GluBoost and Humidity

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Danged, it is typically over 75% humidity almost all year long down here in South Texas on the west side of Copano Bay. Oh well, I certainly hope the Glue Boos has a long shelf life before opening. And yes, thanks Ed for the advise, I definitely respect your advise and opinions. ……..Smokey😎😃
 
As I said a few days ago, Artificial Intelligence can give very good information. It draws on all the information on the internet. Here is the answer Chatgpt gave regarding finishing pens in humidity over 75%:

When the ambient humidity is over 75%, finishing pens becomes tricky because many common finishes—especially those that rely on evaporation or curing—can suffer from clouding, slow drying, or poor adhesion. However, there are a few finishes that perform better under high-humidity conditions:



✅ Best Finishes for High Humidity (>75%)


  1. CA (Cyanoacrylate) Finish
    • Why it works: CA glue cures through a chemical reaction, not evaporation, and is less affected by humidity (though extremely high humidity can accelerate curing).
    • Tips:
      • Use thin coats to avoid fogging.
      • Work quickly; high humidity can cause it to set faster than expected.
      • Consider a dehumidifier or small fan nearby to help regulate conditions.
  2. Oil-Based Finishes (e.g., Danish Oil, Tung Oil)
    • Why it works: These finishes cure by oxidation, which is slower but less affected by ambient humidity.
    • Best for: Penmakers who like a natural, hand-rubbed finish.
    • Caveat: Long cure times—allow several days between coats.
  3. Wax Finishes (e.g., Carnauba, Renaissance Wax)
    • Why it works: Waxes don't rely on curing or drying, just buffing.
    • Best for: Quick finishes or over other sealed layers.
    • Drawback: Not very durable by themselves.


❌ Finishes to Avoid in High Humidity


  • Lacquer Sprays or Nitrocellulose Lacquers
    • Tend to blush (turn milky) in humid air due to trapped moisture.
  • Shellac
    • Can absorb moisture, causing cloudiness or poor adhesion.
  • Water-Based Finishes
    • Often struggle with proper curing and clarity in damp conditions.


Pro Tip:


If you consistently work in a humid environment, a small climate-controlled finishing cabinet or portable dehumidifier can greatly improve your results—especially for consistent CA or oil-based finishes.


Let me know what type of look or durability you're aiming for, and I can tailor the recommendation further.

Hope this helps!
Ed
 
Last edited:
ed4copies said:

✅ Best Finishes for High Humidity (>75%)


  1. CA (Cyanoacrylate) Finish
    • Why it works: CA glue cures through a chemical reaction, not evaporation, and is less affected by humidity (though extremely high humidity can accelerate curing).
    • Tips:
      • Use thin coats to avoid fogging.
      • Work quickly; high humidity can cause it to set faster than expected.
      • Consider a dehumidifier or small fan nearby to help regulate conditions.
Click to expand...

This one is interesting... CA cures through a cascade reaction that is most often triggered by water reacting with the initial chemicals of CA that form the polymers. Water molecules have that polarity, which causes this weak double bond on the reactive end of the individual polymer molecules to break, forming a single bond and freeing up an electron to bond with the water (or rather OH). Once that initial bond is broken, it changes the polarity of the entire molecule, which then allows it to do the same thing to other molecules of the polymer, kicking off a chain reaction. A tiny bit of water can actually trigger the formation of long polymer chains in CA. Once the process is kicked off, it tends to accelerate, and its exothermic, thus the way it spits off fumes as it releases the materials of its medium (which are solvents and thickeners, usually.)

I had heard in the past that 75% was basically the cutoff point for applying CA, but that in general with higher humidity, it would usually start to polymerize faster because there is more readily available water in the air to kick off the process. So the open time is shorter, at the very least, but then the chance of clouding increases progressively as well.

I have been working on pens again (after some time not), and a short while back we had some rain storms move through. While I did not get clouding, I did leave a blank on the lathe overnight after I had applied the final coats. In the morning, the entire surface had a frosty white appearance. I suspect it was because of the humidity overnight (we had heavy rains)...and I wonder, if I had actively been applying CA later that night, if I would have ended up with cloudiness. I think the humidity topped out at around 60%, and I wasn't even sure what I was looking at at first...it looked like a thin layer of frost.
 
STBO, but a dehumidifier has done lots for the ambient humidity in a basement workshop (Great Lakes area). What had been as high as 65% but usually hovered in the 55% range is now consistently 40%. It can get as high as 45%-50% if there are persistent, heavy rains (2 or more days of nearly constant rain).
 
This is how they rate out humidity levels in E.Tx. This is an older one for may. Right now, all of our days are in the oppressive area. Lol

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