sbwertz
Member
Has anyone tried the new finishing CA kit from Stick Fast? I just bought one and thought I'd see if there were any Tips and Tricks for using it. I thought it might be more forgiving for my blind turners to use.
Stick Fast Finishing CA kit
- Thread starter sbwertz
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studioseven
Member
Sharon, I'm not sure about a new kit from stickfast. The only one I am aware of has been around for awhile.... Buy StickFast CA Finishing Kit at Woodcraft.com Is this what you are referring to?
Seven
Seven
CREID
Member
It works ok. What you get is some CA, Activator, a satin polish and a gloss polish and a piece of 400 grit sandpaper (abranet I think). I think you do much better to instead of their polish (one of which smells strangely of toothpaste) just MM to 12,000 and use something Maguires Plastx.
Mr Vic
Member
While I've never bought the kit I have used all those products. A friend bought the polish when he started to make pens. I was skeptical but gave it a try. It worked very good and with out the mess of wet sanding.
That said I still use both methods. The finish CA has a much longer working/cure time and thus the potential need for accelerator or extreme patience. If I have other projects going the cure time is not a factor. I can build up deep layers much faster with the regular CA and the fast cure time.
When I use the polish I sand first with the 400 Abranet and then 600. Occasionally I'll use 800. The Satin Polish is a coarser grit and is used before the Gloss. And yes both smell like tooth paste or more precise the polish the dentist uses.
As far as being more forgiving, I'm not sure. wet CA is wet CA and when the fingers get stuck bot work the same.
That said I still use both methods. The finish CA has a much longer working/cure time and thus the potential need for accelerator or extreme patience. If I have other projects going the cure time is not a factor. I can build up deep layers much faster with the regular CA and the fast cure time.
When I use the polish I sand first with the 400 Abranet and then 600. Occasionally I'll use 800. The Satin Polish is a coarser grit and is used before the Gloss. And yes both smell like tooth paste or more precise the polish the dentist uses.
As far as being more forgiving, I'm not sure. wet CA is wet CA and when the fingers get stuck bot work the same.
CREID
Member
You let your fingers get stuck to your work? That never happens to me. What usually happens to me, is the work gets stuck to my fingers, but never the other way around, that would be silly.:biggrin:
sbwertz
Member
I finished a pen with the finishing CA this afternoon. It was very easy to use, and I think my blind turners will be able to handle it. I think the slower activation time will eliminate the problems we've been having. I will probably apply the first thin coat for them then let them put on the medium coats and sand and polish it. It gives a nice shine. We've been using CA/BLO which is pretty foolproof, but wanted a higher gloss than the satin finish we get with the CA/BLO.
sbwertz
Member
Yes, but I got it from Rockler. They are just a few miles from my house and Woodcraft is clear the other side of the city.
OK, I will jump in here and drop my 2 cents along the way. In my pen turning journey I have found CA to have its pros and cons and therefore looked for other options. Recently I purchased a bottle of Wood Turners Finish from Exotic Blanks and find that I can get a very good high gloss finish with it. First of all it is water based making clean up a breeze.
I first sand to 600~1000 and wipe down with alcohol or lacquer thinner. Then I wipe on 5~6 light coats waiting 1~2 minutes in between. I then let it sit 15 minutes or more and lightly sand with 2000 grit. Finish with 1 or 2 more coats of finish and polish using Plastix. It sounds like a lot of work but for me it's not any more work than a CA finish and the results are very close to a CA finish without the problems of CA.
Just my 2 cents but it works for me!
I first sand to 600~1000 and wipe down with alcohol or lacquer thinner. Then I wipe on 5~6 light coats waiting 1~2 minutes in between. I then let it sit 15 minutes or more and lightly sand with 2000 grit. Finish with 1 or 2 more coats of finish and polish using Plastix. It sounds like a lot of work but for me it's not any more work than a CA finish and the results are very close to a CA finish without the problems of CA.
Just my 2 cents but it works for me!
sbwertz
Member
We use the Woodturner's Finish on pepper mills. But we are up against a time constraint at the center. Even using a hair dryer to speed up the process, it takes too long to get a high shine with the WF. We only have 2-3 hours a day to turn down there, and need to get as many turners through as possible because we have so many who want to turn. (This project has turned out to be wildly popular down there!) With the new finishing CA I can get a high gloss in about 5 minutes.
