How many coats?

[bking0217]

For the first time, I sanded through my finish today. I tried to get away with only putting on 5 coats of medium CA for a finish and I paid for it. Just wondering, how many coats, and what viscocity, go into your CA finish? I know everyone does it differently but I'm always looking for new ideas.

 

[WoodNutOntario]

Hi Brian,

Everyone will give you a different answer here.
I generally do 3 coats of thin to seal it nicely.
Then 4+ coats of medium.

It all depends on how you apply the CA.
If it is nice and smooth, you will not need to do a lot of sanding and should not go through the finish.

Once i am done with my CA finish i usually use 600 or 800 grit water paper just to get any bumps out and to smooth the surface.
Then it is on the the Micro Mesh from 1000 and up.

Hope this helps a bit!

Andrew

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Andrew is correct that you will get an endless amount of answers. The key is finding out how much you sand off of a finish on average. So the best answer, IMHO, is to measure the blanks after you apply your last coat of CA. Next measure after you have sanded and polished the blank. Write this down for several blanks. Also keep track of the wood. Some woods will soak up the CA and the CA will not be as thick as you think. Once you have done a couple dozen you should has some figures you can work with. If you are heavy handed with the sand paper and MM like me then you may find that you take .006 or higher off finishing the blank. Pretty soon you will know what is YOUR best method. You will learn how many coats are needed on a soft or hard piece of wood. You will learn how much below the fittings you need to be before you start the CA to get the depth of shine you want.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

I have been having good results with Med. CA. I do 6 to 10 coats then use MM starting with the 3rd sheet and as of yet haven't had any issues with sanding through yet, a lot does depend on the wood. When I do a CA finish I like the pen to be glassy smooth so when you look at the pen you don't feel the grain. I think the most coats that I have ever done is about 15.

 

[Andrew Arndts]

I am no expert by any stretch of my imagination.
I use Medium.
3 coats, then sand the high spots with 320. apply another 3-5. sand again with with 400 or 500. again just get the high spots. from there 2-4 more coats, (total of 10 no more than 12) then 500 grit to 1000. after all that. I get my Number 7 automotive rubbing compound rub it on. let it set for a minute or two. buff it off. grab the Number 7 polishing compound. do that the same as rubbing compound. of which it is at the gloss I like.

 

[its_virgil]

No sanding after the CA is applied. Well, sort of...use the last 4 micromesh pads and then buff. And, yes, we all do it differently. Three coats of super thin, 2 coats of medium, and 2 coats of super thin. No high spots. I think one of the most common mistakes is to remove the applicator too quickly. Continue moving the applicator side to side until the CA starts to shine.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

For the first time, I sanded through my finish today. I tried to get away with only putting on 5 coats of medium CA for a finish and I paid for it. Just wondering, how many coats, and what viscocity, go into your CA finish? I know everyone does it differently but I'm always looking for new ideas.

 

[aggromere]

There was another post kinda like this and I responded with a tip that I use. I do kinda like andrew. Once sanded and cleaned I apply three coats of thin, let it dry or hit with accelerator, then sand with 400, 600 and then 1500 mm. I wipe the blank clean and look for high spots (the ones where the finish came off). If there are some I do the 'primer' finish again until im not sanding through. The I do maybe 1 or two more coats of thin a few of medium. In theory if you didn't sand through the primer coat you wont sand through the finishing coats. I wait till I have all the layers I want before I sand again, then I wet sand with a slurry (real wet) with MM through 12k, inspect and polish.

 

[spnemo]

I apply five coats of thin then 5 -7 coats of medium at high speed. This gives me a fairly smooth surfacs so little standing is needed. Just one past with each of the MM grits then buff on the lathe with a little plastic polish or white diamond. Finish with a little renaisance wax.

 

[rherrell]

ONLY five? I put on two coats of medium and ALMOST never sand through. Put a light right above your work and when the "shiney" spots disappear....stop sanding.:wink::biggrin: