I stopped using paper towels a long time ago. Now I use craft foam. I am still using the first sheet I bought, after doing many pens.
The CA glue can still smoke (and potentially catch fire) with craft foam. It is less likely to happen because you use so much less CA with craft foam compared with paper towels. Still, I let the used craft foam "dry" for a few minutes before throwing them away.
Here are my tricks for a good CA finish:
* Think about Safety.
Before you start, tie up loose hair and get rid of loose clothing. Cut up applicators and fabric so that they are too small to hurt you if they stick to you AND the turning lathe at the same time. Use gloves whose fingertips tear off if they stick to the lathe, like the cheap, thin, disposable nitrile gloves that you see everywhere.
* Swing the Tool Rest Behind the Lathe. Cover the Lathe bed to Protect it.
When I am ready to sand and finish, I spin the tool rest and move it completely out of the way, partly behind the headstock. I cover the lathe bed with a plastic bag, weighed down with heavy wood scraps. Be sure everything is out of the way and there is nothing lose that can get "sucked" into the rotating pen on the lathe.
* Use Fresh CA Glue.
Use a sharpie marker to write the date of purchase on the bottle. When you open it, write that date down, too.
* Use a Non-absorbent Applicator.
I recommend cutting up craft foam sheets into small squares. Craft foam is available for less than $1 at Walmart, Michaels, and other craft stores. Some of my friends use disposable gloves (or cut off the tips of old gloves), while other friends re-use the tiny baggies that come in pen kits. Any similar non-absorbent material will do, as long as it is small and can't hurt you if it sticks to the moving lathe and your fingers at the same time. Avoid paper towels, which are so "old school" these days. Paper towels yield more finish problems, they waste a lot of expensive CA glue, and are more likely to heat up or catch fire.
* Run the Lathe Slowly.
You don't need a lot of speed to apply a CA finish. Higher speeds cause problems by applying centrifugal force to the wet/curing CA.
* Use a Small Amount of CA at a Time.
Learn to work with two drops per application, three drops at most. More CA will make more ripples that are harder to smooth out, but give you more time to work. Less CA is better, but you must work faster.
* Be Patient. Take Your Time to Smooth Out the Ripples.
The CA glue will not set up immediately. Look at the CA as it goes on your pen. Press the applicator against the pen blank and move it back and forth to smooth out the ripples. Pay attention to the way it looks, and stop when it is smooth. Learn what it feels like when it just starts to get tacky and you have to stop as the CA just begins to set up.
* Be Gentle with the Activator (Accelerator).
If you use an activator, stand far back and send a gentle fine mist over your slowly spinning pen. Pressure from the spray can distort the finish, and too much activator can leave white specs or a hazy finish.
* Be Patient and Allow the CA Time to Cure Between Coats.
CA finishes can be done quickly, but you get a better finish if you are a little patient between coats to give the CA time to harden and cure. A few minutes between coats makes a difference.
* Follow the Manufacturer's Instructions.
Do your homework. Read the manufacturer's instructions for applying a CA finish. I got better finishes after reading and following GluBoost's instructions for their Fill 'n Finish products.
* Sand/Polish "With the Grain" Too. Wipe with Clean Fabric between Sanding/Polishing Steps.
Everyone sands and polishes differently, but ... Stop the lathe after each sanding or polishing step and repeat it "with the grain, the long way" while gently turning the hand wheel. Do it after each step to avoid leaving circular marks. Before moving on to the next finer grit, wipe the pen blank with a clean fabric rag or cloth (do not use paper towels!) to remove any large grit particles that may remain. I use small pieces of cut up T-shirts and similar cotton-like fabrics.
* Practice.
When your pen is first roughed down to a cylinder, give it a CA finish. You have nothing to lose. Turn it off and get back to the wood. Apply another CA finish. Turn it off. Repeat until it is time to shape the pen. Do that on a few pens, and you will be a "Professional-Grade CA Pen Finisher" very quickly indeed.
What I do:
* Two or three coats of GluBoost Fill 'n' Finish Regular.
* Very gentle spray of GluBoost activator from a far distance after each coat. Just a couple of hits of mist over the slowly rotating pen blank.
* Two or three coats of GluBoost Fill 'n' Finish Thin. Yeah, they recommend the thin on top.
* Very lightly wet sand with Micro-mesh on a slowly rotating lathe. Just a few seconds at most. I keep a cup of water with the Micro-mesh pads "floating" in it on a table next to the lathe.
* Turn off lathe and very lightly wet sand "with the grain", the long way, while hand turning the lathe by the hand wheel.
* Use a clean fabric to wipe the grit and white swarf off the pen.
* Repeat for all nine grits of Micro-mesh.
* At this point, the pen is well-finished, but I like to apply Hut Ultra Gloss Plastic Polish. I put a small dab in fabric, wipe it all over the pen with the lathe off, spin the lathe slowly while going back and forth with the fabric, then spin it a little faster to polish it. I repeat it again, then wipe it well with a clean cloth and call it done.