# My Version Of BLO/CA Pen Finish (utube)



## W.Y.

I have been asked many times how I apply my BLO/CA finish on my pens. It is sometimes difficult to understand printed information about it so I tried making my first ever utube video for a little show and tell that will hopefully be easier to understand . .
It is a 5.42 minute video which can be viewed at this address.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orcgOf4siqc


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## george

Thanks for sharing with the rest, I have just look it over and will try today your way. I have nice Sierra blank which I wanted to work only with CA, but will now try your way.


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## Magna Designs

I haven't tried mixing the CA and the BLO together like that.  I'll have to give it a shot!

 - Noel


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## altaciii

Great video William.  I apply the ca/blo finish on most of my pens but I'll have to try your technique.  It will probably save me some $ on ca.


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## timberview4

Nice video William. Thanks for sharing. I've recently started experimenting with the CA/BLO finish. Started with Russ Fairfield's technique in the library and have tried a few variations. Will have to give this a shot on the next one.


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## joeatact

Thanks for sharing the video William


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## Rangertrek

*Nice Video*

Thanks for doing the video.  I have tried many of the CA methods found here on the forum.  I will also give yours a try.  I do use the paste wax on the blank (and the bushings), never had one to stick.
Thanks again.


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## george

I have just tried this mthod and it gave very nice finish. So far I have worked only with CA, so I am not sure about durability of CA+BLO ? Is that of the same quality as CA finish ? Thanks in advance for answer.


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## W.Y.

> I have just tried this mthod and it gave very nice finish. So far I have worked only with CA, so I am not sure about durability of CA+BLO ? Is that of the same quality as CA finish ? Thanks in advance for answer.
> __________________
> George


 
It is practically the same as a straight CA finish as far as durability goes. Probably even better because instead of putting straight CA on with ridges and then sanding a lot of it off to bring it back to smooth again , the tiny drop of BLO allows the CA to be applied smooth without ridges so sanding after applying is not at all required. I have also heard it said that BLO helps to cure the CA so multiple coats can be applied right after one another.
I think I get a better build of CA this way than by having to sand a bunch of it off to bring it back to smooth with the straight CA method.

I have total respect for ones that prefer the straight CA method but for me it was way too time consuming and was using more CA than I felt necessary when having to sand it back.

I would like to see a video of someone applying straight CA .

I have tried to explain the BLO/CA finish on my own site dozens of times but found it hard to put it into words properly . The video has cleard all that up.

This was my first ever video on anything and it was fun doing it. Whenever I do another one on anything I will try to have everything in  place before  starting  and  be better prepared to make  the video and sound   flow a little more smoothly than this one.


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## george

Thank you, William, for explicite answer. You have a good point on CA sanding process. I will surely try your method very soon again.


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## livertrans

William O Young said:


> It is practically the same as a straight CA finish as far as durability goes. Probably even better because instead of putting straight it back to smooth with the straight CA method.
> 
> I have total respect for ones that prefer the straight CA method but for me it was way too time consuming and was using more CA than I felt necessary when having to sand it back.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would like to see a video of someone applying straight CA .
> 
> I would also like to see a video of straight CA. I have tried more than a few times only to end up with a gunky mess. CA BLO works for me very well. I mostly use Russ Fairchilds method with  a few changes. I also have the best luck with thin CA vs med CA.


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## W.Y.

> I would like to see a video of someone applying straight CA .
> 
> I would also like to see a video of straight CA. I have tried more than a few times only to end up with a gunky mess. CA BLO works for me very well. I mostly use Russ Fairchilds method with a few changes. I also have the best luck with thin CA vs med CA.
> __________________


 
I have experimented with my particular method for a couple years until I got it to where I have it now. What works best for one doesn't necessarily work for others. 

You mentioned you prefer thin CA better. It is possible there is a difference in the formulation of CA in certain brands because if I use thin CA  it saoks  into the paper towel like a sponge and heats and even smokes.  It also burns my fingers on the opposite side of the applicator that it soaked through . Neither the medium or the thick does that for me. 
I also like the extra build of each layer that the medium  provides . 

I think the reason we don't see videos on the CA  only  method is because it takes so long and utube has a 10 minute limit on their videos.
The one that I made in approx 5 3/4 minutes  was in real time  non stop as it happened .

I suppose the longer version of straight CA could be done by stopping and starting the camera   between operations and sanding time and curing time etc. I hope somebody tries that   because any time I tried CA only it was too time consuming and too wastefull of  CA and sandpaper. . It is possible I was doing it wrong and therefore  never mastered it . A video would be wonderful to see where I went wrong after so many tries. 
I could actually do it but gave up for the above reasons.


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## Tn-Steve

Very good, and if "1 picture is worth a 1000 words" then a moving picture is worth 1000^1000 words.  Very nicely done, and you're right, it's not the easiest thing to make a video.  I've helped produce a few training videos in my day, and when it's you by yourself, 1 fixed camera, and 1 take to get it right it's tough.  You did a good job of it.

Steve


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## W.Y.

Hey Steve.
I really like your signature line .
I hope you  don't mind that I "borrowed" it to put below my avatar picture in my own site.


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## jkeithrussell

Tn-Steve said:


> Very good, and if "1 picture is worth a 1000 words" then a moving picture is worth 1000^1000 words. Very nicely done, and you're right, it's not the easiest thing to make a video. I've helped produce a few training videos in my day, and when it's you by yourself, 1 fixed camera, and 1 take to get it right it's tough. You did a good job of it.
> 
> Steve


 
Not to mention that he was handling CA glue at the same time.  If I had tried that, the camera would be glued to my hand immediately. I rarely take the lid of a bottle of CA that I don't end up with it all over my hands. 

Good video and interesting technique.  You use fewer steps and waste less material than me.  When I'm done, my floor is covered in paper towels.  I probably use about 1/4 of a roll per pen.


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## W.Y.

> Good video and interesting technique. You use fewer steps and waste less material than me. When I'm done, my floor is covered in paper towels. I probably use about 1/4 of a roll per pen.


 
That's hillarious :biggrin:

What you see me using there was half a sheet of Bounty blue paper shop towel rolled up and flattened a little to form the applicator . CA was done from one end and the plastic polish from the other. . Then cut those pieces off and start over again with what's left in the middle. Should be enough for about three pens from the same  half sheet but sometimes when doing more pens I will roll up a whole sheet to be able to work to the center more times on the longer length.


