More re-dos

[Aces-High]

Some of you may remember a few months ago that I had a few pens that I needed to re-do because of finish problems. I am in the process of re-photographing all my pens and this is what I am coming across. I am so frustrated, every time I find one I just want to through it across the room because it is another hour that I have to spend to fix it!

 

[magpens]

Sorry to hear about that, Jason. . Looks like a CA finish gone bad.

Do you have any idea what the root cause of that problem is ?

I don't know Boulder, but could climate be a factor ?

Do you use water (or other fluid) on the blank when you sand (or abranet) before applying CA ?

I live in a fairly humid climate (about 70% relative humidity year round). . Have never experienced such a problem in 9 years of CA use.
That doesn't help you but I offer that info just for what it might be worth in helping identify causes.

 

[mark james]

Hi Jason, I also sympathize. Mal's thoughts are similar to mine. I know you are an experienced turner, so you are aware of the possible variables.

In addition to humidity and temperature change, are you confident in the quality of the CA that you used? Not all CA's are exactly the same.

For years I used Wipe On Polyurethane for my finishes as what I was doing had "lots" of glue-lines and I wanted a more flexible finish. I have recently used Glu Boost for my last 15+ pens and am pleased with the results so far.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[leehljp]

The cracking CA - I had two do that this past spring/summer and I have been using CA for 14 years. This was a first for me. Both were with Stickfast CA and the CA was about 18+ months old. The CA had not hardened or thickened, so I assumed it would be good.

 

[SteveJ]

I hate taking apart pens to fix stuff like that. It can take me 15 minutes just to take them apart...

You do have some really nice looking pens there.

 

[FGarbrecht]

The cracking CA - I had two do that this past spring/summer and I have been using CA for 14 years. This was a first for me. Both were with Stickfast CA and the CA was about 18+ months old. The CA had not hardened or thickened, so I assumed it would be good.

Pretty new to this but I have a couple of pens in use that were finished in stickfast CA and they are showing dings and scratches after just month or two. I suppose that's to be expected (I haven't seen crazing or shattering) but I had assumed it would hold up a little better. I've also noticed that my stickfast is getting harder to apply in that it is going on a little gloppy instead of a nice thin layer. It's only 6 months old but seems to be changing. I have some Mercury CA that I should try, but to be honest, I may switch over to more traditional non-glue finishes. I like the warm appearance of the wood and am less fond of the glossy look of CA.

 

[Aces-High]

Sorry to hear about that, Jason. . Looks like a CA finish gone bad.

Do you have any idea what the root cause of that problem is ?

I don't know Boulder, but could climate be a factor ?

Do you use water (or other fluid) on the blank when you sand (or abranet) before applying CA ?

I live in a fairly humid climate (about 70% relative humidity year round). . Have never experienced such a problem in 9 years of CA use.
That doesn't help you but I offer that info just for what it might be worth in helping identify causes.

At this point I don't know why this is happening.

These pens are a wash of either M. Flex or stickfast.

I generally use DNA to clean before CA. Maybe I am not letting dry long enough before CA, but doesn't that just make the finish hazy? This is the only thing I can think I might be able to change. It is taking months for these cracks to happen.

In Colorado the humidity is hardly ever above 20%, so I don't think that is it.

 

[Aces-High]

26 pens have cracks. I think I quit!

 

[leehljp]

At this point I don't know why this is happening.

These pens are a wash of either M. Flex or stickfast.

I generally use DNA to clean before CA. Maybe I am not letting dry long enough before CA, but doesn't that just make the finish hazy? This is the only thing I can think I might be able to change. It is taking months for these cracks to happen.

In Colorado the humidity is hardly ever above 20%, so I don't think that is it.

The cracking that I had looked identical to yours. I haven't used DNA or any kind of moisture on pens (before applying CA) since 2007 or 8. There have been a few threads concerning Stickfast and old. So I chalked it up to old CA.

On occasion, I will refinish a pen that I have had for years. Both pens that I mentioned were pens that were about 10 years old and needed a new finish. I turn the old CA off and apply new. Rarely will I use acetone to remove old CA. But as mentioned, I used some Stickfast CA that I had on hand that was about 18 months old. Within about 3 weeks, cracks all over the place. I have made close to a thousand pens since late 2004 and these were the first ones to do that.

 

[JPW062]

DNA should flash off quickly, but it still might take a couple minutes, especially if it was really soaked instead of just on surface.
DNA is not a standard product. The de-natured means they put something in it so it would be unfit for human consumption. Different brands use different additives. I have only reard of this being a possible issue once. Someone didn't close DNA completely, most of it evaporated used what was left on flatwork. Poly finish was a mess. The assumption being the alcohol flashed off with the lid loose and the concentrated toxin caused problems. Seems a bit of a stretch to me, but I have found if I switch my loose change from my right pocket to my left when using steel wool between coats I get better finish results....

THere are so many variables in most shops it is hard to figure it out. Hope someone here has a better idea than I did.