a catalyst for the CA. I'll try a different medium. 

Thanks Russ!


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## its_virgil (Sep 4, 2006)

There are several techniques for applying CA with and without boiled linseed oil and using every conceivable material for an applicator. What works for some may not work for others. I think each of us has our technique which was developed from reading others accounts and learning from each other. Bounty makes Eileen's CA instantly harden...but bounty is the ONLY applicator material that I could get to work for me...nothing else I tried worked...and I tried them all! The old addage that one man's garbage is another's treasure is applies to many areas of our lives. Read, learn, ask questions and find a technique that will work and give the finish desired. Exactly duplicating another's technique may or may not work. There is no magic formula....the finish that one desires comes with lots of work and experimentation and failures and redos until we each develop our method. Have fun and I hope each of us can find that finish that makes us proud of our pens.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by redfishsc_
> <br />I wouldn't be suprized if it was hardened CA. I was reading Eileen's post about Bounty making CA instantly harden. The towel I was using was a white one like in your video, can't remember the name, but I would not be in the least suprized if there was something in my towel that was also acting as a catalyst for the CA. I'll try a different medium.
> 
> Thanks Russ!


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## alamocdc (Sep 5, 2006)

I use Bounty as well, with no problems.


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## RussFairfield (Sep 5, 2006)

All paper towels are not equal. The cleanliness of the pulp that was used to make the paper towel is important, and a cleaner the pulp the higher the cost of the paper towel. This is a product where you really get what you pay for.  

Bounty and Viva are the least likely to have any abrasive dirts in them. To me, Viva is more absorbant, but Bounty has a higher wet-strength and is less likely to fall apart. I have used both, and can't tell any difference between them; but I use Viva out of habit and to me it feels more like a piece of cloth than the Bounty. I used Bounty when I worked for P&G because it was free. 

Lesser quality (cheaper) paper is more likely to have abrasive dirts in them that can cause scratches on the finished surface, and there is definitely a lot of foreign particles in the cheap store brands. 

If lint is a problem, "Sparkle", or whatever is the current name of the premium towel made by Georgia Pacific, is still the most lint-free paper towel on the market. However, I don't like its coarser texture for finishing. 

I have used toilet and facial tissue when I ran out of paper towel. Most of them have perfumes and other things in them, including cosmetic creams and anti-bacterial agents, that can accelerate the cure of the CA and cause other problems in the finish. All of them are more likely to have a lint problem than with a paper towel.


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## RussFairfield (Sep 5, 2006)

If the black color of a wet/dry sandpaper is a problem on a light wood, that means that you have a heat problem. You are melting the binder (the black color) that holds the abrasive on the paper. Slow down to 500 RPM and use a lighter touch with the sandpaper.

If you don't do that, then wet sanding is the best way to sand with the finer grits without slowing down the lathe. Wet sanding requires a lubricant such as water or wax or whatever. There is nothing wrong with doing that, but we should wait until everything in the lubricant has evaporated BEFORE the finish is applied to the wood. And, that can take as long as waiting overnight. 

The same is true when using Denatured Alcohol (DNA) to clean the wood before finishing. Failure to let let the DNA evaporate can cause cloudiness under the finish later. Again, that can be an overnight wait. 

I prefer to sand at a slow speed. There are no problems with the black paper, and there is no waiting overnight for anything to evaporate.


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## arioux (Sep 5, 2006)

Hi,

What i found out about Bounty is that they are very sensitive to surronding humidity.  They have the best absortion power on the market, even collecting the humidity of the air.  Took me a while to realize that during the winter, when i bring the car in the garage (that is where i turn), i had problem with my finish using paper towel.  Finally realise that the snow melting from the car raised the overall humidity of the garage and my towel was feeling humid when you look a it closely.  Since then, i prefold my applicator in the house and store them in a plastic container.  No more problem since.  Hope this will help someone.

ALfred


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## mdburn_em (Sep 5, 2006)

Hi Russ,
I'm just wondering if there is anything on this that's not included in your latest video.  I've got your video and I have dial-up so...if I have everything on the video then I don't have to tie up my phone line for 5 hours.[]
IMHO the new video is excellent, thank you.


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## blodal (Sep 5, 2006)

Received my copy of the DVD on Friday. After watching it, I tried the CA-BLO finish. It worked for me. I have been having problems with other methods, but this one turned out great. Thanks for you efforts in producing the video.


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## PenTurnerJohn (Sep 5, 2006)

> Jeff has just posted a short video on how I use Boiled Linseed Oil with CA glue. Others will use different and sometimes more complex finishing schedules, but this is the one I use, and it works for me.
> 
> http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17155
> 
> Russ Fairfield



Russ,
Which DVDs correspond to these short video clips on your web site?  I saw several listed and want to order the correct one. Thanks for the help.

John
Olathe KS


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## RussFairfield (Sep 6, 2006)

These video clips came directly from the video DVD, "Finishing Secrets for Pens"


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## PopPop (Sep 13, 2006)

> _Originally posted by RussFairfield_
> <br />Jeff has just posted a short video on how I use Boiled Linseed Oil with CA glue. Others will use different and sometimes more complex finishing schedules, but this is the one I use, and it works for me.
> 
> http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17155



Hi Russ,  I just wanted to thank you and Jeff for posting the video clips on the CA Finish.  I have tried several times to do it like people "told" me with out much success.  I think I can do it now.  Thanks again,  Chuck []


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