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## jttheclockman

Well I am one of those guys who only uses CA and I learned in about 3 tries. It is not hard and I think alot has to do with people trying to be too fussy and not get it on the bushings and not getting ridges and all and this is factors to be concerned with yes. But it really is not hard. There is a utube video of a guy with a heavy accent and I thionk he was from Australia or something and he is hard to understand but if you watch him he applys 20 coats of thin CA on in less than 3 min. He applies and then hits with accelorator and rips the towel and applies the next coat and continues this and he is done in no time. I looked for the link and I thought i had it bookmarked but can't find it. I think it was even shown here if my memory serves me well. 

I do not do videos but the way I apply my thin Ca and I use about 4 or 5 coats, is I do not use the bushings. I use a dead center I made from tool rod and use my Bealle chuck and a live center on the other side. I do not even use gloves but you can if you feel the need. I use the blue shop towels. I cut them in about 1/2" strips. I fold the end over 3 times. I get about 3 applications out of a strip. I apply about 2 or 3 drops of CA on the edge of the towel that is folded. I place the towel under the blank and as I apply pressure with the towel I will drop about 2 or 3 drops of CA on top of the blank. I then wipe back and forth at first slowly then rapidly which now the CA starts to heat and remove the towel before it starts to stick. Keep the lathe running and it dries faster this way. All of about 1 to 2 minutes. No runs or ridges at all. Continue on to the next coat and it all depends on the depth or mood I am in.But always at least 3 coats. I think it gets obsessive when go beyond 5 coats. Micromesh and polish and the shine to me is as good as I can get using CA. I have tried med CA but keep coming back to the thin stuff. Dries quicker. 

I do not know if this helps any at all but it is the way I do it and will continue if I am going to use CA. Do not see a need to change if it works and it works for me. Good luck.


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## Hillbilly

William, 
Good video I would liked to have seen the finish with the lathe off. I do the same method except I use alot more ca 6-8 drops and about the same amount of blo or more. I havent been stingy with it thats for sure. I turn the lathe off and inspect the smoothness before I go on to the next coat. 

But I WILL try this it would definately reduce my cost of supplies especially if I can get the same results.


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## tool-man

I would like to add my complements regarding the quality of your finishing technique and video.  My technique is similar to yours, but I see some small differences which I am anxious to incorporate into my method.  My goal is to achieve a CA finish that needs no or very little sanding.  Just a final polish as shown on your video.

What is the temperature of your shop area?  I am convinced, as has been stated by others, that CA behaves differently at lower temperatures.  And different brands of CA may well work differently at lower temperatures.


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## Tn-Steve

William O Young said:


> Hey Steve.
> I really like your signature line .
> I hope you  don't mind that I "borrowed" it to put below my avatar picture in my own site.


Help yourself.  It's more than likely that I "borrowed" it from somebody on some other forum, and only think it was my idea.  (Funny how the mind plays tricks on you)

You've put some good info out in this thread, I'll have to study it more when I get a chance.

Steve


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## W.Y.

Tool man.
I keep my shop around 45 degrees when I am not in it and put it up to about 60 to 65 this time of year when I am in there..



Hillbilly;
You wanted to see the blank with the lathe stopped. 
I have not been in my shop all day so have not turned it into a pen yet with the hardware but when you mentioned that you wanted to see it with the lathe stopped I went out and took a picture of the blank.
To be perfectly honest , I took the picture exactly as I took it off the lathe after the three coats as shown in the video. I took it off the lathe to where I had better lighting for a photo. I would normally have gone to 4 to 6 coats but didn't want to keep repeating it in the video 
I applied no wax for the photo and to be totally honest the picture is untouched and directly off my camera without putting it through any photo editing software whatsoever. .


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## BruceA

*Your live center*

William, 
Thanks for your efforts on the CA/BLO method!

Is the live center (in the tailstock) in your video your normal unit, or do you have a 60 degree unit you use for turning?  The unit in the video is for wood, and doesn't have a point that is 60 degrees to mate 100% with the end of your adjustable mandrel.

Bruce in TN.


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## W.Y.

Yes Bruce , I am well aware of that and I do have  a cheap 60 degree live center that got real noisy soon after I got it. I still use it for pens  but didn't want to put that noise on a video.
The standard one I used is  noisy enough  because it has a tremendous amount of hours on it.
I will be replacing both of them in the not too distant future but as long as they are both still workibng I might as well get a little more use out of them.


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## PenAffair

livertrans said:


> I would like to see a video of someone applying straight CA



You can see DJ's video on the Australian Woodwork forums here. I think you need to be a forum member to see it though.

Russell.


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## PenAffair

Oops, hit post too soon.

My problem with DJ's method is, I don't want to use accelerator, and waiting between coats for it to dry naturally takes too long. This method looks good. I'll give it a try.

Russell.


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## Hillbilly

Good job!  I admit....I was..... courious to see that finish because it looked like you used so little of each ca and blo. Thanks, for the video.  I guess more is not always better.


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## Jim15

Thanks William.


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## PenAffair

Well, all I can say is

*I LOVE YOU WILLIAM O YOUNG!!!!*

Was that a bit much??

Anyway, after months of struggling to get an easy CA finishing without using accelerator, I give this a try after watching it yesterday. I did a very rushed job, and had a couple of issues, but all I can say is, if it's this easy and just as durable, then plain CA goes out the window for me. Was as easy as a friction finish - and seems to have given a great result. No more sanding off more than I put on, no bits of towel stuck to the blank, much less consumable wastage, and no waiting for drying time!

My only issue, as indicated in the attached image of the first one I tried on some white peach, was I developed a flat (i.e. non-glossy) spot half way through in the middle of the blank. It was slightly sticky too, although that went away in subsequent coats, but the spot is still there. Would this be because I didn't get one coating set properly before putting another on?

Maybe using accelerator with normal CA is just as good, but I don't like the stuff, and it's not cheap, compared to BLO. Are there any drawbacks anyone knows of using this method? It sure seems a winner to me.

Russell.


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## bitshird

William, Thank you for a great video tutorial, I gave up trying to do a BLO/CA finish,  just wound up using plain CA.
I tried your method this afternoon and what a difference Used less CA, got more definition of the grain it was  just a handle for one of my tools out of some Hickory but what a difference Now I think I'm going to try it on a pen tonight.


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## W.Y.

Thanks for all the comments.

Besides the video I have just today updated my tutorial with a little history on the same process in my own site and have included a second page that can be printed out and posted behind a persons lathe if they so desire.
It can be found at this address.

http://wmyoung.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=turning&action=display&thread=7517


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## altaciii

I tried your finish last night, it is a lot easier than the way I was doing it. Way to much ca using thick for to many pens. Thanks, William for opening my eyes.


