HELP!!!!!!

[shawndakin]

I have a problem. The last 3 pens that I have put a finish on have all turned up with white spots after I micro mesh. I use a Ca/BLO finish then MM to 12000 then polish. But on the last 3 after i MM i can see white spots in the finish and this is the first time this has happened. I even took the finish back down to bare wood and started all over and some(not as many) still showed up. What am I doing wrong and how do I fix it?

 

[Displaced Canadian]

What kind of wood are you using? Sometimes I will get white marks from touching the blank before the glue it dry.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

What is the humidity like when you are doing the finish? We have had similar problems when we are doing finishes on days when there is high humidity.

 

[Jgrden]

I will cast my vote for the humidity. This has happened to me. In fact, I threw about ten bad blanks away yesterday. I did not want to take the time to peal the Resin away from the brass tubes.

 

[Drstrangefart]

I had the same problem and it came from accellerator being used to fast and too close. I waited a bit longer and held the can farther away and the problem went away. If you have moisture in the wood, that could do it, but I've finished more than a few pens that should have been too wet and had no signifigant problems. Try adjusting how you use the accellerator. If you don't use any, try waiting longer before micromesh.

 

[itzapen]

Shawn,
I do not use BLO, so I can't add on in that area, make sure when you are all done with the MM to remove every spec of dust. When I'm ready to add the CA, I load up a shop towel with accellerator and go back & forth across the blank to remove every speck of dust before I start. I'm always surprised at how much dust is left on there. If you don't have accellerator, use a lightly damp shop towel. Also, blow the area around your lathe to make sure all shavings and dust are gone so nothing jumps up while spinning with CA. I've had that happen too. Other than that, good luck.
Clyde

 

[jskeen]

how old was the bottle of ca? Even if it's still ok for gluing stuff, it can get old and start causing headaches in your finishes. I'd try cracking open a new bottle before I got too wound up.

 

[Mark]

I'd go with humidity too. Had a Black Walnut blank that it kept happening too. I about gave up. I posed the question on here and sure enough it was the humidity in my shop area. I had taken that blank back down to wood several times and it kept coming back. Sure is annoying.. Try drying the shop area out with a dehumidifier or turning up the heat a bit (if possible). That sure cured my white spot problems.

I used an old A/C unit because I didn't have a dehumidifier, but it worked. I just left it drain over the floor drain and I only needed about three days for it to dry the place out.

Good Luck.