Any reason let ca cure before final polishing?

[Dan_F]

I know that one should let finished blanks sit for 24 hours or so before assembling a pen to prevent any damage to the plating from off-gassing, but is there an advantage in letting the ca cure before final sanding and buffing?

Dan

 

[mrcook4570]

I don't wait, and I've used CA on a few thousand pens. I also have never found a need to wait for assembly either. But I use CA only on the exterior of the blank. Epoxy goes inside the tubes to secure the parts.

 

[Texatdurango]

I have a different take on waiting before buffing. I used to turn the pen, apply the CA, sand, buff then assemble, all within half an hour or so. I never saw any problem until I needed to disassemble a pen the day after I assembled it and noticed that the clip had left a nice little impression in the CA.

Having gotten my attention, I started noticing it more and came to the conclusion that the CA was set enough to sand and polish but was still soft enough to leave impressions from clips so I started letting the pens set overnight before finish sanding and buffing them.

Call me crazy but I think it made a slight difference. If I had a “shine-o-meter†handy I’m sure my finishes now would register higher than before.