CA Ripples

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jttheclockman

jttheclockman

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Joined
Feb 22, 2005
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19,886
Location
NJ, USA.
Was practicing on applying CA on a few blanks yesterday and I was using thin CA and accelerator. I put on about 10 coats and was looking great until I micromeshed it down and looked at them in the light. At the right angle you can see ripples going across the blank. You can not feel them. Now I guess it has to do with my method of spreading it out. I used the blue shop towels and put on about 4 or 5 drops of CA and made two passes with the towel. Then sprayed the Accelerator and proceded to do this about 10 times changing the end of the paper each time so I was using fresh paper each time. What would be wrong with this procedure.??? Thanks for the help.
 
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I've had issues with the blue shop towels in the past. It is as if they have some sort of chemical in them that caused the CA to do weird stuff. Switching to bounty and then to viva has improved my finish at both steps.

I also only do two coats of thin CA to "seal" the wood and pop the grain. Then I switch to medium or thick CA and apply 3-4 coats of that as my actual finish.

One thing I do that helps, also, is I put a couple of drops of CA onto the paper towel and then use that to start the application adding a couple more drops of CA as I go. This makes it so the paper towel is already saturated so it doesn't try to remove the CA I'm working so hard to put onto the pen. Seems to result in a smoother application.

GK
 
You gave me a few very good tips in your response and I will try them. You might be right about the towel soaking up the CA beforeit gets a good flow around the blank. As far as the towels go I thought the blue ones were the better ones. I will try the Viva. and or bounty. Have those around for everyday use. Thanks for the tips.
 
The bounty worked fine for me. But it is a pretty rough texture so getting a smooth finish was less likely so took more CA and more sanding. But the end result was the same. Viva is smoother so is easier (for me).

Good luck. Look forward to seeing pictures of your future pens!
GK
 
I use the white Scott shop towel, not the blue. I find they are a little thicker than Bounty or any other paper towel.
 
Whichever application method you use, a trick I've found to help prevent that is to keep moving the towel or baggie back and forth until the CA gets sticky. Then you have about a tenth of a second to pull your hand away before it's permanently glued. But you will have what looks like an ugly finish when you're done. Very rough. And it sands down very nicely because the roughness is from very small spikes and smears that are easily removed.
 
I fold the towel into an edge about as long as one of the half-blanks.

I dribble a line of medium CA on the end of the paper towel and touch it to the blank so that the entire length of the blank sees the CA at the same time. A small wiggle to even things out, then pull away.
 
I use thin CA and Viva towels. I've had the ridges from time to time, but they are usually cleared up in the sanding. My first step after CA is to use a piece of 1000 grit sandpaper on the finish. I make sure I have an even satin finish before I start the MicroMesh. This clears up any ridges I've had.

Using the 1000 grit sandpaper helps me avoid going through the finish with the 1500 MM. The 1500 MM is a little too aggressive, and if I try to clean up any ridges with it, I usually end up going through the finish somewhere. I guess I could start with the 2400MM, but I haven't tried that.

Ben
 
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