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## StatProf

*Just finished 2*

William,

I just finished 2 with your method. Best finish I have done yet. One problem, though . . . I used to cut and sand past the bushings and then build up with CA. Can't do that anymore!

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=43636

Blessings and thanks,
StatProf


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## Kaspar

Thanks very much for showing us that.  

I've had trouble making the CA/BLO work, and have since gone to a CA method using the accelerator and Berea's triple distilled thin CA.  I like my method, but it takes about 20 mins.  And it does involve sanding with the Micro Mesh pads.  I too have learned that fast hand passes keeps the CA coat smooth, so I don't have to do much to bring it flat.  About 30 seconds with the 1500 MM pad will do it.  Then I run the grits and use Novus II, Ultragloss and Ren Wax.  

But your method is the quickest I've ever seen, and if the shine is as deep as it looks, it blows mine away.  The high lathe speed (1800 rpm) would seem to be part of the secret.  Heating the CA/BLO might be part as well.  I would also guess that since you are using the medium CA you are getting thicker coats with each pass.  I would love to see good pictures from two or three angles to see just how glass-like and "deep" the finish is.  

In any event, I will have to try your CA / BLO  method.


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## W.Y.

> I would also guess that since you are using the medium CA you are getting thicker coats with each pass


Yes, that can be compared to using thin  wipe on poly or  full strength undiluted poly . Less coats with the thicker product to achieve same depth of finish. 



> I would love to see good pictures from two or three angles to see just how glass-like and "deep" the finish is.


 
I am heading to the airport 120 km away first thing in the morning to pick up one of my sons who will be visiting with us for a week . Therefore my picture posting and computer time might be somewhat limited. 
In the meantime you might want to try the finish yourself and you will know first hand if you like it or not and would probably be better than seeing more pictures with my limited photography efforts . .
It certainly isn't the only way to apply a CA finish by a long way and won't be the last. It just happenes to be the one that works best for me and I just shared it in case some others would also like it in preference to what they are now using or even as a change from what they are used to.


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## PaulDoug

WOW! glad some Statprof referred to this thread in another thread, because I had missed it.  I have great success with just CA, but I will try this for sure.  Not only will it cut down on the amount of CA used but I always wet sanded my CA with MM.  If I can work this method out, good-bye lots of messy sanding!

Thanks for the great video, William.


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## Rudy Vey

William
have you tried other towels than the blue shop towels?? I am just curious.
I never used the blue towels, and for my application (Ca - The New Way), I just use the paper towels I get at Sams, Costco or BJ's.


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## PenAffair

Rudy Vey said:


> William
> have you tried other towels than the blue shop towels?? I am just curious.
> I never used the blue towels, and for my application (Ca - The New Way), I just use the paper towels I get at Sams, Costco or BJ's.



Well I just used the cheapest paper towels our supermarkets over here have. I've never seen those blue shop towels in Australia.

Russell.


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## jttheclockman

I use the blue shop towels you get in Walmarts and just use thin CA. 

Just a side note for those using this method. If you are using white woods such as holly and  aspen and want to keep them white then stay away from the blo. It will yellow it. 

Has anyone ever compared a blo/ca finish next to a all ca finish, following the same steps when all coats have been applied.???? I may have to do that some day and see if the shine is dulled any with the blo added.


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## W.Y.

> Has anyone ever compared a blo/ca finish next to a all ca finish, following the same steps when all coats have been applied.???? I may have to do that some day and see if the shine is dulled any with the blo added.
> __________________
> John T.


 
A few turners on my Woodworking Friends site have and said the shine and appearance was identical but they liked the ease of the BLO/CA process much better.
One even posted a couple pens with identical wood  in the same  message  showing the finish of each process as a comparison. If he had not stated  which was which , it would be impossible to tell.




> William
> have you tried other towels than the blue shop towels?? I am just curious.
> I never used the blue towels, and for my application (Ca - The New Way), I just use the paper towels I get at Sams, Costco or BJ's.


 
I have been using the blue shop towels ever since they were introduced so I have not tried the white ones for this application. Give it a try with the white ones. I have a feeling they will work just as good.


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## Kaspar

William O Young said:


> ... In the meantime you might want to try the finish yourself and you will know first hand if you like it or not and would probably be better than seeing more pictures with my limited photography efforts ...



Tried it.  It is very effective, very fast and it's as deep a shine as I can get my way.  However, a close inspection does show just a bit of "orange peel" pocking that a little sanding with 2400 MM on up cleans up nicely and quickly.  I used both Novus II and Ultragloss at the  plastic polish stage.  I may try my own method with the higher speed.  

The slower speed may be what leaves me with a little sanding to do.

Thanks again for showing us this!


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## W.Y.

Kaspar.
What speed were you using ? 
Someone actually emailed me and asked what speed I use. I explained  that right near the start ov the video after I apply wax to the ends I say that I am firing up the lathe at 1800 rpm . 
Just wondering if you missed that also.
I never have to sand after applying that finish. 
Hope that helps.


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## Rudy Vey

I just did this finish today on a spalted Afzelia blank (and used the cheap white towel from BJ's) - works like a charm!! It is actually quicker than my "Ca-The New Way" application of thin CA. What I like that there is no final sanding needed. Just sanded to 3200 MM and then I applied 6 coats and it took maybe 4-5 minutes. Will do a few more pens tomorrow.


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## W.Y.

Sounds great Rudy.
 That is nice wood. Would love to see a photo of it.


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## rcflyer23

I just tried this and it works amazingly.  This is the first time that I have produced a great finish.  I can't wait to try it on a couple more pens.


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## Kaspar

William O Young said:


> Kaspar.
> What speed were you using ?
> Someone actually emailed me and asked what speed I use. I explained  that right near the start ov the video after I apply wax to the ends I say that I am firing up the lathe at 1800 rpm .
> Just wondering if you missed that also.
> I never have to sand after applying that finish.
> Hope that helps.




I saw the speed you use, as stated in the video.  I used it when I attempted your finish.  I like it.  1800 rpm is about three times the speed I used for my CA finish.  As I said, I suspect my slower speed was the cause of the roughness which I then had to sand out.  Using the 1800 rpm may be the solution to that.  And think I can probably make it work using my CA / Accelerator method and completely eliminate sanding as well, once I've done it a few more times.


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## jdmyers4

Excellent video William.  Thanks for sharing this.  I haven't tried CA on my pens yet (Enduro so far).  But I've been really wanting to do the BLO/CA technique.  I'm going to try it.  Looks like a winner.


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## W.Y.

> And think I can probably make it work using my CA / Accelerator method and completely eliminate sanding as well, once I've done it a few more times.


