Holes in CA finish after MicroMesh polishing?

[patmurris]

Hi all!

I've only managed a decent CA finish for a few month now, but more recently i sort of messed up all my pens while polishing the CA finish with wet MM - some parts had become dull, like i went through it, down to the wood.

I usually skip the first two grains from the MM set and use a light touch when going through the sequence - both lathe turning and stopped going along the axis.

Now, one thing that occurred to me is i've been using the same bits of MM since i started doing CA finishes - around thirty pens now. I'm using tiny band of the stuff that i keep in a plastic bag with my other sanding papers. Of course i cut myself a fresh MM set and the two latest pens i did with it came out right.

My question is: why would weared out MM do such damage to a CA finish? It seems to me it should actually do less damage since it's less cutting? Or is it something else completely?

Thanks for your opinion and expertise! :wink:

 

[Akula]

if it's not clean, a build up of old CA will scratch your new finish

 

[Justturnin]

The short. It sounds like you need to remove a little more wood and build it back w/ the CA. Those dull spots are wood so you ended up having to sand back the CA too far to get your fit right. What I would do and Have done becasue you are not the only one suffering from this is take some 240 grit and sand the blanks past the CA and take a little more and refinish it. Be sure to allow it to dry for a day or two before reapplying CA or it will cloud.

 

[gawdelpus]

It Takes longer than a few minutes for CA to fully cure, most times when applying a Ca finish we are working on a thin film of semi cured CA, a worn MM can generate heat rather than cutting .even when wet ,so it can sometimes soften and drag the finish ,not pretty usually slowing down between coats to give it a bit more cure time helps, and plenty of water when sanding ,don't get the revs up too much as again heat and friction are your enemies , cheers ~ John

 

[okiebugg]

dull spots

Perhaps your CA isn't curing as fast as you want it to. If you start using MM and the finish develops dark small rings, it means your finish is balling up caused by the heat of the MM pressure? I've had it happen many times.........SO................after sanding down to finish at 800, I give it the old DNA bath. Wait a few minutes and put your CA finish on it as you normally would, paying particular to the ends and any coves you may have cut into the blank. It seems to me that these two areas get the least amount of buildup when finishing. You start sanding again after the CA has cured! A light touch with the MM and dont hold very long on any one place.


Since I don't appear to be in a hurry anymore, I adjusted my habits. Sanding to 800, one coat of thin CA to seal any pores, I then hang the blank(s) on a suspended piece of wire and start the lacquer process. 5 coats-one about every 20 minutes. I don't use anything but Deft Gloss Let it sit overnight at 70 degrees if possible. The next day, mount the blanks and start lightly with the MM to 12000. Next I use Kit scratch remover and polisher. Once done with that, I use Meguiars Premium Carnuba car wax. I get the best of both worlds. scratch free and carnuba, and a high polish

For what its worth​