Anyone try CA "rubbing" method w/out the BLO?

[TonyL]

Hi Folks: I know many have seen and practice the method in the video (

). This Saturday, I tried the same without the BLO; just rubbing the the CA back and forth until it just about starting to cure. I only tried this on one blank, but I was very pleased. I started sanding at 1,000 grit which was nice and was pleased with the finish. I used a "junkie" bulk paper towel and Mercury thin and medium flex (and a shot of accelerator, just as a precaution). Anyway, I am going to try it again - perhaps this is very old news to some. I found there was less sanding, less chance of sanding through, less curing time between applications. We will see.

Thanks for any feedback with your experience trying this method.

 

[jttheclockman]

Never could understand the use of BLO. That will darken any blank. I always use thin and med straight up and paper towels. Have been doing it since I started making pens and actually never had a problem with a CA finish. Run into the usual not enough CA or sand through on occasion but easily fixed.

 

[leehljp]

I never have figured out what the draw is to BLO except that someone started with it because they were taught that way by a trusted mentor.

To be honest, I still do use it RARELY when I want to make a few woods darker by the amount of the tint of the BLO. Even then, I test a cut-off to see if the tint change is what I want.

 

[TonyL]

I never have figured out what the draw is to BLO except that someone started with it because they were taught that way by a trusted mentor.

To be honest, I still do use it RARELY when I want to make a few woods darker by the amount of the tint of the BLO. Even then, I test a cut-off to see if the tint change is what I want.

Thank you. But do you apply the CA alone, by rubbing it in?

 

[jttheclockman]

Tony, I thought you were using Glu-bost or whatever it is called?? I know you try many different things but thought that is what you settled on. Not sure if you can use BLO with that stuff.

 

[Charlie_W]

I was in a Kurt Herzog workshop about 6-7 years ago and I recall him doing a simple wipe on of CA with the lathe off. I believe he simply wiped it on and didn't continue rubbing it. Let it dry before additional coats.

 

[TonyL]

Thank you. The process that I tried was rubbing it in while the lathe was turning at 180 runs. It cured smoothly and quickly with practically no shop towel marks. The possible downside is that CA get absorbed into the towel.

 

[jttheclockman]

Thank you. The process that I tried was rubbing it in while the lathe was turning at 180 runs. It cured smoothly and quickly with practically no shop towel marks. The possible downside is that CA get absorbed into the towel.

The problem with that is with more coats that towel will stick to the blank and cause a mess. It works for a few coats of thin in the beginning.

 

[leehljp]

. . . just rubbing the the CA back and forth until it just about starting to cure.

I do that on the lathe on slow as I can get my lathe to go, but not horizontally. Back when I started with CA, there were a few that used nitrile gloves and used that to spread it on. - And some of us , had the gloves catch with the just hardening CA.

The point was - we were doing the same thing back then that you are trying now, except you are going with horizontal wipes and we were going round. But in both cases we/you are looking for the point to stop just before it hardens/cures. That was sometimes called "feel", "experience", or even "instinct." Just knowing when to stop.

I did not/do not just rub back and forth as you are asking, but I DO rub back and forth as the lathe is turning at slow speed spreading the CA with either a foam applicator or my nitrile gloves. There is a "feel" as to when to not push it anymore as it is about to harden. I don't call it "rubbing" as much as calling it "spreading and evening it out." I do think this may be the same thing you are doing.

 

[TonyL]

Thank you Lee. I am doing a poor job describing what I am doing. I am doing this -------> The point was - we were doing the same thing back then that you are trying now, except you are going with horizontal wipes and we were going round. But in both cases we/you are looking for the point to stop just before it hardens/cures. That was sometimes called "feel", "experience", or even "instinct." Just knowing when to stop.

Have a great one folks!

 

[leehljp]

Thank you Lee. I am doing a poor job describing what I am doing. I am doing this -------> The point was - we were doing the same thing back then that you are trying now, except you are going with horizontal wipes and we were going round. But in both cases we/you are looking for the point to stop just before it hardens/cures. That was sometimes called "feel", "experience", or even "instinct." Just knowing when to stop.

Have a great one folks!

No, Not necessarily! Sometimes it requires different words of the same language to get the real meaning and process across. I have heard several times in my life: "UMM - the English language is sure is hard to communicate in!" You can see in many of my posts the words "subjective" because the English language is imprecise, and the more ways it is said, the more it can explain. Thanks for asking a question that others may not have understood.

This method DOES apply a thicker layer of CA in addition to smoothing it out VS what paper towel does. And this is one of the soap boxes I sometimes get on - It doesn't matter how many layers of CA one applies, i.e. 4, 5, 7, 10 etc, it matters how thick it is. Your method will apply more in one layer than 5 to 10 will when applying with paper towel. . . . which will take us to another matter - use of calipers for sizing and determining the thickness. I think most people would measure with calipers THEN sand down to size. I use my sharp scraper (similar in action to a radius square carbide insert) and smooth it all the way around from end to end. Both ways of bringing to size works fine in most situations.

Your method really helps when a blank is turned a tad too much and a build up of CA is needed.

 

[Bob in SF]

You can see in many of my posts the words "subjective" because the English language is imprecise, and the more ways it is said, the more it can explain.

I always enjoy threads that strike at the heart of word usage in the description of physical actions. Since the English language has never had a governmental or private regulatory body to admit or reject words (unlike many other languages - e.g. Academie Francaise) we have to improvise our self-expression in a veritable buffet of other languages that "built" English - way back to Greek and Latin - and earlier. Paleoanthropologists broadly estimate that Homo sapien language began 50,000-150,000 years ago within our 200,000 year long species biography. Wordsmithing is sometimes as fun as lathe turning - but not quite. Both have catches. I'm always grateful to be more hands than words.

 

[robutacion]

My CA application is and has been for years, the system shown in that video, in winter I prefer thin CA and more coats while in summer I tent to use the medium and fewer coats, either way, the finish is identical all year around.

Like many of you, I never used the BLO in conjunction with CA.

Cheers
George

 

[jttheclockman]

Well I misunderstood also. So no I never do it that way. I let the lathe spin the layers on.