 

After practicing CA/Acelerator , please let us know how that works for you.
I use accelerator for lots of CA applications but pen finishing is not one of them. Any time I used acelerator even as a very light mist of the aerosol type I had to sand after it. Pump bottles were out of the quetion. You might find that Applying straight CA at that speed will deposit some of the paper towel onto your blank . At least it did for me in previous experiments. 

BLO costs a fraction of the price of accelerator and doesn't have the bad smell of accelerator and requires no sanding at all after using it.

If using accelerator along with CA works good for you then I am happy for you. Many of us have ways of doing things that work better for us than it does for others. 
Sure would be a dull world if there was only one way. :wink:


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## Kaspar

I will.  It is possible that the BLO is a sort of kinder, gentler fast curative and that is why you don't have to sand afterward.  If I find out that's what works, I'll drop the other method like a hot rock.


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## Tn-Steve

Kaspar said:


> I will. It is possible that the BLO is a sort of kinder, gentler fast curative and that is why you don't have to sand afterward. If I find out that's what works, I'll drop the other method like a hot rock.


 Yes, BLO acts as a mild accelerent for the CA, it also acts as a lubricant to help you smooth it out.  

I tried this technique for the first time, making a pen for my own use, (Sedona / Lacewood).  It worked like a charm, even if I did try to mess it up.  Sanded thru 600 grit (usually I go all the way thru the MM dry, I think that that brings up a bit more action in the wood, and it doesn't take but a few minutes)

Put on about 6 coats, doing it by the book.  The things I noticed is that the "Pinching" step seems to be the key, once it's on and good and smooth, that cooks it off and I suspect that you're getting a 'burnishing' action.  That would explain the very smooth surface that results.  It also seem to do a better job of filling the grain, again I'm falling back on the burnishing option.

I did a wet sand on the it thru the last 4 grits MM, didn't much like that. (of course I also used a fair amount of pressure, since my previous CA technique required a fair amount of sanding)

A couple more coats to undo the damage I did, a quick spin with some MMAP and it was looking good.  A quick hit on the buffer with tripoli and White Diamond, really gleaming, good crisp sharp reflections of the light bulb.  A quick spin with some Hutts Ultra Plastic Polish, and I had one of the best ones I've done yet, and it was super simple, and if I hadn't tried to vamp in the middle of the process, super quick.

I think that I may have just found a new favorite technique, thanks you William for sharing it.  

Steve


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## W.Y.

Thanks Steve. I am glad it is working for you.

When I made that video , I had no idea that it would be accepted as well as it was. I had no idea that my method was much different than what some others were already doing. I had tried different ways of applying CA as a finish and actually gave up on it several times . But I kept coming back to see if I could make it work to my satisfaction. . It was a couple of years of experimenting and editing my tutorial in my own site that led up to the way I do it now.
The original tutorial in my site had been edited so many times that I deleted it a couple days ago and posted a new up to date one that even has a second page print out area to post in the shop if so desiired and it also includes the link to the video for easy reference. .  That might be easier than searching through the utube site to find it. 
I apologize for the very unprofessional look of the video seeing as it was the first one I ever made but if it has helped some out with their pen finishing then I am happy about that and it makes it all worthwhile. .

Thank you all for your kind words.


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## Rudy Vey

William O Young said:


> Sounds great Rudy.
> That is nice wood. Would love to see a photo of it.



If it is not to cold today, I will take some pictures. I have set up the photo booth in my enclosed porch, and we expecting another (!!) winterstorm coming through - sick of this cold weather now.


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## Kaspar

The first piece I tried this on was a closed end piece that was shaped, not bushing to bushing.  That may account for some of the little problems I had.  I'm thinking a slightly thinner CA with additional coats will solve any problem this method might have with shaped pieces.

I've done some B2B pieces now, and I'm sold.  This is the best way - in every way- I've seen to do it.  It quickly puts a thick CA shell with a deep, mirror shine around the piece.  I can hear how solid it is when I tap the finished piece on something hard.

Thanks again for sharing the WOY Finish with us.


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## ironhorse

Any chance you could post the tutorial here?  You have to log on at the link you posted


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## mostangrypirate

Thanks for the video. worked great and really made the grain POP!


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## JBeck

Thanks for the great video and the link to the tutorial.  I was wandering what sanding sealer you usually use to seal woods with large pores prior to the BLO/CA finish?

I plan on giving this finishing method a try sometime tomorrow.

John


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## jkeithrussell

I finally got a chance to try this last night.  Didn't go very well for me.  It might have been too cold in my garage -- seems that has been the case for about 3 months straight. 

Anyway, when you apply the CA and work it from side to side, the pad eventually becomes hard and brittle.  From the video, it looks like you are folding the applicator up to wrap around the blank just before it gets too brittle.  When I tried to wrap the applicator around the blank, the blank just grabs it leaving paper towel stuck all over the blank.  But if I leave the applicator on the blank too long, it hardens and scratches the blank.  

I'll try again when/if it warms up.


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## jhudson1977

I haven't seen the video yet but will look at it tonight.  I've just recently begun to get into CA/BLO finishes and have not had much success.  The best I've done so far is to have the BLO on a rag standing by, apply the CA glue, then switch over to BLO instantly.  This is in an attempt to compensate for my lack of a variable speed lathe.  My next variation to what I have seen is to apply the BLO first then the CA glue.  I tried one last night that involved that but then apply the CA while the lathe was running with the bottle dropping in the junction between the rag and pen.  That didn't go over so well........I'm still taking CA glue off my arms and face this morning.

From what I can gather from the posts here (I'm at work which is why I can't view the video), you are mixing the BLO and CA glue.......I've thought about this just haven't tried it yet.  Makes sense though.  I'll post my results.


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## Øistein

Nice video William, thank you for sharing with us,


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## rimo

Thanks for the video William. I have been using a similar process with mixed results. I was not pinching the paper towel to help accelerate the curing of the CA. I tried your version last night and the results were fantastic.


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## W.Y.

> Thanks for the great video and the link to the tutorial. I was wandering what sanding sealer you usually use to seal woods with large pores prior to the BLO/CA finish?
> 
> I plan on giving this finishing method a try sometime tomorrow.
> 
> John


 
I don't use sanding sealer on pens. The first coat of BLO/CA seals the wood .
If I have large pores I wet sand to make a slurry at the start of the sanding with the coarsest grit. . That fills the pores and gives a smooth surface for the rest of the finer grits of sandpaper 





> I finally got a chance to try this last night. Didn't go very well for me. It might have been too cold in my garage -- seems that has been the case for about 3 months straight.
> 
> Anyway, when you apply the CA and work it from side to side, the pad eventually becomes hard and brittle. From the video, it looks like you are folding the applicator up to wrap around the blank just before it gets too brittle. When I tried to wrap the applicator around the blank, the blank just grabs it leaving paper towel stuck all over the blank. But if I leave the applicator on the blank too long, it hardens and scratches the blank.
> 
> I'll try again when/if it warms up.


