I got my first acceptable CA finish just last night after about a dozen tries on various woods over the past few weeks. . . . Here in Texas it's hot and humid. Craft foam stays wet too long for me. Plastic bags tend to put on the CA too thickly.
What was causing me problems was that I was trying to do it without accelerator.
-Matt
Matt, a lot of finishing is "relative" to the location and situation. To you, Plano is hot and humid. Plano is not humid compared to some locations. Rob, above is in the NO area and that is humid!
Humidity and temp both play an important part of CA curing. As the temps drop late this fall, you may find that your CA techniques will require adjustments. Also, the kind of accelerator used will affect the finish. Different brands and types use different chemical compounds as part of the accelerator make-up. Acetone is one ingredient that is used as a base in some but not it others; water is a base used in another, and of course there are other ingredients. Some cause the CA to "blossom" and emit high heat. Some cause the CA to suddenly get cold to touch. Some are mild, some are stronger.
Most people do not realize these differences and why 6 months down the road that suddenly they suddenly start having problems. A search on this forum will show these same type of explanations by others from several years ago. Also going back, you will find that some people will say, "I never had a problem with cloudy and CA" and then some will say the opposite. A look at the location of the poster will show those in cooler or humid areas have one set of problems that those in hotter and dryer areas don't.
Here in N. Mississippi, I am finding that thin CA will cure so fast on a turning lathe (about the same speed as yours) that I can't get from one end to the other of the blank before it is cured. I have to douse it with CA to keep if from sticking to the applicator (rubber gloves for me).
But Having lived overseas and making pen in two different countries and pure observation of the location of people on this forum and their problems, or non-problems with CA, there are a "patterns" to the way that CA acts, reacts, works and doesn't work so well.
CA finishes are somewhat temp and humidity sensitive and mix in the difference in brands, freshness, and accelerator brands, it can get complicated. There is no "one" way that works well everywhere. What one considers "hot" some will say that is mild. What some say is "humid" to others is dry. 70% - 75% humidity is HUMID to me! But I have lived in the NO area and know the difference. And the difference between 70% and 90% can and will affect CA as a finish. The difference between 70% and below 50% will also affect it differently. It is a pot shoot and some people get lucky without knowing it. :biggrin: