CA "spot" problem

[HawksFeather]

I am no way close to the ability of MANY of you when it comes to CA finishing. I had three pens that I worked on today and two are pretty good for me and the third one is almost pretty good. There is a spot in the Rosewood Burl that just will not take the CA. I have gone over it many times and the CA will just not "stay" in that spot. I have tried wiping with DNA and then applying CA, acetone and then CA, sanding and then CA, lacquer thinner and then CA, CA accelerator and then CA and each and every time it will run off of this spot like it is going on over wax. The spot is between 1/16 to 1/8 inch wide and about 3/16 inches long. I can cover it with the clip and it won't show, but it is driving me nuts.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jerry

 

[jthompson1995]

try lacquer

 

[wdcav1952]

Jason is right. You can also use shellac for an initial sealing coat and then try your CA.

 

[leehljp]

I usually reply that it is probably sand through but will not say it with absolute certainty. I learned on CA and most of my early CA pens were on Ebonies, Rosewoods and Cocobolos (oily woods). I had a few spots like that off and on for a year or so. But they were all sand through and often caused by several coats that just happened to be too thin. I never found a piece that I couldn't make CA stick to. As an experiment I put a drop of CA on a few spots like that and they stayed. I had to turn them down before sanding. (Often sand through corresponds to something out of round for one reason or another, and it being a high spot, the CA is always sanded there first, and then sanded off - resulting in a "flat" no shine spot.

Don't apply lots of thin coats and try to sneak up on a finish until you are experienced with it. Be bold and encapsulate it. (Russ's term. :biggrin: ) If the finish is too thick, sand it back. But at least you will know if it really is not sticking or something else is happening.

Medium and Thick CA can be applied in thin coats if wiped on with enough force or holding the paper towel reasonably tight. Paper towel does not soak all of the CA but it does soak up most of it.

 

[jkeithrussell]

Are you using BLO, or straight CA? If you are using BLO, skip it on the Rosewood. Straight CA, medium or thin, should stick. I would take all of the existing CA off with either a skew or 600G sandpaper, wipe down thoroughly with acetone or DNA, let it dry for 10 or 15 minutes, and apply medium CA. Just hit the blank with a few drops of medium, spritz with accelerator (I prefer aerosol version for this), wait a minute or two, wipe quickly back and forth with clean spot on paper towel, repeat however many times you want.

 

[RussFairfield]

There is always the fact that not all finishes are the best for all wood, and some wood is best with no finish at all.

Dull finishes are caused by oil in the wood, and there is some wood with so much oil that no finish will keep its gloss. In that case, the best solution is to cut the gloss back to a uniform matte finish with steel wool. There is nothing wrong with a flat-no gloss finish. Some people will prefer that, but the surface is smooth and free of defects and sanding scratches.

Oily woods are always a problem with CA and oil finishes. Oily wood is not as much a problem with a Lacquer if the surface oil is removed with lacquer thinner. Oily woods can be a finished with a friction polish (shellac) if we are willing to work with it for awhile and refinish it every week until the gloss isn't lost to the oil. Oily woods are no problem at all with an epoxy finish, but nobody wants to use an epoxy on their pens.

Since CA and oil don't mix, a CA finish on an oily wood is difficult at best. Wood with burl and knots can have spots where there is a concentration of the oils in the wood, and there is just more oil than the CA can cover while keeping its gloss. The problem is that these areas are some of the best grain and most beautiful color.

My advice is to use another finish. lacquer would be a good choice after wiping down the wood with lacquer thinner. Buffing the gloss back to a uniform matte with steel wool is a good choice. No dinish at all, because the very oily wood doesn't need one, can be the best choice,

 

[HawksFeather]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think after playing with it some more today that I will be switching to another finish tomorrow. I have the feeling that it is just one of "those" blanks that is out to show me that it really doesn't like CA.

Thanks again,
Jerry