leehljp
Member Liaison
I have been using mostly CA finishes for about 7 1/2 years with 2 years off for a move from Japan back to the US.
After my first year of pen making and CA use, at some point in 2006, I started primarily using medium and occasionally thick CA. Of course, Medium and Thick takes longer to cure. I hate accelerators but on occasion use them when in a hurry. But they still cause as much problems as they fix. Accelerator tend to cause pits and make the finish more UNsmooth, and I don't like that. I have the normal and mild spray accelerator.
What I observed:
With my shop in the mid 80° temp range, I noticed that the first two coats of CA cured on one end before I could move a smooth coating to the other end (of a Sierra). Second coat, the same. (I was not using paper towel that absorbs 90% of the CA [wasteful, IMO] )
What I thought:
I suddenly had an epiphany: With the thin CA curing this fast, can I build up many thin coats faster - than I can apply 3 or 4 medium coats and their curing time?
What I tried:
I quit my pen making and got two blanks and my calipers, and not timing by seconds, tried a little experiment.
I had a .025 inch build up of CA (smooth, no ridges or dimples) between at 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. With Medium, It took me over 6 minutes for a .02 build up and hardening, including some minor ridges. Thin doesn't do this.
Caveat: I had a fan blowing over the work area, which probably affected the curing rate, but that was on both medium and thin. (In my thinking, the fan probably affected the curing rate of the thin [faster] than the medium.)
Again, this was not scientific but a personal observation on a single day. I do not use paper towel, but plastic/rubber gloves or plastic parts bags as the applicator-spreader.
Anyone else notice that a build up can be faster with thin than with medium? I am sure that temps and humidity may affect it also.
After my first year of pen making and CA use, at some point in 2006, I started primarily using medium and occasionally thick CA. Of course, Medium and Thick takes longer to cure. I hate accelerators but on occasion use them when in a hurry. But they still cause as much problems as they fix. Accelerator tend to cause pits and make the finish more UNsmooth, and I don't like that. I have the normal and mild spray accelerator.
What I observed:
With my shop in the mid 80° temp range, I noticed that the first two coats of CA cured on one end before I could move a smooth coating to the other end (of a Sierra). Second coat, the same. (I was not using paper towel that absorbs 90% of the CA [wasteful, IMO] )
What I thought:
I suddenly had an epiphany: With the thin CA curing this fast, can I build up many thin coats faster - than I can apply 3 or 4 medium coats and their curing time?
What I tried:
I quit my pen making and got two blanks and my calipers, and not timing by seconds, tried a little experiment.
I had a .025 inch build up of CA (smooth, no ridges or dimples) between at 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. With Medium, It took me over 6 minutes for a .02 build up and hardening, including some minor ridges. Thin doesn't do this.
Caveat: I had a fan blowing over the work area, which probably affected the curing rate, but that was on both medium and thin. (In my thinking, the fan probably affected the curing rate of the thin [faster] than the medium.)
Again, this was not scientific but a personal observation on a single day. I do not use paper towel, but plastic/rubber gloves or plastic parts bags as the applicator-spreader.
Anyone else notice that a build up can be faster with thin than with medium? I am sure that temps and humidity may affect it also.