# CA Finish Number of Coats Soundoff



## Dan Masshardt (Oct 5, 2013)

I know that we all have different variations for finishing and have discussed (debated) this many times. 

I'm hoping for a quick survey: 

For those who use ca to finish pens...

Simply, how many coats of what thickness?

I.e

'2 coats thin, 5 coats medium.'

No arguments, I'd just like to hear how many ca coats others are using.   Thanks.


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## Jim Burr (Oct 5, 2013)

5 thin, up to 10 medium.


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## kovalcik (Oct 5, 2013)

Depends on the wood, temperature, and weather, but  8-15 coats of medium CA.


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## Justturnin (Oct 5, 2013)

I don't count, I turn my blank 0.07-0.10mm below the finished size, build back to +0.10mm.  I then sand it back to finished size and when I am done I have a 0.07-0.10mm thick coat.  No use counting when you don't know how much you are removing.  Just my take on it.


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## Tom D (Oct 5, 2013)

Justturnin said:


> I don't count, I turn my blank 0.07-0.10mm below the finished size, build back to +0.10mm.  I then sand it back to finished size and when I am done I have a 0.07-0.10mm thick coat.  No use counting when you don't know how much you are removing.  Just my take on it.



+1 for me


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## skiprat (Oct 5, 2013)

I never count them. I just keep adding light coats and light sanding until all the shiney little dimples are filled.
I guess it's like 3 steps forward and two steps back until the job is done.


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## GaryT45 (Oct 5, 2013)

1 Thin, 6-8 Medium, 1 Thin


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## jsolie (Oct 5, 2013)

I haven't had much luck with medium--perhaps the one I have is too old.  I've had great results with thin CA.  I don't really count, but it can be quite a few applications--like maybe 20 or so.


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## Dan26 (Oct 5, 2013)

Medium CA - anywhere from 10 to 25 coats.


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## Exabian (Oct 5, 2013)

Some times 8-10 but have gone up to 20. But they all start with 2 coats of thin and the rest in med or pen finish CA.


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## NittanyLion (Oct 5, 2013)

Tom D said:


> Justturnin said:
> 
> 
> > I don't count, I turn my blank 0.07-0.10mm below the finished size, build back to +0.10mm.  I then sand it back to finished size and when I am done I have a 0.07-0.10mm thick coat.  No use counting when you don't know how much you are removing.  Just my take on it.
> ...



I'll third it...


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## robutacion (Oct 5, 2013)

GaryT45 said:


> 1 Thin, 6-8 Medium, 1 Thin



Yeap, that's what I do normally, I was surprised to see you mentioning the last coat being the thin CA, that is what I have demonstrated frequently to visitors, and encourage people to do.

In fact, you can almost remove all the "ridges" by finishing with multiple coats of the thin CA, it works like a "leveler" and gravity, the thin CA will stay in the "valleys" filling the ridges up, it does work, honestly...!:wink::biggrin:

PS:  Thin CA @ 5 cups viscosity and medium CA @ 300 cups viscosity, this information is very important, some people are not aware of how the CA viscosity and measured and what exact viscosity the CA they use, really has.  Manufacturer labels can say Thin CA, thin CA goes from 5 cup to 150 cups viscosity so, this is the very reason why is important for you to know the viscosity of the CA you use...!

Cheers
George


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## OOPS (Oct 5, 2013)

My two friends who do a fair amount of CA finishes tell me that they use medium and do 3 coats. Neither one really likes the excessively "plastic" look you can get when putting on so many coats.  They sometimes use a process with CA and orange oil, resulting in a finish that looks like untreated wood.

As for me, I use zero. I dip my pens in polyurethane. Two coats normally, but if the grain is really open, I sometimes do an extra coat.


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## MillerTurnings (Oct 5, 2013)

I have no luck with medium, it tends to leave ridges for me. Only thin- 12-20 coats.


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## Teeball (Oct 5, 2013)

2 coats thin, 6 coats medium,always works for me.


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## longbeard (Oct 5, 2013)

7 to 10 coats of med ca with a mist of accelerator after each pass.
The ridges i dont worry about, the next pass of ca will fill the low spots.


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## SteveG (Oct 5, 2013)

It all depends on a number of variables, and one thing I consider a constant: sanding. Sanding can negate many layers of CA applied, and can and does vary along the length of the blank. So I start with two coats thin if it is wood, then do exactly quite a few coats of medium, sanding lightly along the way. When it seems, looks and feels like it is, it is done.
Steve


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## Carl Fisher (Oct 5, 2013)

The short answer is, as many as it takes.

Each material will absorb differently and some will take more coats than others.  I've had some look beautiful after 3 coats of thin and others that took a dozen coats of medium.  Just apply until you are satisfied.


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## MesquiteMan (Oct 6, 2013)

I always do 2 thin and 3 medium.


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## Ambidex (Oct 6, 2013)

Carl Fisher said:


> The short answer is, as many as it takes.
> 
> Each material will absorb differently and some will take more coats than others. I've had some look beautiful after 3 coats of thin and others that took a dozen coats of medium. Just apply until you are satisfied.


 
+1...I've done as few as 2 coats on an olive pen and as many as 25 on a bog oak.


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## rherrell (Oct 6, 2013)

Usually two medium does the trick, I apply it straight from the bottle onto the spinning blank and put it on pretty thick. After I put the glue bottle down I smooth it with a dry paper towel.


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## ugrad (Oct 6, 2013)

Minimum of 20 coats, 20-24 coats of thin CA.

regards
Peter


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## firewhatfire (Oct 6, 2013)

2 thin 8 medium


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## miket in stl (Oct 8, 2013)

2 coats Thin & 6 to 8 coats Medium.  I use the foam pads, so I feel more glue is being applied and little being absorbed in to the foam, like paper towels do.

Mike


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## LL Woodworks (Oct 8, 2013)

I start with 8 coat of Thin CA and see what it looks like.


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## ALexG (Oct 8, 2013)

8-10 of medium, then wet sand with micromesh and at the end plastic polish


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## Chasper (Oct 8, 2013)

8-12 thin, unless it takes more
I never sand, but I do buff immediately after applying the last coat of CA, no polish.


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## Waluy (Oct 8, 2013)

The one and only time I have done CA I used 4 coats of medium.


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## walshjp17 (Oct 8, 2013)

One coat of thin, 9 coats of medium, MM to 12K, 2 coats of PlastX.


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## mhbeauford (Oct 8, 2013)

20 coats thin, build is about .010 in. in dia or about .005 thick. I turn TBC and go undersize to allow for the thickness. polishing will remove a couple of thou.


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## edstreet (Oct 9, 2013)

I use thin and thick, both odorless.

Never bothered to count the number of coats because I have never wanted to be associated with the epeen crowd, also because my method is vastly different than 'norm'.


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## George417 (Oct 9, 2013)

15 coats medium CA/BLO


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## Mike8850 (Oct 9, 2013)

Since I started using craft foam I went from 10 to 3 or 4 coats of medium.
Mike


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## tomas (Oct 9, 2013)

16 medium

Tomas


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## sdoerr (Oct 9, 2013)

10 coats medium, sand 220, 340 & 400, 10 more coats of medium, sand 220, 340, & 400, MM to 12K and them plastic polish


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## Dave Turner (Oct 9, 2013)

One thin, then 8 to 12 medium with a quick shot of aerosol activator between each coat. 

Sand with 400 grit Norton 3X sandpaper to smooth. If any small pits remain, do another 3 or 4 coats of medium. Certain blanks, such as corn cob or coffee bean may need spot build-up with CA dropped into any remaining depressions with the lathe off. The resultant glue high spots can be turned off with a skew before sanding. Once you get a smooth surface at 400 grit, finish to a high gloss using your preferred technique.


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## tim self (Oct 9, 2013)

Thin, then 8-10 medium minimum. I'm +1 on going below size and build up.


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## triw51 (Oct 9, 2013)

About 10 to 15 coats of thin CA with a light rubbing of BLO after every 2-3 layers of CA (depending on the wood sometimes I do a very liight rubbing of BLO on the wood first) Then wet sand to 400 then MM.


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## Glenn McCullough (Oct 9, 2013)

I do 2 thin, 2 medium, 2 thin. That is if all goes well,which is more often than not.


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## Freethinker (Oct 9, 2013)

Like Jeff Miller,  I have tried medium but it tends to create some large ridges.....recently I just use thin, from 15-25 coats.


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## Deadhead (Oct 9, 2013)

For the short time I did CA; it was 5 thin, 5 medium.


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## Lenny (Oct 9, 2013)

3 coats of thin followed by "enough" coats of medium to get the thickness build up that when sanded will result in a good fit to the components. Whether it's 6 coats or 16, the fit is more important to me than thickness of the finish.


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## kenlholley (Oct 10, 2013)

*CA Finishing coats*

12 - 15 coats of thin, sometimes more.  I've had problems with medium so I keep adding thin til I'm happy with it.


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## Rangertrek (Oct 24, 2013)

This thread has been quite interesting to read on the various application methods.  For me, I use 4 thin applied with good finger pressure.  Sand most of that back and then 8 coats of medium.


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## Ambidex (Oct 24, 2013)

well..I see we all agree:biggrin: Good thread Dan..when it started I thought perhaps we'd come to an average...but was wrong...again:wink:


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## 76winger (Oct 24, 2013)

2-4 coats thin, depending on the porosity of the wood - I want a complete covering of thin to start with. Then 3-5 coats of medium depending on the situation.


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## NewLondon88 (Oct 24, 2013)

until it looks and 'feels' right.
I have no idea how many coats. Usually thin or medium.

I don't usually turn below size, so I'm not really adding
thickness, or not much. It's more smoothing out the
finish and adding a little protection.


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