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ahoiberg

ahoiberg

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so, i'm happy with my current CA finish... although it seems that some of you use a straight ca without using plastic polish... if i wasn't using plastic polish on mine, it wouldn't finish nearly as nice as it does.

i'm wondering how you achieve this? it seems when i go back with MM to even out my CA coats, (get rid of ridges, high spots, etc.), i can never end up with anything that would pass as a finish. meaning, i could never stop at this point or even after buffing it.

some have said that they get a high gloss finish after CA coats and MM only...

is there something fundamental i'm missing in the CA technique? i've read through and watched all the video/text in the library and can't find anything that specifically addresses this... so can anyone help me out?

not that i'm unhappy with my finish, i'm just confused as to how you guys do it...

thanks!
 
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I use a straight CA finish and don't always use plastic polish. If you are using BLO with your finish that may have something to do with it. For me BLO seems to dull the finish sometimes but not always, I know others get a great finish with the BLO so it is probably something I'm doing not quite right.

With my CA finish I will even out with a 320 grit then 400 before going to the MM. The biggest thing I've found is getting the surface as even as possible before starting with the MM. I find that if I dont get the ridges, scratches, pits or whatever out with the regular sandpaper that the MM won't clean it up either.
Hope that helps.
 
I found with my plexiglas finish that the 1500 MM was taking off most of the finish. There would be shiny places, but not all over. I now start with the 1800 and my finish is much better.

Chris
 
I now after applying the last coat of CA, turn it smooth then begin sanding with MM (Yes, I have become a convert!!). I will usually start with 1800 or 2400 and go all the way out to 12,000. At this point there is a good gloss but I buff with a maching compound then a polishing compound followed with a coat of wax.
 
thanks for the responses.

samuel, that technique of using 320 and 400 to smooth out the last coat just baffles me. i tried that a few times and the scratch pattern was so bad that i didn't think i could even use the remaining CA for a finish... how do you get it to smooth out? or does it appear opaque, if you will, or dull after using these or can you still see the wood grain pretty well underneath it all?

or maybe you just have to be super light to the touch... or perhaps wet sanding would help me out??

what brands/viscosity of CA are you guys using for your finishes? i've been using the woodturningz ones and thin is the only one i can seem to get a good finish with. whenever i try medium or thick, it just won't dry quick enough ( i have yet to try accelerator ) and just seems all around too goopy to deal with.

thanks again y'all!
 
samuel, that technique of using 320 and 400 to smooth out the last coat just baffles me. i tried that a few times and the scratch pattern was so bad that i didn't think i could even use the remaining CA for a finish... how do you get it to smooth out? or does it appear opaque, if you will, or dull after using these or can you still see the wood grain pretty well underneath it all?
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Yes it does appear opaque, kind of powdery coating all the way across. you will want to be careful not to sand through the CA or you have to take it all off and start again.[:(] If you can get the CA on pretty smooth you can skip the 320 or even the 400 but I find it difficult. you want a good grade sand paper, when I first got started I used the assortment that came in a box with thee rolls and i found that the grits were very inconsistant and still left deep scratch marks even after the 400 I now use a wet /dry automotive sandpaper but any good brand will do.

I also buy CA from Monty and so do many others, no problems with his product. I might put the first two coats of thin on but always finish up with the medium and the accelerant does speed things up. even though it's CA you must be patient between coats.
 
samuel,

that answers my question. i just thought i was the only one getting the "powdery" looking coat. however, i have other questions... [:)]

1) do you sand the CA like the bare wood, meaning do you stop the lathe and sand with the grain with CA also?

2) do you sand between all applications of CA?

3) i think i'll have to try some accelerant. has anyone had any better luck with aerosol or pump type accelerant?
 
1) do you sand the CA like the bare wood, meaning do you stop the lathe and sand with the grain with CA also?

2) do you sand between all applications of CA?

3) i think i'll have to try some accelerant. has anyone had any better luck with aerosol or pump type accelerant?
Click to expand...

question 1.
Just with the 320, 400 and maybe the 1500MM.
Question 2.
I try to get two coats on before I hit it with any sand paper, but that depends on how smooth the first coat goes on. But then only light sanding.
Question 3. I have only used the pump. No problems for me.

I've got a blank on the lathe right now with some heavy CA ridges and I'm going to try cozees method of turning smooth before sanding.

I'll let you know how it works. If I remember I'll do some before and after pics.
 
one major thing we found was the quality of the sandpaper we use made a huge difference. If I used the Woodcraft "sandpaper strip rolls" then 400 would totally thrash the finish. But once I switched to Norton sandpapers I can use 400 without issue. I guess Norton has better quality control for their grit or something.

Most people that I've read make a preference for accelerants prefer the aerosols. Better atomization for a more even coat.

