cracked Ca. What's wrong

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diamundgem

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Joined
Oct 12, 2007
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228
Location
Conyers, GA, USA.
I have been experimenting with Ca finish, was getting pretty good too. Then I noticed one of my best Lotis pens starting to show a milky look at one end and after a better look saw little cracks starting to show all over the cap part of the pen. For my own use, I think I will go back to my own mixture of Alcohol/BLO/ and Shellac mixed in a can About like the Hut finish but cheaper when you make it your self
 
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Could stem from material, CA has a tough time adhering to some oily woods as I'm sure you're aware. But the thing where I see this most often, at least for me, is if I get a little bit of "lift" on the ends of a barrel at the end of the finishing process either from a) snapping of the bushings that became stuck to the barrel from the CA finish (I don't do it this way anymore, I always apply the CA between centers with no bushings), or b) if I get sloppy applying the CA between centers and too much runs over the end of the barrel, sometimes in the process of sanding that off I'll cause the same problem - just a little bit of lift. Once that happens, sometimes it expands - no solution but to sand it off and start over with the finish. I'm getting better at getting my CA finish just to the edge with not much slop running over the end - but getting a perfect finish to the very edge has been by far the most nagging thing I've dealt with over the past 2 years...
 
Munsterlander said:
Could stem from material, CA has a tough time adhering to some oily woods as I'm sure you're aware. But the thing where I see this most often, at least for me, is if I get a little bit of "lift" on the ends of a barrel at the end of the finishing process either from a) snapping of the bushings that became stuck to the barrel from the CA finish (I don't do it this way anymore, I always apply the CA between centers with no bushings), or b) if I get sloppy applying the CA between centers and too much runs over the end of the barrel, sometimes in the process of sanding that off I'll cause the same problem - just a little bit of lift. Once that happens, sometimes it expands - no solution but to sand it off and start over with the finish. I'm getting better at getting my CA finish just to the edge with not much slop running over the end - but getting a perfect finish to the very edge has been by far the most nagging thing I've dealt with over the past 2 years...
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I gotta say it:

You must be single!!​
 
Jim,

Many people use many different finishes and that is great. What you suggest that works for you is also great.

I do want to tell some wisdom that has been passed on here from lots of experience. Good finish for woodworking in general does not always make for good pen finishes. When pens are put into the shirt pocket, the humidity and temp in the summer wear/break down lots of finishes that hold up well on furniture. Oil from the hands are caustic to many finishes on pens that are absolutely beautiful on furniture.

Just something to watch for.
 
I seem to recall a thread not long ago where this symptom was described. If memory serves one possible explanation was moisture in the wood prior to CA. When the moisture evaporates the pen will contract causing minute cracks in the CA. This may/may not be the case with your pen, but I thought I would mention it just in case.
I have also caused cracks in the CA when not sanding the ends square and flush before assembly. That nasty cracking sound when pressing the parts together is an instant reminder that I missed a step!
 
It is easy to crack the ends of a large pen when we push in a fitting that is a little too tight or there is a burr around the inside of the tube from our end mill. The wood may not crack as the tube expands, but a CA finish is quite brittle and doesn't stretch at all.
 
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