Building up the finish

[stonepecker]

I have been reading in the library and other places, about building up a finish with 12-20 coats of CA. Youtube has several demos on the subject.

The one thing I see is that some people just keep adding CA over CA.....others put a coat of CA on and then sand (?) it smooth before the next coat. Some use 'kicker' and some don't.

Can anyone explain the advantages (or disadvantages) of any of this?

Thanks

 

[OOPS]

Russ Fairfield used to say that if you were doing more than four coats of CA on a pen, then you were basically encapsulating your wood in plastic! If I remember correctly, he said that he never put more than two coats on, as he wanted it to look like wood, not plastic. I think some of this is personal preference, depending on how you want the final product to look. Do you want impressive wood grain? Looking for the ultimate shine? More coats will increase the shine, but make it harder to see the fine structure in the grain.

Do some experiments with blanks. Turn them round such as dowels, not pens. Put differing numbers of coats of CA on them and look for the differences. You can save them for further reference, if needed. I did such experimentation with dipping poly, and it was well worth the time invested. Based upon my experiments, I would never do 8, 12, or 20 coats of anything on a pen.

I hope this helps.

 

[low_48]

There started to be concerns over the use of what you call "kicker" and cracking of the CA. 12-20 coats doesn't make sense to me, but then again I don't sell $200 pens. Lots of methods and posts about using CA. Easy to find using search.

 

[nativewooder]

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules to follow. Much of using CA glue is personal preference.

 

[Edgar]

As I see the pros & cons of the specific techniques that you asked about:

Sanding after each coat (or every few coats) of CA helps to keep the overall finish smoother so there is "potentially" less sanding to do after all coats have been applied. (I use the term potentially, because reality varies depending on your particular technique & probably even the smoothness of the wood when you start out.)

Use of accelerator helps to set the coat of CA faster so you can apply the next coat sooner. The disadvantage is that if you put too much on, it can make that coat cloudy.

The advantage of many many coats of CA is that it can really build up a high gloss & even make a wood pen look like a pr casting. Whether that's desirable or not is a matter of personal taste.

As Bill (OOPS) noted, any more than 4 coats or so means that you are essentially coating the wood in plastic. Wood tends to expand & contract, but the CA coat is quite rigid. This can cause cracking over time, particularly if the wood was not highly stable or dry. The more coats of CA, the harder and more rigid this plastic coating will be. Good techniques can minimize the chances of such cracking, but it is something to watch out for.

I'll admit that I never developed a highly consistent technique for applying a good CA finish and I don't do it at all anymore, but these are the general pros & cons as I see them. I usually use a friction polish finish or sometimes Craft Coat if I want something a little shinier (also depending on the wood itself). I can get a finish with Craft Coat as good as any that I ever got with CA and it will flex with the wood and (for me anyway) it is much simpler to apply.

Edgar

 

[Dalecamino]

You need to make a trip to Indy! :wink: Anything wrong with my finish?
I got it....you're exploring possibilities.

 

[Dave Turner]

When counting coats of CA, you need to know how thickly each coat was applied. I use a piece of folded paper towel resulting relatively thin coats. Others may use plastic baggies or foam pads, which give much thicker coats. I only use the thick coats if I'm trying to build thickness quickly, such as with a corn cob or other blank with inherently rough surfaces.

I use accelerator with every coat, eliminating any wait time for the next coat. I stick with Hot Stuff NCF accelerator and glues. I tried using a few other brands of accelerator and ran into all sorts of problems with clouding. I shoot for 12 thin coats of CA. This gives me the nice shine I'm after and is thick enough to prevent "sand-through" when sanding. I don't sand until I'm done applying the CA. If I have a lot of prominent ridges on the CA, I'll shave off the high spots with a sharp skew used as a scraper before sanding. On a very few blanks, I many have to fill-in a tiny void or two with a drop of CA applied to the stationary blank. The resultant focal bump can also be easily shaved off with the skew.

 

[stonepecker]

I would LOVE to take a trip to the MECA of the pen world. However, I am not sure where it is. One person says INDY......somebody said I have to have Faith.....of course there special places all over the country.......some say Racine......others, a place that they call TEXAS. There are just to many to pick just one.

HOWEVER, There is no place like the IAP.
Thank you everyone. Keep the information comming.

 

[Dalecamino]

I would LOVE to take a trip to the MECA of the pen world. However, I am not sure where it is. One person says INDY......somebody said I have to have Faith.....of course there special places all over the country.......some say Racine......others, a place that they call TEXAS. There are just to many to pick just one.

HOWEVER, There is no place like the IAP.
Thank you everyone. Keep the information comming.

LOL....I know about Faith :biggrin: Now, a word of warning. If you go there, be prepared to pay close attention...cuz....that guy is like Propane :biggrin: When he gets started on something.....well, you get my point :wink::biggrin: