anyone use huts

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Joe Dowdy

Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
32
Location
Lynchburg, VA
I have been usuing 3 coats of huts followed by 3 coats of CA and it has been doing fairly well but I would still like to get more shine, thinking about moving up to buffing as well, any suggestions? also I do I sand with 80,120,220,320,400 then go through all the MM before I finnish, and I do not sand hut,ca at all.
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Joe, by Huts, I assume you mean their PPP bar. If so, drill a small hole in the bar near one end and hang it from the wall where it is out of your reach. :wink:

Seriously, I would not use it at all. As far as sanding, what grit you start with depends on how smooth a surface your turning tool leaves. Sharp tools and a light touch improves the surface. I generally start with 320 grit, and others start much higher. Remember to sand lenghtwise with the lathe off between grits. Blow the dust off the blank between grits. I generally switch to MM after 400 or 600 grit. Run through all of the grits of MM so that the unfinished blank is shiny.

Then, read some of the tutorials on CA finishing and practice, practice practice.

I hope this helps,
 
no i use the crystal polish and thanks

Joe, Crystal Coat is a friction polish that most find not very durable at all. It seems to me that you are putting a coat of a not so good finish and then covering it with a durable finish, CA. I find that my CA finishes are better if the CA soaks into the blank to seal it.

I would suggest that you put the Crystal Coat away. Sand your blanks through 12K Micro Mesh and then work on the CA finish. I choose to use CA alone, others use BLO/CA.
 
What Cav said. CA first, before any waxes or polishes. CA, when applied enough to be left after sanding shines automatically when carried through 12000. You are not the only one recently that mentioned having trouble getting a shine with CA.

I personally can't figure that out. It doesn't make sense to me. When CA is sanded smooth up to 12000, it IS shiny. I did an experiment once because several people said they did not LIKE the shiny look, as it looked "plasticy" to them. I took the CA on two identical blank pens up to 12000. Both were shiny. Then I ran 4000 MM on one of them and it still had a nice shine. Then I had to back it down to 3200 MM to knock the shine off and make it look like waxed wood with a satin finish.

The strange thing about the "dull" finished CA is that I used it for 6 months. You know how computer keys become shiny after lots of use? Well the dulled CA finish became shiny due to wear in places that I gripped it the most.

The point is - CA WANTS to be shiny and IS shiny even if _halfway_ done right. But the key is applying enough to have a few few layers after sanding.
 
Last edited:
You may also want to get away from the 80 grit paper, it's a little rough for this type of work. If you are taking your time with either a skew or a gouge, you should be able to get around the 80 grit gouge. The finish that I believe you are looking for can be achieved by applying a CA finish and then using some Mylands friction polish and then a couple more coats of CA. Wet sand it with the last 4 or 5 grits of MM and buff it out. You will get a nice shine with that. It takes some time to find the finish that works best for you and it will take a while to perfect it. Try a couple of the ways that are suggested here and in the rest of the forum, and experiment a little on your own. You will learn more from your own mistakes than you will from mine anyways.
 
Back
Top Bottom