Thin or medium CA for finishing?

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Edward Po

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Sep 29, 2013
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Hi everyone:

Can anyone explain to me the advantages and disadvantages using thin or medium CA for finishing?

Thank you in advance
Edward Po
 
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I like medium as it seems to fill any pores or voids faster and with fewer coats. It also seems I need to apply less coats before I mm and finish. None of this is based on anything other than my experiences and opinion though.:rolleyes:
 
I usually hit my blanks with 2 quick coats of Thin, as it soaks in to stabilize and fills small pores better with less chance of trapping air in them, then switch to medium as it builds quicker and is a bit easier for me to work with (slower drying, less sanding off encased paper towel...)

In the end, it's what you get used to and what you expect from your end results are. I've seen Thin used VERY successfully for the entire finish, but not by me...
 
Thanks everyone for your quick replies. I have tried both and discovered I have better luck with thin CA. Here another dumb question from a novice pen turner: for inlay blank, does thin CA works better than medium CA?
 
Most of my pens have some burl in them. I typically use both thin and medium for mine. I'll use a coat of thin after final turning as it soaks in nicely. Then a couple of coats of thin after final sanding followed by 5-10 coats of med depending on my mood...
 
Edward Po said:
Thanks everyone for your quick replies. I have tried both and discovered I have better luck with thin CA. Here another dumb question from a novice pen turner: for inlay blank, does thin CA works better than medium CA?
Click to expand...

What do you mean by inlay blank? If you are talking about one of the Laser parts kits, I assemble the parts, then run thin all over the place, as it will wick into the seams and bond all the parts together, Then I turn to size, and finish as usuall (1 or 2 coats of thin, then a few medium to smooth everything out...
 
I seal with two coats of thin (no accelerator until after these two), followed by two coats of medium for any small gaps the thin didn't fill, two thick for heavy build, then as many medium as necessary until I'm close with calipers (typically 2-3 coats), then thin to smooth it back out and reduce any ridges. Wet sand 800, 1200, 2000, 8k mm and 12k mm, wipe with dna and apply PlastX. All applied with 3/4" (ish) strips of folded Viva paper towels.
Any viscosity will work if you make the finish thick enough so as not to sand through it, and you don't introduce any lint or other undesirables into the finish.
 
If I have a pen with voids or opens around an inlay, I lay on a thick coat of medium with the lathe running, sand it back down to smooth and then lay on 20 quick coats of thin (50 cps) probably under 3 minutes for one tube. That stuff goes on so fast and smooth, like Dan said, you hardly have to sand it. I takes a few seconds longer to apply the extra coats, but I never spend time trying to fuss with a ridge in the CA and end up with a do-over. I used to use thin and medium, but I got better results with all thin.

Harry
 
I've used both thin and medium CA and don't notice much of a difference. Right now I'm using thin cause that's what I have.
I've also used both with segmenting, but prefer using medium as it stays on the wood I'm using. The thin is so thin it will just roll off.

Good Luck!
 
Dan Masshardt said:
I like thin the best because I can put it on so smooth it hardly needs any sanding.

But as others mention, it doesn't build as quickly.

By usual preference is to start with thin - move to med for a few coats and end with thin.

Ending with thin after medium is great and helps minimize sanding.
Click to expand...

Yup, seconded. Works for me.
 
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