Hot weather finishing

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Displaced Canadian

Displaced Canadian

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Millersburg, OR
It doesn't normally get this hot around here and the pen that I'm finishing is drying real slow and the finish feels a little softer than I am used to. I know that heat and humidity affect how CA dries so what can I expect to be different and what can I do to make this pen finish well. It is Teak burl and is quite nice and I would hate to screw it up. Any advice is appreciated.
 
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I guess I'm an opposite for the finishing... It's always hot(95*F-today, it was cooler then normal) and humidity was right at 68%(down from 77% yesterday).

I use Monty's thin CA(first coat) and then 3x thick CA/BLO. I haven't noticed a lot of change in the finish from the winter finishes with the same method. Winter temps average 30-50*F with humidity swinging 35-65%


I'm thinking your Teak either isn't completely dry or has some oil to it.....


Scott (you have a moisture meter) B
 
Teak is a very oily wood to begin with and if you are adding BLO to it expect it to affect the way it cures . You really shouldn't use BLO on oily woods and if you do , clean the blank real well with Acetone or Accelerator first .
 
I don't use BLO. I wiped the blank with acetone, let it sit sit for about 24 hours, wiped with acetone again and finished with med CA yesterday. The finish is dry and no sign of clouding it just doesn't feel as hard as it normally does. This is my first Teak pen.

I can't go back to Manitoba now, It's haying season. :eek: My Dad bales about 8000 bales a year.
 
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Bah...we're on day 18 of consecutive temps over 100F. :) I've got the fans running in the shop, venting the garage door and I still sweat buckets. I think I use more paper towels wiping the sweat off of my forehead than I do for finishing. :)

As for the OP, I was having issues with my CA acting funky (curing very fast, not bonding well, etc) until I took it out of my garage and put it in the fridge when I wasn't using it. I now glue my blanks inside the house with the A/C and I don't pull out the CA until just before I start the finish process. It's saved me a lot of headache.
 
Remember that all finishes, including CA glue, work best at 70F and 70% humidity. Many will say that on the can.

There is also nothing like hot weather to tell you that the CA is getting older. Old CA may still be used in normal to cooler weather, but a 100F shop will kill it every time. The hotter wood surfaces will also do strange things to any finish you use.

There is also the possibility that the natural oils in the wood are causing the problem. They rise to the surface much faster in hotter weather. If that is the problem, you can either just wait and see what happens over time and cooler weather, or you can remove the finish with sandpaper and start over again. Remove a thick finish with acetone and sanding, and then wipe away any of the wood oils on the surface with fresh acetone. I always give it time first because removing a half-cured finish is always a mess.

Give it just time enough to evaporate the acetone and the wood to return to room temperature, sandit again if the surface was roughened, and immediately refinish the wood again before any of the oil can return to the surface.
 
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An interesting thread. I have not really noticed much difference in how CA finishes with different ambient temperatures (used in in the garage just above freezing, and at 30 C), but have noticed a huge difference depending on the humidity. Humid days, the CA hardens quickly, and it is easy to lay down a good 5-6 coats over a half hour before polishing. Dry days, it takes forever, and I resort to breathign on the turning wood to cure it faster.:bulgy-eyes:

Of course, if you hear some story about a crazy canadian tearing his face off while crazy-glueing it to a lathe, you'll know what happened...:eek:

Ken
 
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