CA glue DIY accelerator

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Benelli6

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Joined
Aug 27, 2019
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8
Location
Rockford michigan
Has anyone had experience with using baking soda mixed with water as an activator for finishing pens? I heard about this "hack" and am curious if it actually would work. Are there any downsides to it? If it works well would it be worth using instead of buying legit activator?

Thanks for the help!
 
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jttheclockman

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Joined
Feb 22, 2005
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19,082
Location
NJ, USA.
Has anyone had experience with using baking soda mixed with water as an activator for finishing pens? I heard about this "hack" and am curious if it actually would work. Are there any downsides to it? If it works well would it be worth using instead of buying legit activator?

Thanks for the help!
For your reading pleasure. Just do a search here and you will find anything pen related. Have fun.

https://www.penturners.org/threads/homemade-ca-accelerator.3570/
 

robutacion

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Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
6,514
Location
Australia - SA Adelaide Hills
You have no idea what sort of "things" were suggested as a CA accelerator replacement and they all proven to be rubbish, a bit search or the issue will answer any questions.

Cheers
George
 

Woodchipper

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Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Messages
5,138
Location
Cleveland, TN
Too mch water, to me, would spoil the finish. I have a can of TB Accelerator that has lasted for ages. Just need a quick burst while the blank or piece is turning at the slowest speed for a couple of seconds.
 

leehljp

Member Liaison
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,314
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
Baking soda as an accelerator has been around for around 50+ years. It is used and works in places where visibility as as a finish is not necessary. The beauty of CA is i.e. clarity. Soda will introduce whiteness.

I first used baking soda as an accelerator back in the late '60s when building flying model balsa planes. It IS an accelerator but not helpful as a finish.

I will admit that I did not use water with the backing soda, just used soda directly to the CA and joints of balsa.
 

penicillin

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Joined
Feb 27, 2019
Messages
1,036
The simple answer to these questions is to try it out and see what happens. Write down the details, so you can repeat it again if you like the results.

Put on your personal safety protection, put on the CA, stand back, and try the accelerator. See what happens. I guarantee that you will get fast and trustworthy answers, compared with posting the question and waiting for people to post their opinions.

If you don't like the results, use the lathe to turn off the finish and try another accelerator. When you start to get close to the bushings, complete the pen. Try some more finishes on the next pen blank.
 
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