First Attempt at CA Finish - Feedback Welcome

[Donkeee]

My first pens - Feedback Welcome

Let me just start by saying, this forum has kept the pen-making spark strong for me. You are all very knowledgeable and helpful to us new turners.

Well this is my 2nd batch of pens. The link to my first post is above. Once again any feebback is welcome!

The main focus of these pens was the finish. I was trying to do the CA finish to the pens. I have three (3) pen pictures attached.

Basic steps I used...
1. sanded from 150-600
2. applied 12-15 coats of CA with accelerated between
3. micro mesh wet sanded from 1,500-12,000
4. plastic high speed friction polish

1.) Curly Maple Blue Dyed Cigar Pen
Let just say, I am kinda embarrassed to even post this pen. I think it looks terrible

This was my first try at a CA finish. I really wish I would have saved this piece for later, but I was excited to turn it.I learned a couple of things during this pen. 1. I had the lathe at too high of a speed for applying the CA. It cause the glue to bead up and make waves. 2. I was rubbing in the CA glue way to much. I realized later on, I was really only making the glue smooth.

Also, on this pen. The CA glue made the color wayyy darker than I wanted. Any way to control the tint of the CA finish?

2. B&W Ebony Slimline
I really like this finished pen. I think its my favorite to date. I don't really think the images do it justice. I used the same steps as above, but I was using about the lowest speed my lathe has. The CA finish is a much more durable feeling finish. I am going to take this one to work with me this week and see how it holds up.

If you notice you can still see a lot of sanding swirls on this pen. I am not sure if its me or the wood. It showed up bad the last time I used B&W Ebony, but I don't really see it as bad on my other pens.

3. Slimline of some wood I don't know
This was my last attempt to do a CA finish for the day. (3rd overall) Its a kit that I got on closeout from woodcraft for $0.50. I bought about 10 of them. I didn't have any bushing or instructions. As you can see it didnt line up correctly.

I think i should be able to make it fit correctly on my next attempt.

Anyone know what kind of wood this pen is?

Don't hold back any punches. I'm here to learn!

 

[C. Scott]

If that is your first attempt at a CA finish then I would say that you are well on your way. It's hard to tell from the photos, but you may want to spend a little more time wet sanding. AFTER you apply the CA, I would use "regular" sandpaper all the way to 2000 grit, which would be an automotive finish sandpaper. I would then pick the MM paper at 6000 and go to 12000. Then apply your plastic polish. The speed I use for finishing is about 800 rpm.

I've seen way worse CA finishes on my lathe, especially my first ones. Stay after it, you're doing well.

 

[USAFVET98]

I think they look great for a first time. My first time I got a paper towel wrapped around it.. LOL Next time you try it, try a burl blank. I think you will be surprised how it comes out. Try a piece of cherry burl..

 

[Mac]

I have done some that have been dyed or have a wood that bleeds ,On those I very carefully turn with a skew towards the end of my turning trying to not have any tool marks and then blow off the dust and gently paint a layer of med CA on while the lathe is turning slow. After a moment or so or three I spray acel. then do again three or four times trying just to lay the CA on the pen blank. Then I put a small drop BLO on a paper towel with 4 to5 drops of CA on the top and turn my lathe up to full speed and apply 4 to5 coats. Being very viggerous with applying .Then I stop the lathe look at the finish if fine at this point I start with my MM dry not wet, always keep the MM moving and remember the lathe is turning very fast and it don't take long to take off all the finish.if the finsh looks pretty good, I don't want to necessarily start with my lowest grit on the MM this will come with practice You don't want to go back on sanding at any stage it will for onething make your pen blank smaller and most important take off what you just applied. If at this point I am happy with the finish I use hut plastic polish friction applied. If not I can go back and apply more CA/BLO to redo. This well al come with practice. Hope this helps . Everybody does thier finishes different ,Have not ever read about this finish but works for me. I don't like sanding, I like turning.
On other woods that don't bleed I sand after turning again not going back on sanding grit always move forward on grit.I might have to start at 400, but sometimes can start with 600 or above. A test to see if your sand marks is gone is to for one thing have a very good light on your lathe and to use some DNA it will evaporate very fast and cleans the blank from all dust.
I find that a straight CA then a CA/BLO over it removes the groves from the straight CA without sanding.

