CA Clouding?

[ramaroodle]

That may be possible. I applied two more layers after I had noticed that spot and it still remained however.

I think that is the real issue. When you saw that spot if you had just sanded all of the finish off and started over I think you'd be good to go. Covering that spot with more CA was basically just sealing in whatever was causing the spot.

 

[leehljp]

If he sanded through the finish, why would there only be a spot? It should have left a mark all the way around the blank, wouldn't it???

If you do a search back to the beginning of this forum, you will find a 100 to 1 ratio of spots on one side vs all the way around - caused by: wobbles, bent mandrels, alignment problems of head stock-tail stock, OOR bushings plus others. This is the first time in the 15 years that I have seen a reference to "finger print spot". It could be that, but in simple odds there are other reason more probable. "All the way around" sand through would lead to the different conclusion, but since it is only one spot, and it has been quite common since time began in pen finishing with CA, we have to look for a different conclusion.

 

[Dehn0045]

Cation about EEE, it has a wax that can fill scratches in the CA and when the wax is removed the scratch is revealed. Clean with denatured alcohol after EEE to see what the surface will look like after all the wax wears off. I used EEE a few times, but after doing this test I stopped because there were a lot of scratches that were being hidden by the wax.

Sand through spots won't necessarily go all the way around the blank, depends on the precision of the setup and turning technique. A shiny CA surface can be as little as 0.0005 thick or less, I suspect that most hobbyist wood lathes and turners aren't at this level of accuracy. I have seen many sand-thru spots very similar to the one at the start of this thread. Incidentally, I have never seen a spot like that resulting from what I determined to be oil on the blank. In my experience CA (at least the CA that I use) doesn't seem to be very sensitive to oil.

 

[jttheclockman]

Yes JT. I too use a solid piece of wood with different grits on each side. I have found that sanding with fingers doesn't take slight undulations out of the blank as you said.

I also agree with your technique of applying CA and have carried that over to my technique when using GluBoost. I learned it from Tim at Woodnwhimsies videos and it always echos in my head every single time I apply it. "Get on it and get off it". Simple as that. Then walk away or give it a little spritz if you like accelerator. You build up ridges after more than 2 passes as the glue starts to thicken and dry.

PS. Using a skew on CA doesn't seem right to me but to each his/her own. If I get through turning without a catch or destroying the blank the stress is over. I'm not putting a metal tool on my smooth turned and sanded blank. (and God forgive if I get a catch). I'm no skilled enough with that tool to do that unless I screwed the finish and am removing the finish. If I sanded through the CA then I will usually just sand/skew it all off and start over.

I've stopped using micro mesh almost entirely. If I've got a good smooth finish some .0000 steel wool and EEE gives me
the same results before using plastic polish.

Yes this technique has worked well for me since I started doing pens.

If he sanded through the finish, why would there only be a spot? It should have left a mark all the way around the blank, wouldn't it???

This is what I agree with Len on too to a point and maybe just am not seeing something. Even if it were a high spot you would have feathering around the spot and I do not see that. Again would like to know when he saw this develop. It could not be after he polished the blank. He assembled it.

 

[Dehn0045]

This is what I agree with Len on too to a point and maybe just am not seeing something.

I tried to explain how this could happen in the second paragraph in post #43. It has happened to me many times, and the spots look just like that. If you wet sand and MM without drying and inspecting the blank then it is perfectly reasonable to first notice the spot after polishing.

I am totally OK with being wrong on this one. You're not going to convince me that it is due to oils under the CA (or some other yet to be determined cause) and I'm not going to convince you that it is due to sanding through.

 

[jttheclockman]

We will probably never know what happened.

 

[ramaroodle]

We will probably never know what happened.

Kinda like the guy on the grassy knoll.

 

[jttheclockman]

Kinda like the guy on the grassy knoll.

That guy was there

 

[xCykax]

Have you got the blank fixed to use, was there ever any CA.glue used on that spot?

I applied the first two layers of thin CA by hand