I prep everything at home...cut, drill, mill, and round the blanks....before taking them to the center, which speeds up things tremendously. Only if we have a turner who wants a specific wood on a specific plating, or one turning a premium kit (most are slims) do we have to cut and tube down there.
Now they want to learn to turn inside-out ornaments!
The fundraiser went well....one of the pepper mills went for $125, and the other for $75, and none of the pens sold for under $50. The stoppers went for $25 except for the Desert Ironwood one, which went for $30. Everyone was amazed at the quality of the work on the items.
I prep everything at home...cut, drill, mill, and round the blanks....before taking them to the center, which speeds up things tremendously. Only if we have a turner who wants a specific wood on a specific plating, or one turning a premium kit (most are slims) do we have to cut and tube down there.
Now they want to learn to turn inside-out ornaments!
The fundraiser went well....one of the pepper mills went for $125, and the other for $75, and none of the pens sold for under $50. The stoppers went for $25 except for the Desert Ironwood one, which went for $30. Everyone was amazed at the quality of the work on the items.
TellicoTurning
Member
Sharon,
What is the possibility of getting some photos of the work... I'm amazed at the ability of people with sight problems. Keep up the good work.
What is the possibility of getting some photos of the work... I'm amazed at the ability of people with sight problems. Keep up the good work.
sbwertz
Member
We were in such a rush to get them turned in time for the two fundraisers, that I didn't have a chance to take proper pictures. Here are pictures of some of the pens we took up to the museum in Wickenburg. It is a cowboy museum, so we bought some cowboy/soutwestern pen kits.
The three bolt action pens were made by a turner with macular degeration and no central vision...only some peripheral vision. He is now one of our trainers! The other three were turned by one of our staff members who has been totally blind for thirty years. He has become one of our most ardent and confident turners, having made pens, peppermills, a bottle opener and wine bottle stoppers. His next project is one of the multi-tip screwdriver kits.
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Here is a closer look at one of the antler deer hunter pens
Sorry I don't have better pictures...these were just for inventory purposes.
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stonepecker
Member
Are these for sale Sharon? Web site? Auction? I would be interested.
rockb
Member
Hi Sharon, very cool. I have lots of pb's of varying species/color/etc. that are looking for a home. If you'd connect me by PM with an address, I'd like to help in a small way. Chat later, Rocky
sbwertz
Member
These pens are currently at a museum in Wickenburg, AZ in their gift shop. We are making more for sale...pens, pepper mills, wine bottle stoppers, and other items. We will be posting them on our website, that is currently under construction.
Our fundraiser last Friday night was a great success, and Duck and Decanter is interested in carrying our wine stoppers and bottle openers in their gift shop on an ongoing basis.
Sharon
sbwertz
Member
PM sent
sbwertz
Member
Used the CA finishing kit with three of my turners yesterday...worked like a charm! Had them sand to 400 and use all 9 micromesh pads, then I put on the thin coat because it is so easy to get that thin stuff all over you. Then I put a little dot of medium on a piece of paper towel and had them swipe it three times back and forth across the spinning blank, spraying lightly with accelerator between coats. Repeated 4 or 5 coats, and let them sand it with the abranet. I then put a little dot of polish on a towel and had them polish it until it was getting warm. Then the high gloss polish. Best finish I've ever been able to get down there where they could actually apply it themselves. And it only took 5 or 6 minutes start to finish.
It was interesting watching them....I would hand them the paper towel with the little drop of CA, positioning the CA right over the tip of their index finger. They would reach up with their other hand and locate the edge of the spinning blank, then bring the glue up under their top finger, raise their top finger off the blank and swipe it back and forth. They are truly amazing! I've got to call Andi Sullivan and tell her about this stuff!
It was interesting watching them....I would hand them the paper towel with the little drop of CA, positioning the CA right over the tip of their index finger. They would reach up with their other hand and locate the edge of the spinning blank, then bring the glue up under their top finger, raise their top finger off the blank and swipe it back and forth. They are truly amazing! I've got to call Andi Sullivan and tell her about this stuff!
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