 

[1080Wayne]

Doubt if the CA actually darkened the blue . It added gloss , which gives the appearance of a deeper colour .
Greatest improvement you could make is on your lengthwise sanding . To be most effective , this should be done off the lathe , which is a royal pain . After 600 grit you shouldn`t be able to see any tool marks or sanding scratches , even under a 3 diopter lens . If you can , you haven`t sanded enough . Personally , I apply CA after the 600 grit stage on any wooden pen , but I prefer a low gloss finish on wood .

 

[Bree]

You did well for your first time at bat. The two slimmies are very nice. The finish on them looks very nice as well.

As you know, the Blue Maple finish is flawed. It looks lumpy on the long tube and there are visible scratches on the CA. Sanding along the length of the tubes to help remove the radial scratches is great advice and will help a lot. I suspect that the "lumpiness" is a flaw of the CA finish and not the turning shape. I looked carefully at the turning profile and it looks good.

If you want my personal opinion, watch the Russ Fairfield video carefully and do exactly what he does. That will give you a great learning base from which you can develop your own style. I do mine a little bit differently but I started with Russ's method and it works if you follow it exactly.

CA/BLO is, I think, much more forgiving than plain thin CA. It doesn't get lumpy or form ridges and it requires little if any intermediary sanding (between coats). And you don't need as many coats to get to the same place as you do with thin CA. (At least if you do it my way you don't LOL!)

Indeed, I put on as much CA in three coats as you put on in a dozen. And it's smooth as a baby's butt after coat three. A very light micromeshing and it's ready to buff. Almost all the CA that was applied stays on the pen.

The other thing that will jump start your finishing is buffing wheels. If you want the pens to shine like glass... the buffer is the heaven sent. The Beall Triple buffer is inexpensive and easy to use. It has very high quality wheels and you get great results from it.

Your shaping of the cigar is very good so I think you are doing very well. If you had caught the cigar at the end of the initial learning curve it would have been really nice. It is nice now but it can be substantially improved. I think you know that which is why you asked for a critique.
:wink::wink::wink:

 

[jocat54]

I had never been able to do a CA finish that looked good and could repeat it each time until I watched this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orcgOf4siqc

 

[RussBoyd]

ca finish

I watched that same video and have never had the problems I hear of when doing the CA finish. It works great. However, Bree made a comment on another thread awhile back, saying to NOT use the BLO first, but to do one coat of CA and then go to the blo/ca with each successive coat. The reasoning was that the blo didn't produce a hard coat but the ca did. Successive coats were then lubricated with the blo making them easier to apply. I have to say, that my finish is close to perfect (yeah, right) after trying her method.

 

[Bree]

I watched that same video and have never had the problems I hear of when doing the CA finish. It works great. However, Bree made a comment on another thread awhile back, saying to NOT use the BLO first, but to do one coat of CA and then go to the blo/ca with each successive coat. The reasoning was that the blo didn't produce a hard coat but the ca did. Successive coats were then lubricated with the blo making them easier to apply. I have to say, that my finish is close to perfect (yeah, right) after trying her method.

When Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) touches wood it is a wood finish. It penetrates the wood and is in basically a liquid state within the wood pores. Over time it will polymerize and dry out. But that takes time. When you put clear plastic (CA) over the top of the undried oil, it will cloud up under the plastic coating. So as a wood finish it must be allowed to dry before coating it with plastic (CA).

When BLO is placed on top of uncured CA, it doesn't touch the wood, it touches the CA and chemically interacts with it. It accelerates the curing of the CA. It also helps lubricate the applicator as it slides along the blanks smoothing the CA. This is a totally different use than BLO on wood.

Bottom line for CA/BLO finish... First coat... CA then BLO. Not the reverse.

 

[JohnDixon]

When you put clear plastic (CA) over the top of the undried oil, it will cloud up under the plastic coating. So as a wood finish it must be allowed to dry before coating it with plastic (CA).

Bottom line for CA/BLO finish... First coat... CA then BLO. Not the reverse.

Thanks Bree that clears up some problems I have experienced. How long do you think it takes the BLO to dry if it were put on first? Sometimes I like the color I get when applying BLO first just not the eventual clouding.

John