CA+BLO

[george]

Hello !

I need some help on CA+BLo topic, and thank all in advance for suggestions.

The thing is, that I get good results with just CA (2 thin, 3 medium and 3 thick layers). The surface is good, and after the sanding I always put on the surface few drops of ink, to see it the CA layers protects the wood OK.

But this CA is taking a lot of time for me, and that is why I was trying to get one faster finish (doe I would still make just CA), to offer customers something a little cheaper.

But no matter which metod I try ( I found several ways on this forums), the moment I touch the finished surface with wet fingers and rub for a few seconds, the finish gets off. And ink gets to the wood.

My question is : am I doing the process wrong ? Am I putting to liitle layers ( I tried Russ F. metod with 3 or 4 layers of CA - each 8 drops) ? Or is this normal when BLO is used ?

Thanks in advance for possbile answer. George

 

[jeffj13]

Hello !

...........

The thing is, that I get good results with just CA (2 thin, 3 medium and 3 thick layers). The surface is good, and after the sanding I always put on the surface few drops of ink, to see it the CA layers protects the wood OK.

But this CA is taking a lot of time for me, and that is why I was trying to get one faster finish (doe I would still make just CA), to offer customers something a little cheaper.

.......................

If you are getting good results with just CA, then stick with that. As far as time goes, CA is a pretty quick finish compared to others such as lacquer or poly. Based upon what you said, you don't need a better technique, just patience.

jeff

 

[rherrell]

My advice would be to skip the thick CA. Seal with thin and 2 to 3 coats of medium is plenty. Try using accelerator on a paper towel and wipe the blank with it before EVERY CA pass. This will help ALOT with the drying time. Also, be sure to apply the CA with a PAPER towel(I like Viva because it's smooth). The cellulose in the paper will act like an accelerator and speed up the drying process. GENTLY wipe back and forth when you apply the CA, don't RUB like you do with BLO.
I don't use BLO and sand with 600 wet/dry(used dry) between each pass. Keep a light DIRECTLY over your piece while sanding. When the shiney lines dissappear, STOP SANDING. Since I started doing this I have eliminated sanding through the finish.
I let the finish set overnight before buffing with tripoli and white diamond. MM to 12000 will also work.
Don't put the finished pen in your pen case right away. I leave mine out for a week to cure. That's probably longer than necessary but I used to have those cases with the elastic bands and they will leave marks on a fresh CA finish.:wink:

 

[JAB1]

My technique

I sand from 150 to 600, then to 1800 with MM....apply 5 coats of thin CA, each coat sprayed with accelerator. Sand again starting with MM up to 12,000, being careful not to sand through the CA. It is that easy....so far, no complaints or problems.....Allan

BTW, my technique is very similar to Rick's post above....