 
Yes I agree it is probably too cold in your shop. Any kind of finishing should be done at normal room temperature. I have no idea how CA behaves in the cold. You might try another grade of paper towel but I still think the temperature is your problem. Thin CA could also grab a paper towel and that is why I use medium.

Something else to consider is the age of your CA. I had a real bad experience with getting some with an outdated shelf life from what was supposed  to be a reputable dealer. I  couldn't figure out what the heck was going on with it not applying properly  . Someone told me to use fresh CA and sure enough that was the problem.


----------



## jhudson1977

Hey William,

I wanted to just say thank you.

I have only recently started the BLO/CA technique and was getting some very depressing results.  I just couldn't get the hang of it.  Your technique however, worked wonders.  I am far from perfecting it and I still need to do a little sanding to knock down some ridges but I think that it is because I'm not moving my hands fast enough.  I'm running my lathe at 2000 RPM so that shouldn't be a problem.

I love this technique though.  I am beginning to finish 300 pens with a BLO/CA finish and was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to do this.  You saved me!

Thanks again.


----------



## Wood Tamer

William, 

1. Do you think I could use Danish Oil in place of BLO without issue and get similar results?  
(I have a pint of it already that I used to pop the grain in bowls, plus it contains some BLO I believe)


2. I've only used wax and polish for finishing pens and they tend to dull over time. Does the CA/BLO method stay glossy over a long period of time? 

3. Can the pens be laser engraved with the CA finish?

thanks, DG


----------



## W.Y.

> 1. Do you think I could use Danish Oil in place of BLO without issue and get similar results?
> (I have a pint of it already that I used to pop the grain in bowls, plus it contains some BLO I believe)
> 
> 
> 2. I've only used wax and polish for finishing pens and they tend to dull over time. Does the CA/BLO method stay glossy over a long period of time?
> 
> 3. Can the pens be laser engraved with the CA finish?
> 
> thanks, DG


 
(1) I don't know because I have never tried it. Watco oil is a mixture of BLO and mineral spirits and  polyurethane and some driers as far as I know.
I don't know how that combination would work with the CA but  if you try it, let us know how you make out.

(2) Wax and the various shellac based  polishes are temporary  . That is why they are called a polish rather than a finish  and they  will go dull like that with use . . I have never seen one of my BLO/CA finishes go dull in the last few years other than than what can be waxed and hand buffed to original finish.

(3) I have only made about 300 pens so far  and I have never been asked to have one laser engraved. I would imagine if it can be done with  any other finish it could be done on this one.
Here again, if you get one engraved   on a trial basis before doing a bunch   please let us know how it worked out.


----------



## intillzah

I'm going to try this out on Saturday.....  It looks really promising, a lot easier than the way I've been doing it..


----------



## W.Y.

*A Follow up for DG*

You had asked 



> 3. Can the pens be laser engraved with the CA finish?
> 
> thanks, DG


 
A member on my Woodworking Friends site tried the BLO/CA finish for the first time and posted a messge a couple hours ago. He has an order for 8 Wenge  RT Euro Premium pens with engraving.
Not only does he love the finish  but he posted a picture of the first two done with engraving as well as a  logo on both pens  so apparently there is no problem with engraving on that finish.


----------



## Kaspar

William O Young said:


> ... (3) I have only made about 300 pens so far  and I have never been asked to have one laser engraved. I would imagine if it can be done with  any other finish it could be done on this one.
> Here again, if you get one engraved   on a trial basis before doing a bunch   please let us know how it worked out.



I've had a few pens with CA finishes done by Ken at Kallenshaan Woods.  In my experience, it engraves just fine and color fills just fine too.  Also, I have sealed a color fill on a CA finish with CA after getting it back.  That works, too.  It protects the color fill and brings it out a bit.


----------



## Wood Tamer

William, thanks so much or the replies and your tutorials.  I plan to try a pen with Watco Danish Oil/CA soon, I'll post how it goes.  Looks like from the responses so far, your method is the way to go for ease of application and durability, plus no issues with engraving.  DG


----------



## jyreene

Can't wait to give this a shot.  Would love to see a part two with the last 3 coats you do to see the difference.  The lighting was pretty good for seeing the finish but I think seeing it off the lathe next to a non BLO/CA finish would show people how good this really is.


----------



## GouletPens

Quite the opposite of WOY, I've sold nearly 500 pens and maybe 20 of them HAVEN'T been engraved. The engraver doesn't care what kind of finish you have on your pens. The only thing is, if the CA finish is REALLLLLLY thick, you might have to increase the strength of the laser just a bit, or hit it twice. But it engraves beautifully with a CA finish.

I saw WOY's video a few days ago, and tried it for myself. I've been using a thin CA technique that has worked well for me, but does require sanding. I wanted to eliminate the sanding as I turn for a living and time is money. But it just didn't work quite right. After many coats, it seemed like the finish was just too thin. I'm not giving up on this process though. I have plenty of BLO and I have plenty of CA, so I'll give it another whirl. I think my med. CA might be a little old (the thin stuff I use more often and have replaced recently). I'm going to revisit the WOY video and give it another whirl.


----------



## jhudson1977

William O Young said:


> A member on my Woodworking Friends site tried the BLO/CA finish for the first time and posted a messge a couple hours ago. He has an order for 8 Wenge  RT Euro Premium pens with engraving.
> Not only does he love the finish  but he posted a picture of the first two done with engraving as well as a  logo on both pens  so apparently there is no problem with engraving on that finish.



WOY, can you post a link to that picture?


----------



## W.Y.

jhudson.

I have been having some serious computer problems in the past few days. It is going in for servicing again tomorrow but I was limping through some sites tonight and saw your message here. .

I won't post one of my members photos in another site without his approval and he is away on a short holiday .
The picture of  two out of the 8 he has engraved is a very dark picture but it does show it engraved and a logo.

It is in the thread he started on the turning board in my Woodworking Friends site called

*New order for 8 Wenge, RT Euro Premiums*.



Registration is required in my site to keep out spammers and some "undesireables" .

If you would rather not add a new site to the ones you already frequent I will get permission to post his picture here when he gets back from his holiday. 



W.Y.


