# Thin CA only



## TonyL (Feb 23, 2020)

In the spirit of experimentation,  I finished several wood and mixed material pens with 4 to 6 coats of thin CA (stickfast). So far,  all finished beautifully started at 1000 grit sanding to 2000, then buffing.  Any other thin only folks out there?


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## carlmorrell (Feb 23, 2020)

I put down only thin CA also.  I claim to be one of the first to do CA finishes.  Definitely over 20 year ago I started. I  put down 5-10 coats, because I hate to sand through.  Never use accelerator, just lots of time between coats.  Then I sand around 1200 rpm.  After a few seconds with the lathe on, I turn it off, and hand sand until the surface is uniform. Then I go all the way though the 9 micromesh grits wIth only a minimal time at each grit, again I hate starting over when I sand through. YMMV!


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## Sataro (Feb 23, 2020)

Thin CA only. Usually put down 8 coats. Then sand.


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## Ironwood (Feb 23, 2020)

Yes, I’m another thin guy.
I go by thickness rather than number of coats, but I would average 8 coats per pen to get to my required thickness.
I haven’t sanded through in years.


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## magpens (Feb 23, 2020)

YES ! . I use only thin CA for finishing ... sometimes lots of coats (can be 15 or more).


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## larryc (Feb 23, 2020)

I use only thin - 10 coats with accelerator after each coat.


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## Magicbob (Feb 23, 2020)

Thin only for me most of the time, I might add a few coats of Med-flex if it is a real pretty wood.


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## tomtedesco (Feb 23, 2020)

No one has ever called me a thin guy but it's all I use on blanks.


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## TonyL (Feb 23, 2020)

Thank you all very much for sharing your experiences.


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## bsshog40 (Feb 23, 2020)

Nope, I'm still a thin to med. kind of guy!


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## tt1106 (Feb 23, 2020)

Thin CA only.  I usually put down 10 coats or so.  Accelerator in between.  I sand the blanks through the MM 12000.  finish with plastic polish and buffing with Blue Scott towels.


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## JimB (Feb 23, 2020)

I haven’t made a pen in a long time but when I do it is thin only, 8 to 10 coats, minimal sanding or micro mesh.


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## Warren White (Feb 23, 2020)

This is an interesting thread; I appreciate the opportunity to learn new things.  Right now, for me, it is 3 coats of thin, 3 coats of medium, and 3 coats of thin.  The first coats are to fill in any open grain, and the last three are to even out the medium coats.  I sand at low speed (300 or so) with 400 grit then go to micromesh; low speed for the heavier grits then gradually increasing the speed up to maximum when I determine it is only polishing.


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## KLJ (Feb 23, 2020)

Started with medium but switched to all thin couple year ago. I don't count but probably at least 15 coats most of the time. It seems like I don't have to sand as much as the thin is smoother. Apply 2 to 4 coats then a quick shot of accelerator. Start sanding with 600 with lathe running, then hand sand until all smooth, then wet sand micromesh followed with polish.  Polish and CA applied with blue shop towels.


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## Dehn0045 (Feb 23, 2020)

BSI thin only for me.  I apply using an open cell foam.  I shoot for about 0.003 to 0.005 thickness. Usually about 4 coats with the foam, a couple coats with paper towel, and then pretty aggressive sanding starting at 400, then MM wet through all 9.  Last I use HUT ultrashine followed by Renaissance wax, but I think I am going to try meguirs at some point.


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## Fuzzy63 (Feb 23, 2020)

Same here, I only use thin CA. Put five coats and wait between coats then the next five coats have accelerator between them. Wet sand from 1500 to 12000. Then one coat of renaissance wax. This seems to work for me.


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## triw51 (Feb 23, 2020)

I am a thin CA user I usually do 8 to 10 coats with BLO after every 3 coats of thin CA and rub the BLO in until I feel some friction heat.  I have used this for years and my wire has one of my first pens and the finish still looks great.  I have also used this finish on small boxes and bowls with great results.
Note: Sometimes I use the BLO as the first coat depending on the wood, sometimes BLO really makes the grain of the wood stand out


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## jttheclockman (Feb 23, 2020)

All depends on the blank. For me some blanks do not need the build up so all thin. But mostly thin and then med. Just the way I have been doing it for years. As with other methods, no right or wrong method.


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## TonyL (Feb 24, 2020)

Thanks again folks.


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## Woodchipper (Feb 25, 2020)

If the wood is an open grain wood like oak or pecan, I'll first put on one or two coats of medium CA, then several coats of thin CA.


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## mmayo (Feb 26, 2020)

TonyL said:


> In the spirit of experimentation,  I finished several wood and mixed material pens with 4 to 6 coats of thin CA (stickfast). So far,  all finished beautifully started at 1000 grit sanding to 2000, then buffing.  Any other thin only folks out there?



I agree that thin (5 cps) only will finish a pen well.  Though I have made a few pens lately with medium I really like 40-50 cps pen finish viscosity after four coats of thin without accelerator until the last coat.  Eight - twelve coats of pen finish CA with very light accelerator after each coat just works flawlessly for me.  NEVER any white spots and very rarely do I sand through this yet achieve great gloss.


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## mrcook4570 (Feb 26, 2020)

I am another thin CA guy.  12 coats (I use two half paper towels, each folded in thirds, then thirds again, then in half and I get 6 spots per piecel when folded in that manner), then set the blanks aside for at least a day to allow the CA to harden even more than when it is just dry.  This will lead to an even higher level of gloss after the final buffing.  Sand with 400 grit to remove all gloss (to eliminate low spots), then lengthwise with 400 grit to remove circumferential scratches, then 600 grit both directions, buffed with tripoli then white diamond (both lengthwise).


