# How much CA...



## bgibb42 (Sep 21, 2009)

do you use per coat when finishing a pen?  I have struggled with consistency on my CA finishes and my latest thought is that I might be using too much per coat.  I've thought about switching to using lacquer but I'm not ready to give up just yet.


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## Dan26 (Sep 21, 2009)

Brian,

After reading through about 10 posts on using CA as a finish, I tried all 10 different ways. I found something that works for me but others with more experience may have a better idea. I dampen a spot on a piece of shop towel with BLO then apply the BLO to the blank at the same time I start the CA. I use three or four drops of medium CA per blank and move the towel back and forth five or six times. Let the CA set for a minute or two then repeat. I do six to ten coats. This usually works for me.

The first few times I tried CA I had some pretty serious hills and valleys. I went back to friction polish but wasn't happy with the finish. I tried CA again and the piece of towel stuck to the pen. I jumped back, caught my breath, shook my head, then laughed it off. I decided I was going to figure this out one way or another. I'm not perfect at it, but I think I'm getting good results with CA now.

That's two cents from a beginner.


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## tim self (Sep 21, 2009)

I use one to two drops per application.  If I do not wanna darken the wood, I seal with thin first.  With the one or two, also one or two wipes on the blank and wait to dry.  Yes, there will be small ridges and I will get spanked for saying this but I leave it alone.  apply 5 to 7 coats and then start sanding.  As previously mentioned there are a dozen different ways to do this so find your niche and remember it.


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## seawolf (Sep 21, 2009)

Go to youtube this vidio might help. WoodTurning BLO and CA Pen Finish.
Mark


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## Billman (Sep 21, 2009)

Brian,

What exactly is the problem you are having/ending up with?

There is no "one way" to do a CA finish.  Tim seems to use an amazingly small amount compared to me.  He only uses a few drops.  I, on the other hand, put on so much that I usually end up running a bead of it out to the bushing.  But it works for me.  You will have to find a technique that works for you.  I guess I am one of the lucky ones... I read a few articles and watched a couple of video tutorials and got a great result the very first attempt.

Sorry I can't be of more help yet, but if you tell me/us what you are ending up with, maybe I/we can tell you how you got there.


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## jleiwig (Sep 22, 2009)

Everyone is going to have a different answer.  Some don't like a lot of CA on their pens to where it looks like plastic.  Others do because of the high shine.  Some settle for in between.  

I started off with 10 coats of thick, and now I'm to the point where I use 3-5 coats of thin.  I don't count drops.  I just tip the bottle over and hold it next to my paper towel as I swipe it under the blank from left to right.  It runs out enough that it gets a good coat on without any slinging.


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## John Eberly (Sep 22, 2009)

*CA finishing*

I think the secret to CA finishes is in the sanding.

Lay the glue on in thick coats, or do enough thin coats to get a buildup.

The thinner the coats, the more you need but sanding is usually easier because you're less likely to end up with ridges.

Wet sand with 400 grit automotive paper until the pen feels glass smooth, but don't cut through the CA. You can sometimes skip this step if you got lucky and came up with a perfectly smooth CA application. Doesn't happen too often for me. Micromesh or polishes at this stage do not make sense to me - wet sanded with 400 grit is plenty smooth for between finish coats - this is how fine furniture is finished.

Put on one final thin coat and micromesh or polish to your desired finish.

As for boiled linseed oil (BLO - took me a long time to find a definition for that acronym) - It does a couple of things - darkens/gives a "gold" tone to wood, and allows you to polish the blank to keep things smooth while the CA cures. It DOES NOT help to build thickness very well - most of the CA will end up in your rag or paper towel.

I use BLO for the first and last coats, unless I'm finishing light wood and I don't want the color change - then I skip the first coat BLO.


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## Monty (Sep 22, 2009)

jleiwig said:


> Everyone is going to have a different answer. ...... I swipe it under the blank from left to right.  It runs out enough that it gets a good coat on without any slinging.


You're doing it wrong. You have to go from right to left.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
Seriously, as you can see, there is no "one" right way to do this. Try various methods and modify to siut your particular style.

Oh, and make sure you use the correct type of paper towel to smooth the CA (what ever that might be). :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## Chief Hill (Sep 22, 2009)

And I am on the other side of the fence.  I use quick set.  Never used BLO, I sand the blank to a 400/600 grit then seal with 1 coat of thin ca.  1 quick spray on blank of quick set.  Then to med ca. a few drops on the tip of a partially rolled blue shop paper towel rubbed onto blank gently to prevent ridges/groves and 1 quick spray of quick set. I do that 3 / 4 times and then wet micromesh sand 1200-12000 and voilà too easy.  High polished finish.  I don't even need plasic polish after.  (as I can't see a difference When I try it with or without)
I may try the BLO one day but I can polish out any pen now in less than 5 min.  So it works for me.  But try some of these methods above and you will find yours.  I like quick set as it instantly cures the glue and there is no waiting time.


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## jleiwig (Sep 22, 2009)

Monty said:


> You're doing it wrong. You have to go from right to left.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


 
Doh!  If I do it right to left can I ask $5 more for the pen?


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## steve and pam (Sep 22, 2009)

This works great for me..
I sand the wood blanks to 600 grit ...( no more ).then i put 4 to 5 drops  of thin ca on a paper towel
and just apply lightly to blank while turning on a slow speed . just enoght for you see it shine. If you stay on to long the paper towel will stick . just a little wipe on is suffecient
then i spray a little activator on another piece of paper towel and just wipe that on quick. no need to let dry . the next step is to use the med ca and apply the same way
then a quick wipe with the ca again...i do this three times and comes out very nice
i then go to the 1000 to 1200 paper and finish with a nice platic polish......very hard finish and is more then enough coats....
Hope this helps.....no need for blo  ..but as everyone says   to each his own...


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## TellicoTurning (Sep 26, 2009)

I don't think there's any "right" way to apply CA... probably lots of "wrong" ways, but what works for one may not work for another....

I don't use BLO unless I want to pop a grain in the wood... I think it darkens the blank and I don't always want that to happen.  
I use little 1 x 2 inch strips of the foam film that comes wrapped around electronics..it's pretty thin varying from probably a 3 or 4 mil up to about 8 or 9, depending on where I get it. I put one or two drops of medium CA - that mostly depends on how quickly the CA drips out of the bottle - wipe it on the blank and hit with a shot of accelerator.  Then 3 more coats, another shot of accelerator, then three more coats and accelerator.  I let it sit for about 5 minutes and then wet sand with those little pads from PSI.... if I have ridges in the CA, before I start with the pads, I'll smooth with a strip of 240-320-400 klingspar in water, then switch to the pads... after that I polish with the plastic polish.  After about 8 years of turning pens and reading all the posts on the pen forums, I finally got a finish that works - for me - 
This site has been invaluable in my learning curve...


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