Longest lasting finish other than CA?

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J

jleiwig

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Jan 10, 2007
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Monroe, Ohio, USA.
Well I tried my first CA finish. The smell made me gag and my eyes water and even when I inhaled through my mask, It still happened. So I guess I'm going to pass on the CA finish until I can get a dust collector that is strong enough to pull the fumes out of the room.

So, that being said what is the most durable finish that won't try to kill me?
 
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Plexiglas is a bit more durable than CA, with less fumes. There are a few ways to apply it, hewunch has a good method and I can show my version at the August meeting if you'd like. I did a demo in the January IAP meeting, so I don't want to bore anyone who has already seen it.
 
Thanks for the tips. I was wondering about the plexitone finish if had major fumes. Due to the reaction I'm not comfortable using just a fan until I can arrange a setup to exhaust the fumes outside.
 
jleiwig said:
Thanks for the tips. I was wondering about the plexitone finish if had major fumes. Due to the reaction I'm not comfortable using just a fan until I can arrange a setup to exhaust the fumes outside.
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Justin; I have a 4" hose from my dust collector semi-permanently mounted right behind the spot where the blank normally is. NO CA SMELL OR FUMES!!!! and it gets all the sanding dust too!
 
I find the plexi finish to have a very strong odor. You're dissolving plexiglass in acetone, so you're getting the acetone fumes instead of the CA fumes. Even if you use a more mild solvent, you're still getting fumes. They can still be dangerous even though it may not bother you as much as CA fumes. Neither of them are good, lol.
 
Oh, no, that's not why I'm waiting. She's been in cali dealing with sick family for 2 months. She flys back tomorrow to drop my daughter off then on Wed she turns around and flys back to Cali for an unknown amount of time.

So I'm gonna take advantage of the few days she's here, if ya know what I mean.

:bananen_smilies008:
 
DurocShark said:
Oh, no, that's not why I'm waiting. She's been in cali dealing with sick family for 2 months. She flys back tomorrow to drop my daughter off then on Wed she turns around and flys back to Cali for an unknown amount of time.

So I'm gonna take advantage of the few days she's here, if ya know what I mean.

:bananen_smilies008:
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Well, I didn't want to be the first one to bring that up, but that sounds about right to me. Ha Ha!!! :biggrin:
 
babyblues said:
I find the plexi finish to have a very strong odor. You're dissolving plexiglass in acetone, so you're getting the acetone fumes instead of the CA fumes. Even if you use a more mild solvent, you're still getting fumes. They can still be dangerous even though it may not bother you as much as CA fumes. Neither of them are good, lol.
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I'll check it out. I don't remember acetone having an odor that affected me like the CA did last night. I've inhaled lots of chemical fumes, but nothing has ever affected me like the CA did. It was horrible! I don't know how you guys do it!
 
Ditto on the fan idea. I have a small fan at the tailstock end of my lathe that I keep on while I turn. It blows the fumes away and I hardly notice them.
 
I've been playing with Behlens Qualalacq Lacquer. I've just started using it but based on my limited use to date, I think I'm really going to like this stuff. Very hard and durable finish that dries very quick for a lacquer. It states that it is thinned for spraying, but it's just slightly thinner than I like to use for spraying. It might dip really well actually so I might give that a try. Always searching for something better even though this subject has been chewed on as much as any on this forum.
 
I've been reluctant to indicate to this forum that I use cheap, Walmart spray Krylon Acrylic. I spray it while the lathe turns very slowly. I cover the base of the lathe as I don't want spray to get on that surface. All other overspray I just periodically deal with. What I like about this finish is you can recoat just about immediately if you like and it can be sanded in 30-60 minutes. I basicall use 3600 grit micromesh and sand with the grain, still on lathe, to remove any orange peel I may have. Then sometimes I recoat, other times not. It just depends how thick I want the finish to end up. I've been very satified with this type of finish. It seems to be a very hard and durable finish. When I'm done with the micromesh, I use only the 3600 grit, but if there are any runs or excessive orange peel I move back one courser grit, then finish off with the 3600. I then finish it with Renaissance Wax.

Though this may not be the appropriate thread for this, I would like to here from others regarding this finish and if there are any reasons not to use it. I do realize that I spend a lot more time doing this finish than many would want to.
 
Since durability is related to hardness, any finish that is harder than CA will be more durable to normal wear. The will be Enduro and similar waterborne Polyurethane finishes, and acrylic plastic (Plexiglass).

The Enduro and similar finishes have no strong chemicals to cause bad smells or damage to your body.

The Plexiglass is melted in Acetone or MEK. Both of those can smell pretty bad, and there is the potential for long term damage to your lungs from inhalation in a closed space. At the least, they will make you light headed if there isn't good ventilation.
 
RussFairfield said:
Since durability is related to hardness, any finish that is harder than CA will be more durable to normal wear. The will be Enduro and similar waterborne Polyurethane finishes, and acrylic plastic (Plexiglass).

The Enduro and similar finishes have no strong chemicals to cause bad smells or damage to your body.

The Plexiglass is melted in Acetone or MEK. Both of those can smell pretty bad, and there is the potential for long term damage to your lungs from inhalation in a closed space. At the least, they will make you light headed if there isn't good ventilation.
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Is Enduro the same as sold by general finishes? Or is Earnie the only place to get this Enduro?
 
Enduro is now made by General Finishes, and I saw it on the shelf in the local Woodcraft store. Ernie sells it in quantities smaller than a quart.
 
jleiwig said:
Is Enduro the same as sold by general finishes? Or is Earnie the only place to get this Enduro?
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There is several places that will sell you a gallon of sealer and top coat. But unless you plan to do a lot of pens, what Ernie sells is plenty to last you, plus he sell sample sizes, if you are not sure.
 
I'm surprised that no one has suggested trying the odorless CA. Regular CA doesn't bother me so I haven't tried the odorless version. Can't say whether it is completely odorless or just less smelly than the regular stuff?

Might be worth a try, though??:confused:
 
I've seen Les in red deer' pens on several forums including this one and he uses Minwax high gloss Wipe on poly, I thought it would take for ever, while I can get a good CA finish in about a hour, I gave the wipe on a try, I did have to make a drying rack which wound up nothing but a piece of scrap with some 1/8 in brass brazing rod stuck in it, after 4 or 5 coats I put the barrels back on the mandrel and sanded to 1500 and polished with Novus Plastic Polish, very nice finish no CA fumes, just a lot of waiting, but a very nice high shine finish
 
"Odorless" versions of things are rarely as good as their stinky counterparts.

If you want a nearly odorless finish, try water based poly like Minwax Polycrylic. It's a tough finish that I've applied indoors with no ill effects.
 
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