How to make CA finish less satin and more gloss?

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Quality Pen

Quality Pen

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I've been trying to get that high gloss finish and (aside from poly) it seems that it is well accepted that CA is the go-to finish. However, when I try high gloss I end up with more of a satin finish.

So far I've tried a variety of things such as just thin CA, thin plus thick, sanding at various stages... but the high gloss just hasn't revealed itself.

I've also now tried denatured alcohol, BLO then CA and the finish turns out real nice. But when I give it a final sand it's no longer glossy.

Just wondering what it might be... :confused:

Thanks for reading! :smile:
 
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Oh, as far as sanding goes I have tried a variety but its 150 or 180 grit, the 240, 320, 600, 1k, 2k, 4k, 6k, 12k then thin CA 2 or 3 times. Then I would probably do 320 to make the blank "hazey" then sand up through to 12 then do thick. After I did the thick, I would probably do 1k up to 12k. Then finish it with a light wax to kind of buff it out.

Keep in mind, it's not like I've done this exact process 15 times -- I'm still a newb ;)
 
Ok. There are lots of methods but yours currently is not going to produce a good shine.

Here's some idea from my perspective.

Sand wood as high as you want. I see little purpose in going above 600 as it's getting ca over it. If you mm the wood, that's fine too. Smoother won't hurt but I'm not sure it helps.

I use either many - 10 coats of ca or a few coats of medium or often a couple thin, a few medium then a couple thin to smooth it out.

Only sand between coats if really needed - huge ridges. I rarely do.

I never use thick for finishing.

Make sure you're not sanding through most of your finish.

After ca sand with paper only as necessary. Feel how smooth it is and sand with the lowest grit needed. Don't sand off more finish than you need to.

Micromesh or whatever fine sanding you use.

Then - here's what you're missing - use a polish. I like novus but plastx from the auto store works as well.

You need a polish not just a wax. Some people just mm and that's it but I find a polish to be the best for me.

Hope this helps.
 
I agree with Dan, what you are doing will definitely not produce a glossy finish.
Here's what I do:

I turn the wood to a little under what it needs to be (if your using a caliper I do about .15 to .20 mm less) then sand with 250 and 400 grit. (at this point you might need to use an air compressor to blow any dust out of the little crevices in the wood)
I then do about 10 - 15 coats of thin CA (or however much it takes to bring it slightly over what the tube needs to be which for me is about .10 mm) using accelerator between each coat.
Then I use a skew to smooth out the ridges and bring it back down to size.
I will then start out immediately with the lowest grit of the Micro Mesh sheets and work my way up from there spending at least 30 seconds with each grit and stopping the lathe and sanding length ways in between each except for the last two grits.

This has given me extremely glossy / glass like finishes and I have been extremely pleased with it. I can literally see myself in my finishes!

I find no need for any sort of polish.

Hope this helps,
 
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I agree with the above. I have been turning the wood about half a hair below the bushings, sand with 220, 320, 400 and 600 stopping between each step to sand lengthwise around the whole barrel. I then use a shop towel with the lathe on and wipe with different pieces of the shop towel until the towel remains clean. Then I use a product I bought at Home Depot called Feed-N-Wax (beeswax/citrus oil blend) that really adds some depth to the grain. Then 7 to 10 coats of thin CA and the same with medium CA (basically however many times I can fold over a shop towel for each). I sand with 320 grit and remove dust with a shop towel until I see that there are no glossy areas. Stop, sand lengthwise, then sand 400, 600, 1000 and 1200 (stopping between each to sand lengthwise). I then break out the water and have at it with each stage of MM. I only sand lengthwise between the first four steps of MM as the rest don't really do any sanding and leave no visible scratches. It sounds like a long process, but it's not that bad. The results are pretty good, and I'm sure there are faster methods, but taking time to focus in finishing makes me forget about the key stressors of the day.
 
Thank you for the insights!

I will be trying these techniques to be sure!

Time is not as much a factor as getting it just right so if it's more labor intensive then that is perfectly ok.
 
This is what I do...may work for you, may not. Apply desired coats of CA...10-15 of medium is what I do. Knock it down, carefully! with 0000 steel wool. Make sure to go laterally to! Polish at moderate speed...your job to experiment...I use Huts. That always gives me a nice sheen, but not glassy. Again...this works for me, others may think it sucks.
 
Quality Pen said:
Dan Masshardt, why don't you use thick ever for finishing?
Click to expand...

I'd say very few do.

Personally, I want to lay layers as smooth as possible. I want the ca on the pen not the sandpaper.

Also, drying time (while staying smooth) is quicker)

Finally, I want even coverage while not having too much ca flowing off the ends.

If thick works for you, of course you can use it.
 
Bobby, make sure you do not overlook the stop/sand lengthwise step with each change in grit. Aways wet, always wipe previous grit/slurry from the pen before moving to the next grit. I use micro fiber cloth because it is less scratchy than paper towels in finishing. By the time you hit 12K, you should have a beautiful glass shine. I follow with Meguiar's Ultimate Polish, but honestly can't tell that I have advanced the shine beyond 12K.
 
4 coats med ca, accelerator, sand w/400 till no shinny spots. repeat 2 or 3 more times depending on your preferrence. mm wet 1500 - 12000. looks awesome!!!
 
Cmiles1985 said:
Here is a freshly finished cigar cap in my method.

Click to expand...

Just trying to help ...


There is serious heavy banding going on,

The right side slope is off and needs to be built up with more CA,

The photo should be cropped on the top and bottom to get more of a feel for what you are getting across,

Both ends are wicking,

Both ends are also under sized still and need more CA layers where they meet the bushings.
 
Even without a crystal clear photo, I see heavy scratching... you're either not going far enough up the mesh chain, or you're not swiping side to side enough times. There should be (literally) no visible scratch rings of any sort.

Cmiles1985 said:
Here is a freshly finished cigar cap in my method.

Click to expand...
 
What type of CA are you using? They are not all the same. I have no use for Stick Fast when finishing and use EZ Bond exclusively. Also how old is your CA? It does have a shelf life. If not already keeping it the refrigerator, start. I used to use shop towels, however, other more experienced members here pointed out that too much CA is absorbed by the towel and is wasteful. Try using nitrile gloves (cut off one of the fingers and put it on your index finger) to apply. Goes on smooth. I usually start off with several coats of thin and then go to medium. I do not use an accelerator. After the CA dries I wet MM only, starting usually with black and never with green or brown. Good luck.
 
Quality Pen said:
What you guys mention shop towels, are you referring to the standard blue shop towels?
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I've found most use Bounty due to less lint transfer.
I started using craft foam after using Bounty for several years. The craft foam has several advantages. 1. the CA beads up on the foam for much more even spreading. 2. The CA does not come thru and make the paper towel part of your finger!. 3. The craft foam can be used several times before it hardens up. 4. Craft foam is very cheap - I get 12 sheets (12" x 14") at Walmart for about $4 and cut them up into 1" by 6" strips. I can get a couple of pens out of a strip. 5. CA seems to go on smoother.
gordon
 


Not a CA finish, but same sanding/polishing technique I use for CA finishes. Crappy phone pic, but setting up DC and stopped for a quick IAP break!
 
What you guys mention shop towels, are you referring to the standard blue shop towels?
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Bobby, I haven't had any luck using paper towels; blue shop, Bounty, or whatever. I just couldn't get a smooth finish. So I tried doing something Barry Gross recommends in his book, i.e. using those little plastic bags pen parts come in. Just cover your finger with the bag and smooth out the CA. I found it quickly builds the finish, so fewer coats, remains crystal clear, and then wet sand with MM. You might want to give it a try.
 
edstreet said:
Does not count as it's not CA, topic here I thought was CA.
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You're dogging a guy in reference to a post he made 3 months ago? As butt-puckery as you are when people don't notice the displacement of a single atom in the plating on a macro-photo at 6.23 x 10^23 magnification, you sure seem to be having trouble noticing how old threads are when you take issue with them.

Why didn't you take issue with the photo back in March when it was posted? Do you suppose that he might possibly have become more proficient at finishing in the 3 months since? Is it at all possible to accept that concept without insulting him?

Sheesh. :rolleyes:
 
My bad... I kinda missed the age of the thread, too... :frown:

But to be fair, I haven't logged on here in maybe 6 months, so I couldn't critique back then :tongue:
 
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