----------



## W.Y.

Here is the pen made from the same blank that I showed in the video. I got into some other turnings of bowls and such so decided to put hardware on it as is. 
I had taken it off the lathe after the original three applications of finish to show it in a better light . 
I never did put it back on the lathe to apply more coats . Here it is with the same three coats of finish.
Although I usually apply 4 to six coats I feel quite certain that these three coats will stand up good and retain the original finish for a long . . . long . time.


----------



## jyreene

Thanks, that is exactly what I was asking for.  Makes me even more antsy to try this out.


----------



## Wood Tamer

William, I tried the Watco Danish Oil & CA (thick) and it seemed to work well. I built up 3 coats on a scrap wood/practice curly maple pen blank and it looks decent.  I only sanded to 600 and the first coat of oil raised the grain a bit.  I didn't even re-sand it, just started layering the oil/ca/oil-ca etc. following your technique and the finish smoothed out after the 3rd coat and gloss was good, not glass like, but acceptable.  So, I would say you could substitute Danish Oil for BLO without too many issues.  I'll have to get some BLO and compare the two.   Thanks again for you youtube posting and responses.  DG - Wood Tamer


----------



## W.Y.

Thanks for the follow up DG.
Don't be afraid to sand farther than 600 if you think it requires it. With some woods 600 might not be enough wheras with others it is enough.
I have never heard of BLO raising grain like you experienced with Watco Danish Oil . 
In the tutorial I had started  with a blank sanded  to 600 but I had also put a sanding sealer on before sanding to  600 .  I didn't want to bore anyone with the stages of sanding because the video was meant to show how I apply the finish rather than the steps of turning and sanding up to that point.  I know some still sand up to 12000 MM  before applying that finish and that is quite all right if a person is so inclined . I just don't find it necessary if grain filler  is used on open grain wood and sanding sealer is  sometimes  required especially  on some of the softer woods  . You mentioned using thick CA. That is fine if it works best for you but I use medium after much experimenting . 
It's nice to experiment with different things. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for others. Even variables in brand names of CA can make a difference so probably best to stick with one brand name of CA after getting a system down to your likeing. 

I am off to the computer shop first thing in the morning to dump everything out of this old one into a new up to date one. 

Might be a day or so before I am back on line but they claim they will have it ready to go later in the afternoon tomorrow.
If not , I will play catch up when I can. :wink:


----------



## W.Y.

I am on the new computer now and in the process of loading programs etc into it.
OH MY GOSH . . ., I can't believe how fast this one is compared to the old one. It is smaller in size and about half the weight of the old one but it sure is fast. Hope I can keep up with it . LOL. 

I had to disconnect the wireless router for my wifes little laptop PC about nine months ago because it slowed my old computer down too much. Out of curiosity I hooked the router back up on this new one and it is full speed ahead on both computers so she is also a happy camper ..


----------



## Cap13

Thank you very much for vidio,will give it a try. Cap13


----------



## RichB

William  I found your method of putting on BLO/CA on your forum and used it on a PR stabilized blank from Woodcraft.  I have been using DJ's process on everything so I wanted to try yours.  It went on great with a deep shine after 3 coats but I went to 6 coats.  It looked great until I put on Ren. Wax then it lost it's deep shine and left a satin finish.  I don"t know what happened can you help because I have another blank I want to do it on.  I loved your Video and it was very simple to understand  Thanks Rich What a pile of information!  This is great guys and gals


----------



## DCG

William - Super post...really well done.   Thanks !   Justin


----------



## marcruby

I spent some time recently trying this finish metho to see if it offered me any improvement over my old standard of no BLO, three or four coats of medium thick, and letting each coat set completely before sanding it a bit and putting on the next one. Then off to 12K.

The first think I noticed is that this new method generates a lot more fumes and tends to singe my finger.  Those things can be overcome, however.  What I really don't like is the thinness of the resultant coat.  I wonder if many folks who have remarked on the finish going dull may be suffering from coats being absorbed back into the wood.  Buffing what is now 'sealed' wood will create a gloss, but I have my doubts about durability.

I've remarked before that there are few finishes uglier than a worn CA finish.  That's the main reason I use thick coats and am meticulous about making sure the glue has set ( I will wait 4 to 24 hours between coats.

So I guess that my overall assessment is that this finishing method is a lot faster than mine, but I'm going to have to see how well it wears over time before I make any further use of it.

Marc


----------



## Giospro

I like the way Williams does the BLO/CA, i've been doing this since the video can out and have not had any problems with it.


----------



## GouletPens

I do mostly burls and I have to say my experience is more like Marc's....a little less than impressive. It seems that the final coat is much thinner, and with the burls I do regularly like amboyna, the voids just don't fill and there's not a nice glossy coat like when I use straight CA. I'm glad so many people are finding this method to work well for them. But for me, I've basically practiced up a method of doing straight CA that is faster and leaves a much thicker and glossier finish, which is what I need for the burls. I don't think I've tried this on a regular wood pen though. Maybe it works better I dunno.


----------



## ngeb528

I just started using the CA/BLO finish and started with William's method.  

I've succeeded on two in a row but I changed the ending process because we don't have the plastic polish.  Instead,  I take the last 4 grits of mm (4000, 6000, 8000 & 12000) and it really gets a good shine going.

Thanks, William, for sharing your expertise.  It made the whole process a lot let intimidating.


----------



## Boomer

I have a small question about the waxing of the ends.  Is rubbing some of the wax on the ends enough to keep from sticking to the bushings or should you put some on the bushings?  I am just asking because I have never tried using BLO/CA.  Thanks for showing.


----------



## leehljp

Boomer said:


> I have a small question about the waxing of the ends.  Is rubbing some of the wax on the ends enough to keep from sticking to the bushings or should you put some on the bushings?  I am just asking because I have never tried using BLO/CA.  Thanks for showing.



You will get different answers from different people. For this reason, it is good to experiment. It it doesn't work after three or four tries, don't do it. If it works continually, then do it.

Wax will migrate to the wood on top and cause some adhesion problems for some people in some circumstances (or most circumstances). Once you get a few perfect finishes and one or two ruin suddenly because the CA "lifts", you will  swear at the method! If you never have that happen, then you will post a note to the next person that asks the same question that it must be their methodology. :wink: 

I used to wax the bushings and wipe off the excess with paper towel. It worked OK but not great. 
. . . One Factor here: There are two different approaches in using CA as a finish. 
1. Williams and Russ's tend to use many thin coats - which does form a consistent but relatively thin overall coating in spite of the many coats. The bushings "break" or snap off fairly cleanly. These fellows don't usually have "lift" problems and wax doesn't seem to bother it that much.
2. Others put several medium or thick layers of CA without using paper towel (or with PT used with a light touch). This leaves a thicker final layer of CA. This method (for me) tends to cause the CA lifting more, especially when snapping the bushings off. I have noticed those with CA "lifting" to be in this camp. 

