Cold Weather Question

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Wheaties

Wheaties

Member
Joined
May 8, 2009
Messages
714
Location
Omaha, NE
So I just got and order for a pen. I was going to be shut down for the winter as I do not yet have garage heat, but now I have to attempt to put on a CA finish in COLD weather. I don't want to use a different finish and I do not have any accelerator on hand. Is there any tricks or tips that could help me with a cold weather finish? I was thinking something like a blow dryer. Or is that a waste of time?

Thanks
 
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Don't be afraid of old man winter. Look at this as an excuse to buy you a small heater. It was 35 this weekend and with a little time for warmup, the garage was plenty warm for CA. Of I could suggest however using acc. It really makes a difference.
DJharry
 
35, oh how I wish, it is 4 degrees and I have 4 pens to get done and I still need to get the lathe out to the new shop. If only I had not put it off while it was 35 out.
 
I came to conclusion that smaller amount of CA drops should be put on the towel during cold weather.
If I put 4, somethimes even 5 drops of CA (medium, thick) per layer (1 blank) during summer, this comes to 2, max 3 drops during winter. It cures much faster during summer, while 4 drops makes quite a mess in cold shop.

And what I just discovered today (doe there has been a LOT of discusion so far in this forum) that brand of paper towels makes BIG difference. I used cheap one at first - total mess. Got upset, went to shop (out of stock .. grrrr), went to other shop, bought Bounty towels, came back and it worked great (under same conditions as the cheap ones).
 
It's all going to depend on how you do a CA finish. If your used to burning in a CA finish then it won't work as well. If your more of the build up layers camp, you can do a coat or two a day for a few days and then go from there. CA works, it just takes longer in the cold, dry air. It's mainly the dry air that does it. The moisture from humidity helps the CA cure quicker during normal summer temps.
 
I work in a cooler shop. Keep the CA in the house to warm up before use or keep a tub of warm water with you or if you have an old heating pad put a piece of glass on top for a flat surface. A small fan for air flow will help as will a hair drier but the accelerator is what helps me the most.
Give it a try on a spare blank or low grade blank you have on hand. Sand it off and try something different till you find a way that works for you.
 
I don't know, Zach. Since you and I live in the same metro area we, obviously, have the same weather. I have, simply, switched to acrylics and won't even try wood until March. I, too, prefer the CA finish (actually, BLO/CA). Hopefully, by next winter, I can insulate and put new doors on the garage. THEN a heater of some sort will make sense! If I ABSOLUTELY had to do a wood pen with CA finish I would put my heater directly behind the lathe facing myself and go ahead and give it a try. Lots of Luck!

Dan
 
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