GK
 
I have used the pump type accelerant as it is the only type I can find here, and it sucks !! You get an inconsistant spray, there always seem to be some large drops that land on the blanks and this causes clouding all the way through your finish to the wood itself I have found. I am looking at trying to get a small pump sprayer, the type you normally fill with oil, pump up the pressure, then use it as a normal aerosol container, will let you know if it works. As for CA finish I have found you need to put on about 6 or more thin coats with no sanding inbetween, as you will go through very easily, then a couple of thick (Medium CA) coats then I think about sanding out. I'll start sanding at 320, then up to 1200, if it is looking smooth, not necessarily shiny, I'll go with the MM, normally by the time I hit 4000MM I can tell if it is going to be a nice finish. Hope this helps. I still have some inconsistant results, but I am positive that is due to my unheated garage, and a fluctuating humidity level.

Sheldon
 
I have also found Norton 3x sandpaper works the best. I ususally do a light sand with 400 with the lathe on to get the really high spots then by hand get all the glossy spots untill its all dull then go up through all the MM. I found by turning the lathe off and hand sanding the groves out it not only was faster I didn't wear through the finish any more. Some times when I really botch it up I start at 320. I apply about 3 coats of thick spraying the aresol accelerator after each coat after 30-60 seconds. I get my Aresol Accelerator from woodturnings you can get a large 12oz can for i think around $12-$13.
 
right on... it's becoming clearer to me now...

another question for y'all.

what kinds of applicators do you use for your CA?

and how long are you having to wait for coats of thick to dry with accelerator?

i've also been using the norton 3x, i own a norton stone for straight edge razor rehab, and it's the best for that, so i figured their sandpaper must also be the best. i doubt if i'll ever try anything else, i've been real happy with it so far.
 
My CA finish is as follows:
1st, I have always used the little bags that the pen parts come in as a finger sock to spread the CA.
Lathe at lowest speed.
Sanding sealer or thin CA as a 1st coat, after it is dry (No accelerant on thin CA)hit it lightly with 320 grit, clean off all dust.
I then put on three coats of thick CA I let the coats sit a couple of minutes and use aerosol accelerant only (no pump spray) between each coat. Spray lightly and from a fair distance.
After all coats are on, I also use a skew and turn the finish fairly smooth and also cut the finish at the bushing to blank joint.
Crank the lathe up to warp drive and sand (lightly, not much pressure)starting at 320 or 400 grit up to 3200 MM.
Then pull the blanks off the lathe and buff (tripoli & white diamond) and finally wax.
This takes about 20-25 minutes for me.
 
It took me a while to perfect my CA finish.... but don't give up because when you get the method that works for you. It is worth the effort for sure.....
my method is a mixture of what I have read here.... basicly... no BLO at all.. two coats of thin ca applied quickly then 4 to 5 coats of thick or medium CA. I use a piece of index card that has been lightly soaked in accelerator so that there is no wetness on the card just soaked in. I LIGHTLY run this along the medium ca after I have applied it... hardenes the coat without applying too much ca.. another secret I found is that I use shop towels I purchased at wallmart... the fibers DO NOT act as an accelerent to the ca so you have <u>slightly</u> more time to smooth the ca out before it begins to harden on the blank. Not a perfect finish but good enough to use 800 grit with the blank turning very slow until you have the ridges sanded off... then it is sanded by hand on the mandrel through 2000 grit no water. then buffed with tripoli, white diamond and Ren Wax.... great finish... for me BLO just washed the medium CA off and I could not eve get a thick enough finish to polish....
 
thanks for all the info everybody. the advice on here has helped a lot. one of the main problems i was having was figuring out that you need to get everything cloudy and then begin polishing up the CA again. before, i thought a cloudy spot meant a low spot, turns out it's the other way around!

my ca finish is getting better by the pen now, although i had some difficulty with some cocobolo the other day, which i understand is common...

my other big problem was not waiting long enough for the coats to dry. the more dry surface you have, the easier it is to sand!

and, as an earlier poster said, i have emitted the BLO from the finish . it hasn't made a huge difference either way, but at least it eliminates a step...

so, thanks again for all your info, this site is wonderful for this kind of thing! what on earth would we do without the internet?? [:D]
 
Andrew,
Lots of good advice here. Thought I needed to add my 2 cents. It seems that what most techniques have in common is multiple coats. To me, multiple coats means a thick layer. As you sand with lower grits, the dust will show you where low spots are. If you have a thick enough layer of ca, you will be able to smooth the valleys and hills out without sanding through to the wood. I think that's the problem with light coats. It's easier than people think to sand through to the wood. Anyway, once you've smoothed your surface out, then simply polish. (go through the grits lightly) I'm sure somebody will chime in if I'm wrong but wasn't MM originally used to get scratches out of glass? If that's true, then you should be able to get a "smooth as glass" finish with just MM.
 
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