leehljp
Member Liaison
Recently, I have noticed several posts in which a particular word is used in the same sentence with applying CA. The word: "ridges."
Do a search of threads that contain this word and you will find 15 pages going back to 2004. Not all have to do with CA but the vast majority do.
The main complaint is that when applying CA, there are ridges. Of course some say use plastic, rubber or other applicators. I do. BUT still, there are ridges of sorts. And, these ridges in CA are causing some people trouble. I never gave it much thought because I have never had problems getting rid of ridges while not sanding through on low spots.
HERE is how I sand out ridges without sanding through on the low spots: Use a slightly stiffed backed sandpaper. Soft back, cloth backed, and foam backed SP and MM, and other very flexible sanding medium will sand down IN the groves - as well as the high points (ridges). (USE FINE SP 400, or 600 is even better) Hard backed (slightly stiff backed) SandPaper will remove the ridges without sanding down the whole area. Don't use heavy or even moderate pressure. Use light pressure until the ridges are gone! Once done, succeeding layers will go on smoother, and if needed, the same method will remove ridges on the next layers also.
I use one hand to hold one side of the strip of SP and the other hand to hold the other end of the strip. Holding stiff backed SP with light pressure against the turning blank will apply pressure only at high points and bring it down to the level of the whole of the CA finish. IF you think of rushing it just a tad, or using a bit more pressure to speed up the process, you probably will not accomplish what you wish, and this method will not work consistently. The goal is to get rid of the ridges of CA without disturbing the whole of the CA application - not how fast it can be done.
(This is not the same as when a blank is high on one side and not the other. In this case, use a wide popcicle stick with sandpaper glued on. Hold with light pressure against the turning blank and let it hit the high side only. After a minute or so, the high side will come down. Too much pressure will sand both sides, defeating the purpose.)
Do a search of threads that contain this word and you will find 15 pages going back to 2004. Not all have to do with CA but the vast majority do.
The main complaint is that when applying CA, there are ridges. Of course some say use plastic, rubber or other applicators. I do. BUT still, there are ridges of sorts. And, these ridges in CA are causing some people trouble. I never gave it much thought because I have never had problems getting rid of ridges while not sanding through on low spots.
HERE is how I sand out ridges without sanding through on the low spots: Use a slightly stiffed backed sandpaper. Soft back, cloth backed, and foam backed SP and MM, and other very flexible sanding medium will sand down IN the groves - as well as the high points (ridges). (USE FINE SP 400, or 600 is even better) Hard backed (slightly stiff backed) SandPaper will remove the ridges without sanding down the whole area. Don't use heavy or even moderate pressure. Use light pressure until the ridges are gone! Once done, succeeding layers will go on smoother, and if needed, the same method will remove ridges on the next layers also.
I use one hand to hold one side of the strip of SP and the other hand to hold the other end of the strip. Holding stiff backed SP with light pressure against the turning blank will apply pressure only at high points and bring it down to the level of the whole of the CA finish. IF you think of rushing it just a tad, or using a bit more pressure to speed up the process, you probably will not accomplish what you wish, and this method will not work consistently. The goal is to get rid of the ridges of CA without disturbing the whole of the CA application - not how fast it can be done.
(This is not the same as when a blank is high on one side and not the other. In this case, use a wide popcicle stick with sandpaper glued on. Hold with light pressure against the turning blank and let it hit the high side only. After a minute or so, the high side will come down. Too much pressure will sand both sides, defeating the purpose.)
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