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## TonyL (Feb 26, 2020)

Thank you all.


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## mick (Mar 20, 2020)

Tony, thin only for me also. Take a few more coats but it seems I can control it better.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## howhale (Mar 23, 2020)

Wanting to start trying CA for my pens but unsure of the best technique to apply the CA. Anyone care to share their technique or refer me to a best practice video? Have been using lots of sanding then friction polish to date with decent results. Those open grain woods still show open grain under differing light reflection which makes them look less desirable. Thanks for any suggestions.


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## jttheclockman (Mar 23, 2020)

howhale said:


> Wanting to start trying CA for my pens but unsure of the best technique to apply the CA. Anyone care to share their technique or refer me to a best practice video? Have been using lots of sanding then friction polish to date with decent results. Those open grain woods still show open grain under differing light reflection which makes them look less desirable. Thanks for any suggestions.


Oh boy you opened a can or worms. Ask 100 pen turners their method of doing a CA finish and you get 150 answers. There are articles in the library here that explain what a few members do. Remember the CA used is important as well as the viscosity, (thin and med) the time allowed to dry and cure, the use of accelerator and having it compatible to the CA being used ( many dispute the spray VS the aerosol), the towels or materials to apply, the amount of coats needed, then there is the sanding and polishing aspect. All I can say there is a ton of videos and which one is best is impossible to say. We all have our favorites but that is because they match the method we developed. You are going to read many ways to do a CA finish in the coming threads and much may have no meaning because you need to see it done first hand. This is where scanning the internet and looking at I believe Exotic Blanks site here has videos. I am sure there are videos in the library here as well. Look around and good luck.


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## TonyL (Mar 25, 2020)

It is really going to come down to what works best for you as you practice and the look, depth, shine, durability that you are looking for.
And, after you think you invented the wheel, you are likely to experiment and find a better wheel. I like JT's summary.

You can also set up a few polls:
How many coats of thin
How many coats of medium, etc.
Accelerator or not
Spray or pump
Applicator type
Brand of paper towel, craft foam, which finger LOL
Time between coats
What do you do while waiting: look for the kit, vacuum the shop floor, remove the paper towel that is stuck to my finger, think of what I am I going to tell my wife when she sees the hardened CA on a good shirt again!,  keep touching the barrel until I leave a finger sprint and curse myself......*just teasing  *

In general and depending on the CA (let's say, not when using gluboost):
2 coats of thin
6 to 10 coats of medium (light coats, I don't want ridges)
pump or spray accelerator
About 1 minute between coats
Any brand paper towel



Good night folks ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz


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## mfarr79 (Apr 12, 2020)

As the long-winded preacher said, "One more thought....."   How long do you generally recommend letting a blank sit after applying CA and accelerator before using the micro-mesh process? I'm wondering if I'm MM too quick....

Thanks for any help.

Matt in MS


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## TonyL (Apr 12, 2020)

I dry sand to 2000. then buff.  Very often within an hour.


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## jttheclockman (Apr 12, 2020)

I always let sit 24 hours at least after last coat of CA has been applied. I found the sheen of the CA is better. Get a shinnier shine.


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## WriteON (Apr 13, 2020)

bsshog40 said:


> Nope, I'm still a thin to med. kind of guy!


That’s where I’m at. I tried to go the distance  with thin but somehow does not take. After 5 coats of thin I apply 1 or 2 coats of medium. After it cures I use EEE and very happy with the finish. Have been using Starbond thin and Bob Smith medium


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## darrin1200 (Apr 13, 2020)

Usually lay down one coat of thin, so it soaks in. Then, depending on the porosity of the wood, a couple of coats of medium. Then I follow with about 5 coats of thin again. 

I use Gluboost Fill n’ Finish Pro and Gluboost Gludry


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## RunnerVince (May 20, 2020)

I saw a demo last year at SWAT where the guy put 12 coats of thin Starbond brand CA on in about 3 minutes. He used accelerator once, about halfway through, because he said he could feel it start to drag on his paper towel. He went straight to the MM after that, and got a very nice almost-glass finish just with that. He said for most things, he left it at that, and only used polish/buffing for competition entries or exhibitions.

My luck has been less than steller with that until recently, and I'm not sure if it's just because my lathe is on my apartment balcony and the weather finally warmed up or something else. (I'm in Utah, so pretty low humidity year round unless it's raining/about to rain, in which case I'm not doing a finish anyway.)

Lately, I've been sanding to maybe 320 or 400 (should I go higher? not sure it makes a difference when you're putting a CA finish over top) and then doing 20 coats with 5-10 seconds between coats and then about a minute after the last coat before moving to wetsanding with MM 1-9 and then Dr. Kirks. I rarely use accelerator because I almost always end up sanding back to bare wood and starting again when I do -- I get an orange peel surface, and by the time I sand the high spots down, I've gone through the finish somewhere. But with all that and only using the MM, I still sometimes think I've gone through the finish and I'm just sanding/polishing the bare wood.

Now I'm getting good but not great (IMO) results. Wondering if I'm just a really harsh critic or if I'm missing something. Should I hit it with accelerator after my last coat? I'm also planning on picking up the Dr. Kirks three step this weekend if Craft Supplies has it in stock, and I'm looking at building a DIY buffing system (the Beall system and similar only come in MT2, and my lathe is MT1), but I'm wondering if that's REALLY necessary.


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## glenspens (May 20, 2020)

I use only thin - 9 coats with accelerator before the first coat then after each coat.


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