c a question

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penmaker1967

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hi i have started doing the ca finsh and it is starting to come around pretty good but i have seen that some people use this several coats of this ca then go to the med or thick ca i have just been doing the med ca about 4 to 6 coats do i need to use thin first to get the dseep shine that other people are getting or just do i need to work on the ca finsh app some more.
thanks for the help
 
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I've never used thin CA and I think mine looks pretty good. I think your technique has more to do with it than anything else.
 
I also only use medium CA. That's the only finish I've ever put on my pens since I've started making them and I've never had a problem. I put about 10-12 coats on. I let the first two dry pretty much on their own (about 30-45 sec each). After that I hit each coat with a short spray of accelerator after about 15 sec. I like the aerosol can accelerator much better than the pump bottles.

I use a small square pad of folded up Bounty paper towel, place a small drop of the medium CA on one corner (about the volume of a BB), and quickly wipe this back and forth on the blank about two times to apply one "coat". I then use the next corner of the pad for the next coat, etc (4 coats from one pad). I use the Hot Stuff "Super T" CA. It seems to work better than the Titebond. I don't use any boiled linseed oil. Tried it and it didn't add anything, but extra work.

After about 10 coats, I check the surface under 40X magnification to see if all the pores are filled in on the wood. If not, I'll do some more coats. I don't do any sanding until I'm done applying the CA. I only use wet sanding with MicroMesh pads, starting with the 1800 grit (the green one). I check the surface again with 40X magnification after using the 1800 pad to make sure I've flattened down all the ripples that the paper towel leaves on the CA surface. Once it's flat with only the scratches from the MM pad, I move onto the next grit and continue through to 12000.

I keep reading horror stories about others attempt at CA finish. I must be lucky because I've never had anything but glassy smooth outcomes using this technique. Must be beginners luck.
 
I use thin and the bounty. I put about 12 coats on, then wet micromesh the entire series and finish by putting on HUT plastic polish and buffing.
 
Some do. Others use the packing peanuts...just don't use the ones made from corn byproducts. Stick with the synthetic ones. Others swear by unwashed terry cloth material. Still others use the synthetic batting material from the cloth and sewing stores. Pen kit baggies are a favorite of many. Blue shop towels and Viva paper towels are quite popular. Bounty paper towels are a long time favorite as they seem to be the most lint free. Shall I go keep?:biggrin:
Do a good turn daily!
Don


underdog said:
You guys ever use the foam packing material that's about 1/16 inch thick for an applicator?
Click to expand...
 
Brian is correct about technique have a lot to do with it. I would suggest the thin when you have a wood that is punky, spalted or just needs a bit of stabilising and then going to the medium. Thick is good when you need to build up the blank to match the fittings.
 
You will laught but its working for me.After reading postings on CA application with Bounty towels I went to walmart to pick up the bounty rolls,but they did not have
the flat surface and I thought this will leave paper track lines on my pen blank.
Well I bought scotts toilet paper, fold it until the CA glue does not penetrate thru the paper, as I apply it I cut the ends off and use it again until I need to fold a new piece off the roll.I use medium ca and sand lightly every 4th application with the purple blue and black mm.The paper leaves very light tracks and they go away with the sanding..
By the way I don't even need gloves to apply the ca because the glue does not penetrate after folding several times.
 
I use thin to fill in pores in the wood or open areas in the grain, then go to medium. 3 coats of thin applied by paper towel, let them dry on their own, 30 seconds or so each. Then on to medium, 3 coats applied with paper towel. I use accellerator to dry the coats. Then I check, and if it looks satisfactory, I use MicroMesh, 9 different pads. I think the finest is 12,000 grit.
 
thank you all for the info i will keep doing it like i have been doing it and just work on the application process and just give my self time to get it right i dont have any shows till feb or march 2011 so i have time to work on it. merry christmas to everyone
 
I have two different techniques depending on whether I want a glassy gloss finish, or a satin matte finish.

Satin Matte: Rolled up paper towel. Put a dab of BLO on the towel and close by put a line of medium CA. Apply CA first, then immediately move to the BLO area. Turn speed up to high and buff with towel until the shine comes up. Do this again, let dry. Wipe with 0000 (4 ought) steel wool. Make sure you remove all the steel wool and that the blank is dry before you start.

Gloss: Take a parts baggy and stuff with paper towel or cloth. Apply medium CA to the blank while tuning at slow speed. After each application, WIPE OFF THE BAGGY on a paper towel. If you don't do this, you will get flakes of CA into the finish. Apply 5-6 coats to the blank, sand carefully either wet or dry. Go thru all the grits, and take care not to sand thru the CA finish. Lastly Plastic polish.
 
If what you are doing works, do not "fix" it. When it does quit, then find a solution that works. This has been gone through so many times even since the short time I have been on, that it gets silly before long. I have and participated in discussions where things such as, dirty yellow socks, stand on the left/right foot while reciting a particular vodo mantra, using only the brown napkins from Toco Bell(my fav), Wind out of the South, West, Up, sun in the North, were all required for a good CA finish.

I have come to the conclusion that a good CA finish is magic. IDK, it may be witchcraft, who knows? Some days it flows on perfectly slick needing no sanding, while other times I can not buy a good finish. It will come slick but will have holes in it, white spots, cracks, peel off, pick a problem. It is all black magic.
Charles
 
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