This "lifting" is magnified with "oily woods" and or with "bushing wax" on thicker finishes. I keep mentioning "lift" because it is related in some circumstances to waxing bushings. The other side of the coin is sticking bushings! :wink:


----------



## W.Y.

> I have a small question about the waxing of the ends. Is rubbing some of the wax on the ends enough to keep from sticking to the bushings or should you put some on the bushings? I am just asking because I have never tried using BLO/CA. Thanks for showing.
> __________________


 
Sorry for the late response. I have been busy at non woodworking things lately.
Yes, a little wax on the ends is enough to stop the CA from sticking to the bushings . . A little of that will transfer to the bushings when the nut is pulled up tight on the end of the mandrel.

Hank Lee brought up some good points but I have never once had finish lift   with the BLO/CA method but I did when using straight CA.
The concern about a trace of wax being left on the top side of the blank even if wiping it off first is a mute point from my particular experience. After all the first  application before the CA is BLO which will mix perfectly with any trace of wax on the blank. If in doubt , just wipe a little acetone on the ends where there  might be a trace of wax to remove it but up to this point I have never , ever had any  sign of the finish lifting at any time. Actually , any hard oily woods should be wiped with acetone before applying any kind of finish. 

Back to a question on another page here, there was a concern that applying  Ren Wax on top of  a high shine  BLO/CA finish    dulled it somewhat. Never heard tell of that but all I can suggest is buffing it on a Beal buffer or something similar. 
I did not have much luck myself with Ren wax and don't use it anymore. Not because of shine but because of it drying out into a hard  cake even though the lid was securely fastened between uses. The best wax I have found for a final finish on pens  is TSW which I now use exclusively as a final polish to prevent fingerprinting  .

For anyone that does not have good luck with the BLO/CA finish all I can say is that perhaps a little more practice is required  or they are happy enough with whatever else works best for them. I do not advocate that the BLO/CA finish is the "best" finish for everyone. It just happens to be the best finish that I have have used and I have total respect for anyone that uses their own finish of choice.  The video tutorial was just made to offer an alternative  finish that will  and has  pleased  some but certainly not all .
Happy pen turning and above all have fun.  :wink:


----------



## david975

William- thanks for the video.  Your method has worked better for me than others, BUT, I still run into  (every 4th pen or so) the towel drying right away into the CA on the blank and the blank becomes "fuzzy" with fibers in dry CA.  I use the medium CA, same towels, slower speed and move back and forth quickly- frustration ensues-


----------



## Seer

I usewd to hate doing a CA finish never came out but since I started doing this one I can actually say I am happy with the results.


----------



## W.Y.

> William- thanks for the video. Your method has worked better for me than others, BUT, I still run into (every 4th pen or so) the towel drying right away into the CA on the blank and the blank becomes "fuzzy" with fibers in dry CA. I use the medium CA, same towels, slower speed and move back and forth quickly- frustration ensues-


I'll bet it is grabbing the towel just at the point where it goes dull before it gets shiny. As soon as you see it going dull like that move back and forth very quickly while applying some finger  pressure on the towel . A few seconds later it will turn shiny and wont grab anymore. 
You mentioned slower speed . If you meant moving back and forth on the blank you need to do that at a faster speed . If you meant slower speed on your lathe you might want to try higher. As mentioned  in the video I do the whole process at 1800 rpm..
It does take a little practice but once you get the hang of it I bet it will be you favorite pen finish. 
Keep at it and good luck. You will no doubt get it down pat after a few more tries. 

I really had no idea that this method  would have created so much interest and so many positive remarks. I thought  lots of turners had been doing it similar to the way I do but I had only read about it. As a picture is worth a thousand words  I decided to make my first ever video  and shared it  in case it would be of help to some  . I expected to just get a few views and be forgotten but I am still getting thanks on emails and various sites about it.


----------



## wb7whi

I had always used Russ's method and the pens came out fine. I knew they were protected, had a good feel and looked like wood. 
There were times though when I would have like a streaky finish (slim highlight) but I could never quite get it but now I can. 
So, to me your described method just added another tool to work with. Boy, is that African Blackwood gonna be suprised next time.


----------



## evanslmtd

Has anyone ever compared a blo/ca finish next to a all ca finish, following the same steps when all coats have been applied.???? I may have to do that some day and see if the shine is dulled any with the blo added.
__________________
John T. 

*John T.*
I just compared a 3 coat blo/ca finish I did this afternoon to a 10 coat ca finish I did yesterday afternoon. IMO, the 3 coat blo/ca finish looks better. It seems to have more depth and shine to it. Plus, there wasn't any wet sanding mess involved. 
I'm going to try a 6 coat blo/ca finish in the next few days to see if that'll look even better. I'll post the results after I get it finished


----------



## markgum

excellant video.  thanks for sharing.


----------



## jttheclockman

evanslmtd said:


> Has anyone ever compared a blo/ca finish next to a all ca finish, following the same steps when all coats have been applied.???? I may have to do that some day and see if the shine is dulled any with the blo added.
> __________________
> John T.
> 
> *John T.*
> I just compared a 3 coat blo/ca finish I did this afternoon to a 10 coat ca finish I did yesterday afternoon. IMO, the 3 coat blo/ca finish looks better. It seems to have more depth and shine to it. Plus, there wasn't any wet sanding mess involved.
> I'm going to try a 6 coat blo/ca finish in the next few days to see if that'll look even better. I'll post the results after I get it finished


 

Hi Barry

Good to see you are giving the different finishing techniques a try. Someday I may find time to do this also. I won't do a pen but just make up a couple dowels of a nice grained wood and run through the testing. Just curious, on your test and I never used 10 coats of anything but when you did the CA/BLO, did you apply the blo to the blank first or did you seal it with CA???  The reason I ask is blo will highlight grain more so than straight CA because blo is an oil. It has a natural color. If you are going to do a true test you need to treat both blanks equal. If you do not seal the blo/ca blank before using Bill's method then you need to put blo on the all ca blank and let it dry before you apply the 10 coats of ca.Not sure if I wrote that clear enough but hopefully you understood what I was getting at.

Now this is just a question I was wondering about so whatever method you feel comfortable with is the method you should stick too. In the end the final look is what matters. I am going to even try poly and some enduro. I bought Behlen's finish at the last woodworking show so I am going to give that a try also. I just have so many irons in the fire right now I do not have much shop time. But please report back to us. It will be an interesting read.


----------



## evanslmtd

*John T.*
The test Pen I did with the ca/blo was a Sierra that I used a cut off piece of scrap  laminated blank to build. That piece of blank was pretty rough (which was why it was in the scrap bag). I didn't start using the blo till the second coat. 
The Sierra that i used for a comparison was done in a BOW and had 10 coats of thin ca applied, then water sanded through 1200 MM.
The photos aren't the best, but I think you'll be able to see the difference in the finishes (although it's not as apparent as seeing the two Pens up close and personal).
IMO, even if both the finishes looked the same, the ca/blo was faster to apply without all the sanding mess.

*Sierra BOW w/10 coat ca finish*







*Sierra Laminate w/ca/blo finish*


----------



## jttheclockman

Barry

Great job and thanks for showing it. All I can say is everyone has their choice of finish and if this works for you and you are satisfied then by all means continue to use it and turn out those great looking pens.That is what this hobby is all about. I tell you the more I turn acrylic the more and more I like it over wood. The color choices are endless. Are we having fun yet???


----------



## evanslmtd

*John T.*
Thanks for the kind words about the Pens.
I too use a lot of acrylics and agree with you about them having endless color/pattern choices. However, my first choice is wood. I prefer the way they look and feel.


----------



## W.Y.

Barry.


> I too use a lot of acrylics and agree with you about them having endless color/pattern choices. However, my first choice is wood. I prefer the way they look and feel.


Nice looking pens there . I too like those Sierras and I am finding I like the click top Sierras's even better .

Nice experiment. Glad the BLO/CA works well for you. It sure does save a lot of time and who likes long drawn out finishes ? 
When I made the video I had no idea it would have been so well accepted. I am still getting emails from utube and other sites from ones that have tried it. I expected maybe a 50/50 response because some are so set in their ways that they will be the first to critisize something they have never done before and won't try something new until they see enough proof that it actually does work.

As far as acrylic goes, I too prefer wood but acrylic does sell about 50% against its wood counterpart . Now if only acrylic was free like most of the woods are . . . . . .
Who likes finishing of *anything* ? . I love the way acrilyc just has to be turned and sanded and poished and it's done. 









This Bullet Cartridge pen has the BLO/CA finish on the antler part.


----------



## evanslmtd

*William*
Thanks for the kind words about the Pens.
I agree that some people are very hesitant to try new things. That's too bad because they're destined to keep doing the same thing over and over with no chance of improvement.
I just started turning some "True stone" blanks and really like the way they look. I got them and some other Acrylic blanks from _Exotic Blanks_ here on the Board.
I haven't tried the click top Sierra's yet, but will do so shortly.


----------



## mokol

William, thanks for the video. i tried your method and it worked great . mokol


----------



## W.Y.

Thanks mokol.
I am getting 99% favorable responses and that's good enough for the girls I go with. :biggrin: 
One of the major pen parts distributors of high quality Berea kits even put the tutorial about it directly from my Woodworking Friends website into his own website along with the video because he likes it better than the finishing product he has been using for years. . He contacted me after trying it and was so pleased with the results that he asked my permission to include it in his site. Of course I said sure . . no problem :wink:

http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/faq_ca_blo_finishing.php.

After seeing it being accepted as well as it was I wish I had done the video a little more professional looking. It was my first ever video and it was the first run through without any extra takes or editing . Just sat the camera on a tripod beside me and did one run through and dumped it into my computer and then into utube . If and when I make another video I will be more careful to get it more to my liking before loading it into utube.

Here are a couple I did just yesterday with click top Sierra's in both copper and chrome on figured walnut.


----------



## mokol

William, i'll take your video- as is- over several professional videos i have seen.
i have avoided CA finishes for years because the mess, bumps, and sanding. the first pen i tried with your method came out great ,mokol


----------



## Dai Sensei

Certainly looks like a quick and easy ay of doing the CA finish William, thanks for sharing.

I have been using CA finishes for quite some time, being reluctant to mix oil and glue, as I was always worried it would delaminate in time. I guess time will tell, but there are certainly advantages of trying your technique.

As for the issue of sticking to bushes and wax etc, I use bushes I make from cutting boards for my finishing, eliminates the problem all together. It also avoids problems associated with various waxes/finishes reacting with metals.

Cheers


----------



## jyreene

Neil, any chance you'd be willing to sell a few of those cutting board bushings?  Or at least an Idiot's Guide to making them?


----------



## W.Y.

Neil .
No problem with that drop of BLO with the CA . It's action is to cure the CA along with friction heat.

Great idea on the cutting board material. I don't have any problem whatsoever with CA sticking to bushings when applying a little wax on the ends but when I got my first order of these PSI Bullet Cartrige pen kits I forgot to order bushings for them.






So not to be beat and also to not wait for a separate order with more S/H , I made a set of bushings from corian . Bushings are very easy to make because all the pen kit assembly sheets give exact diameters of them both inside and out . All that is required is dial calipers . 
They worked so well that when I ordered a bunch more of those kits I didn't even order the bushings then because the corian ones worked just fine.
With that said, I think the cutting board material woud be easier to turn than corian and I am curious what the cutting board material actually is. . ? ? 
My wife might find a strip missing from her cutting board one day :biggrin:


----------



## rwyoung

Most of the "slickery" plastic cutting boards are going to be made of ultra-high density polyethelene (HDP or UHDP). You can get cheap cutting boards from discount stores, $1 stores, and in some cases you can get used one from resturants or butchers as they are using them up and must dispose of them. I'd suggest a quick bleach soak just to make sure kill the beasties stuck down in the cracks of a used board.

You can also buy HDP/UHDP various places like Peachtree Woodworking or McMaster-Carr.

Another term used to describe the same stuff is ultra-high molecular density polyethelene or UHMDP.

Another good material would be Delrin (that is the trademark name, I can't remember the generic chemical name right now) which is chemically related to Teflon but machines a bit easier.  Again, you can buy small blocks from places like McMaster-Carr.


----------



## turnero

*great*

thank you


----------



## Dai Sensei

jyreene said:


> Neil, any chance you'd be willing to sell a few of those cutting board bushings? Or at least an Idiot's Guide to making them?


 
I'm in Australia, so not worth your while buying them from me, but they are easy to make. 

Get a thick cutting board, drill holes to suit your mandrel (I use differently coloured boards for each different mandrel).  Mount the the little squares on your your mandrel with bushes as spacers, then turn them to suit. Use very light cuts, especially at the start, as they tend to slip a bit. I use sleeves for my Slimlimes/Streamlines, cones for the other larger kits.

Hope this helps, sorry for the high-jack William :biggrin:


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