Building up with CA

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JBCustomPens

JBCustomPens

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Joined
Oct 3, 2009
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Location
Everett, Washington
Hey everyone,

How much can you reasonably build up with CA? What is the most you've ever done? About how many coats do you think it would take (approximately)? Thanks in advance for the input.:smile:
 
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You can add a sixteenth of an inch without too much trouble. The number of coats will depend on the consistency of the CA used. Thick will build faster than medium which will build faster than thin.
 
Over turn one, did 'ya? You can build it up alot but you'll find that the ends will either chip or separate from the wood. FOR ME, any thicker than .005" (.010" total), gives me fits.
I used to over turn and build on purpose to try and get the diameter PERFECT. No more. I find that a HAIR over is good so I turn to the exact diameter of the hardware and then add my CA. I use medium and my finish is about .002" thick when I'm done. It feels better to have the barrel a HAIR over rather than under the hardware diameter. :wink:
 
3-4 coats works well. I knock each coat down with 6k grit mesh between coats and on the last coat to get rid of the "plastic" look. Finally, I'll burnish with a handful of shavings to get a matte sheen.
Good luck!
 
You can build up CA as much as you want. I've done pens where I've used CA as an alternative to casting in PR. That is, I wrapped something around the tube, glued it in place, built up CA past the bushings, and then turned it back down again. In some cases, it was as many as 50 coats of CA (of varying viscosity).

Regards,
Eric
 
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