CA sanding question

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dwmcreynolds

Member
Joined
May 25, 2007
Messages
7
Location
Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
I did my first SUCCESSFUL CA-BLO finish today, after lots of trial and error. I like the look of it, undecided about the feel. I have a question though-when micromeshing the CA, is it better to do it dry or wet?

Also, an unrelated question: is it possible to build up a barrel with numerous coats of CA? I turned a cigar with a magnificent piece of wood, but was brokenhearted to discover the center band is a little proud (worn bushing). I'm thinking I could salvage the pen by building up an extra thick coat of CA on the upper barrel. Is this doable?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Wet or dry? That will be up to you and your feel of the finishes. I think most will say dry and a few say do it wet.

Build up a barrel: Yes, I do it occasionally and with good success. It does take experience, or luck. Experience is the more successful of the two.
 
I do it dry just because of how I store my MM in plastic boxes, each in their own "cubby" so they would not dry as well in there. I have never had a problem with doing it just dry.

And yes, you can build up the finish with some CA, I highly recomend a set of digital calipers. I use them in all stages of my pens and find them to be highly usefull around the shop too!
 
I'm just starting to experiment with the CA/BLO finish. Ran into some issues this weekend. While attempting to turn a purpleheart blank, Did what I thought was a decent job until I noticed several dull spots. I first tried to repair the finish, but it did not look right, then I decided to re-do the finish. Sanded down the blank and started again. I clean with DNA between, but ended up with a decent finish, but it looks like white filling the grain of the blank. I think this may be the sanding from the first CA finish. Any suggestions, comments?
 
Well, with open grain woods like PH, you should make a "slurry" with maybe 220 grit and CA to fill the pores. Start sanding at slow speed to get some dust built up. Now add some CA to the sandpaper & dust and continue sanding until it starts to harden. Make sure you get the blank "filled" and once dry, knock it back down to the wood and sand as normal.

The dull spots are where you went thru the CA (my biggest problem with CA/BLO) I now apply straight CA and my problems have gone away. [:D]
 
Wet sanding with any abrasive grit will leave a smoother finish becausee the thickness of the lubricant supports the medium above the wood and the sanding scratches are shallower; and the lubricant make a smoother scratch in the surface. This is as true for Micro-Mesh as it is for sandpaper.

The problem with the finer grits is that the thickness of the lubricant film must be thin enough that the fine abrasive touches the wood and is not supported above the wood on a liquid film.
 
Russ,

What do you use for a lubricant when you wet sand with MM? And do you wet sand thru all the MM grits?

Originally posted by RussFairfield
<br />Wet sanding with any abrasive grit will leave a smoother finish becausee the thickness of the lubricant supports the medium above the wood and the sanding scratches are shallower; and the lubricant make a smoother scratch in the surface. This is as true for Micro-Mesh as it is for sandpaper.

The problem with the finer grits is that the thickness of the lubricant film must be thin enough that the fine abrasive touches the wood and is not supported above the wood on a liquid film.
Click to expand...
 
When I wet sand I get a small cup of water and add a few drops of Dawn dish washing liquid. This serves several purposes. What Russ said saves me alot of typing. Wet sanding also keeps your pieces cooler. The dish liquid also gives a bit more lube, also removes any contaminants that may be present. That is a trick from a guy who has been wet sanding for a living for 40+ yrs. Hope this helps.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom