What Brand CA For Finishing

[William Young]

What brand CA are you CA finishers using. Or does it really matter. I am just curious if the one I am using is not as suitable as others for use as finishing.
The brand that I have in both thin and thick says PSI woodworking products on the label.
W.Y.

 

[woodspinner]

The greatest difference in CA is the price. I buy mine from CPH in Calif. Paul is very good to work with and I have never had any problems with his CA. He advertises in the AAW book and other turning books and papers. 213-382-7788 1-800-4583 www.starbond.com
Ask for a sample of his Black. Not and ad for him I have just used his CA for years.

Good turning and be safe
Bill

 

[William Young]

Thanks Bill;
Where would a person use black CA ?
I clicked on the link and it comes up *page cannot be displayed*. A typo perhaps?
W.Y.

 

[daledut]

There are a number of sources for good quality CA. But not all CA is created equal. Terms like "medium" are relative. Some medium is thicker than others.

I have also noticed that the acceleration factor is different from brand to brand. For example, I had some CA from a local hobby shop that I apply with paper towels. It is well known that paper towels act as a mild accelerant. When I ran out of the hobby store CA I got some through the bulk buy that Daniel put together. The quality is great, but it reacts stronger and quicker with the paper towels. I have to fold the paper towel thicker to keep from burning my fingers (or gluing them together;-).

The key is to experiment if you change brands and adjust to the characteristics of what you are using.

Personally, once you find a brand you like, I would stick with it rather than shopping for the lowest price.

 

[William Young]

What speed is best for applying the CA ? That could be part of my problem. I leave my lathe on 1800 rpm from start to finish for making pens. I didn't notice any speed mentioned in various means of applying it. I am wondering if I should be using a slower speed (or faster) when trying to make it work for me.
I am very happy with my laquer finishing now that I have it to where it works great every time but I like to try all methods because I like to become proficient at all the various ways of doing things and I think the CA method would be a little quicker than laquer.
W.Y.

 

[daledut]

I apply mine with the lathe off. Using a latteral wiping motion while turning the lathe by hand.

Most others I have seen use a speed of about 500rpm or less.

 

[William Young]

Thanks Dale. That is probably where I am going wrong.
I'll give it another try on my lowest lathe speed and see what happens..
W.Y.

 

[woodspinner]

William
I just talked to CPH and they did drop their web site. I saw that I also did not give you a full tele No. 1-800-900-4583. I believe if you call they will send you a price sheet, possibly E-Mail.
Their thin is like water and I prefer their Med. Thin as a thinest grade.
Hope this helps. I buy in the 16 oz and I believe it to be the best price. The black will enhance the look on some wood when filling cracks.

Good turning and be safe
Bill

 

[Scottydont]

Regardless of brand I have better luck applying it with the lathe not running wiping the CA lenthwise as follows.

1) CA
2) Light steel wool
3) CA
4) CA
5) Friction Polish

If I get any rough spots I lightly sand and start over. I always wip it on thin and don't overwipe it becasue it get globby and sticky. I used to use a light spray of accelerator I find only staisfies my impatience but makes the finish rougher. Now I don't.

 

[Rusty]

Have you have heard that CA breaks down over the long term? Archivists have stopped using it!!

 

[William Young]

Scott;
Are you using BLO with your application ? ? How long do you wait before the first coat can be treated with steel wool. Then how long between applying coats after that ?

Rusty. You have heard it breaks down over the long term. Is there any particular time frame to the "long term" ? ?
W.Y.

 

[RussFairfield]

Yes, the commercial grades of CA that we use will get very brittle, turn a dark brown color, and shrink with age. This is something that will take 15-20 years for a bowl that has been repaired with CA glue.

I don't know of anybody who has been using CA glue as a pen finish long enough to have any experience. I would suspect that the CA life would be shorter for a pen, but very few pens will last long enough to know the difference.

 

[Scottydont]

Originally posted by William Young
<br />Scott;
Are you using BLO with your application ? ? How long do you wait before the first coat can be treated with steel wool. Then how long between applying coats after that ?

Rusty. You have heard it breaks down over the long term. Is there any particular time frame to the "long term" ? ?
W.Y.

Hi Bill. I did not use BLO on these two. I am still playing around with it though. If I don't use activator I wait about 5-10 minutes before I hit it with steel wool. Do it too early and it will get cloudy and rough. After that each succesive coat goes on about 5 minutes apart.

 

[William Young]

Thanks Scott;
That is about what I was finding out. Just wanted to verify if my curing time enough for sanding or re-application was about the same as others.
W.Y.