CA Ghost 1 month later

[JohnGreco]

I made a claro walnut pen that imho, came out pretty good. I snapped a few shots for my website and about a month later brought it along to an outdoor craft show.

A couple of weeks after that, I was looking closely at the pen again and I noticed these ghost rings in the CA finish near the base of the cap. They weren't there during the show, but it had been a terribly cold show (cold enough that the ink in my pens was seizing up).

Is it possible the cold temp's made this happen? You can see the original pen had no hints of any trouble. This also happened to an african blackwood pen made around the same time and brought to the same show.

I have included a picture of the pen when it was finished and one of the cap today. Thanks in advance

 

[Dalecamino]

John, after sanding, wipe the wood with Denatured alcohol. Then, apply your CA. Some use Acetone, but I found that it darkens SOME woods. Make sure the wood is dry before applying the CA.

 

[PenMan1]

Rather than DNA (which in some cases is 30 percent water) or Acetone which does tend to darken the wood, I have found that in my shop,Monty's CA accelerator does the best job of removing surface moisture.

In the cases of Bethlehem Olive Wood, Cocobolo, and many other of the other "greasy" or oily woods, I apply 4 liberal costs of the accelerator and let it "dry" overnight.

This has helped me quite a bit. But some woods are just so oily that CA finish is difficult. If your CA finish look good upon completion, but ghosted a month later, I suspect your blank was not dry enough at the time of turning.

An inexpensive moisture meter might be worth the investment.

Respectfully submitted.

 

[JohnGreco]

Thank you both for the help. I'll be sure to try some accelerator and add dry-time before CA'ing. These were waxed blanks, so it's very possible they were just a bit too high on the moisture side. Now for the fun of disassembly...

 

[randyrls]

John; If you rub your finger over the spot where the finish is flawed, can you feel any roughness? It looks like someone may have twisted the clip around and scratched the finish.

 

[JohnGreco]

No roughness. It's actually fine right where it meets the wood, it's immediately above and below that are problem areas.

 

[reiddog1]

John,
Had the same problem with a cherry burl pen I did awhile back. After that I started wiping all my blanks with accelerater and haven't had a problem since. I also keep my oily hands off after I wipe them down. In this case cleanliness is the key. Hope this helps.

Dave