CA Finish Thickness Test

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southernclay

southernclay

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Dawsonville, GA
Last night I did a test to find the thickness of CA finish in an effort to improve my fit, use of calipers etc. I feel like I need to challenge myself to improve, so things like this should help.

I set up the blank between centers, it's a random blank, unknown wood. It was already drilled out (no tube) in a box of blanks I had received so perfect piece to try something random out on. Turned it down pretty quick to close enough to even, sanded to 600 and put the five lines you see on it to give several test areas. I thought it would be better than just measuring one area...glad I did this.

After that, CA finish which I am still learning but much happier with over last couple of attempts. 6 layers of thin followed by 6 layers of medium. Micro mesh dry to 12,000 and two coats of polish. I like the way it finished overall, it was a quick job, used accelerator every 3 coats, I was more interested in thickness results than finish results but wanted it to be accurate.

So from left to right as you face the blank here were my results.

Line #1 Before: .614 inches After .624 in = +.010 inch
Line #2 Before: .631 inches After .640 in = +.009 inch
Line #3 Before: .637 inches After .646 in = +.009 inch
Line #4 Before: .632 inches After .641 in = +.009 inch
Line #5 Before: .606 inches After .614 in = +.008 inch

Not as thick as I thought it was going to be. I'm sure different woods give different results as well and hopefully will be trying this out on other times but it was a good test to do and good practice for my finish too. Overall great knowledge to have for me so hopefully it can help someone.

The most interesting thing I found was the sliding scale from left to right which is the way I applied to CA. Not a huge difference measurement wise but 20% difference so that surprised me a bit. So maybe I need to rotate left to right and right to left or use more glue? I apply the glue straight to the paper towel and then the blank, I've tried right on the blank also this has seemed to work better for me. Open to feedback on this and all other items mentioned as well.

Thanks for looking.

Warren
 

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I apply it straight to the blank left to right and it seems to build up more on the right side for me.
 
Warren; Everyone has different methods of finishing their projects and applying CA. This is mine. I hand sand my blanks with the lathe stopped, using 400 grit followed by 1200 grit. Wipeing with a tac rag after each sanding. I than turn my lathe down to the slowest speed, and apply a few drops of thick CA to the blank itself, letting it turn for a few seconds before using a soft white paper napkin to even out the coat. I apply the CA from left to right because the torque of the lathe comes from that end, and I'm right handed. I also run my napkin back and forth until I can just feel the glue thickening. 4 coats Of thick CA followed by a spray of Accelerator. Wipe dry and apply 4 more coats of Thick CA. I wipe off the excess and stop the lathe. Now I use 400 and 1200 grit finishing paper to take off the shine. Tac rag between grits and after final sanding. Apply a coat of One-Step Polish to blank. Turn up the lathe to a fast speed and rub or buff to a high luster. This is the method I use most of the time. I also sand sometimes with micro pads to 12000 or use a three step wax finish. I have realy never measured the final finish, but I know I have never sanded through it, and like the feeling of hand sanding to pick up any imperfections. Check the library or utube for different methods of applying CA. Just my method. Jim S
 
Last edited:
Rodnall said:
I apply it straight to the blank left to right and it seems to build up more on the right side for me.
Click to expand...

If you only apply your CA in one direction you are not evening out your coats, but pushing the excess from the left to the right , causing the buildup on the right end. Check the library for different methods of applying CA to your projects. Jim S
 
'over 9,000' is an meme made very popular by the internet.

"Over 9000" is a popular catchphrase derived from the Japanese manga anime series Dragon Ball Z that is typically used as an innumerable quantifier to describe a large number of something like "several", "lots", "butt loads" and even the metric "ass tonne".
Click to expand...
 
Warren, good to see others interested in finish and calipers.
May I point out that what I see from your numbers it appears you are listing diameters. You need to divide in half to get the actual thickness of the finish.
Your finish I the pic looks great!
 
Hey Charlie
Thanks for the kind words

More so thanks for pointing that out, seems obvious but missed that.

I did a sierra earlier in the week between centers, no bushings and it was interesting, fun and got me thinking a lot more which lead to this test. I still like bushings and want to get more sets for TBC at some point. In the meantime I'm learning a lot and having fun
 
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