Use of BLO with CA finish.... need clarification

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redfishsc

redfishsc

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Way back when I first started getting into pen turning, I read a lot of posts about using BLO with the CA finish. At the time (a year ago) I wasn't in the least interested in such a fine finish b/c the lathe I had access to was a wore-out Shopsmith that tended to make "oval" pens.


Now that I have a good lathe (delta midi) and am using the CA finish, I seem to recall reading some posts about BLO and CA being used together. I dunno if they tried to mix them (not sure why you'd do that) or if the BLO was just used to "pop" the grain/color before applying the CA.


Any help is appreciated. I've noticed that CA does not color up the wood and show off the grain as nicely as lacquer does, particularly on lighter woods like curly maple.

Matt
 
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Just be warned: BLO will darken the wood. For me this is a good thing some of the time and a bad thing some of the time.

Most of the time now I use Mylands to seal the wood instead of BLO.
 
Here is the original message that started it all. It is by Michael Dresdner. This one works. Note that the BLO is ON TOP OF the CA Glue. Anybody who does anything different is on their own.

"One final trick for pen makers: For a fast, tough gloss finish, get the slowest drying cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) you can find (some are 60 second cure). Working with two rags on the spinning lathe, wipe on a thin coat of cyanoacrylate and immediately follow it with a thin coat of boiled linseed oil. The glue will react with the oil and cause it to immediately cure into a very hard, glossy film. Sand lightly between coats and add as many as you like, using the two rag method. With a bit of practice, you can apply 4 coats, fully cured, in as many minutes."
Michael Dresdner


My experience is that this method gives a soft gloss, but that a higher gloss can be achieved by polishing it with the 4000 thru 12,000 Micro Mesh. Buffing with White Diamond will also improve the gloss. As always, a coat of Renaissance or TSW is a good thing to do.
 
Thanks for the info on that as well, Russ. I did not know that BLO reacted with the CA. I'll be giving that a shot.

So far I've found MM followed up with 3M's Finesse It II automotive polish yeilds a gloss that is likely illegal in the 48 continental states.
 
Russ, another Tung oil question. Does it give the grain color contrast that BLO does on curly maple and other curly woods? I occasionally have some turnings that I only want an oil finish on but I don't want them significantly altered in color, I know pure Tung isn't as drastic as BLO. But does it also highlight the curl as well?
 
FWIW I have used Tung oil with CA and had what I consider to be a good result. A clear, hard, durable finish after sanded with MM.

I have not used BLO because I don't have any in my shop. I can't say how my TungCA approach compares with BLO CA.

Procedurally I just followed the other steps listed here. I started on a scrap piece of Oak (so I could practice filling open pores first). Then Layered on a few coats of TungCA. My first project had some white streaks in one small spot. Everything else has come out great. I'm a bit perplexed why people experience a high failure rate. Maybe I've just been lucky.

NOTE: I have not had the experience of some BLO CA people who suggest little or no sanding/polishing is required. My initial finish isn't nearly that good. Don't know if Tung can pull that off. Takes me little time to sand and polish, so I haven't been worried about it.

I'll have to try BLO one of these days to see how things are different.


I'm pretty new to turning and have only made about 20 pens at this point. I'm certainly not suggesting one over the other, just sharing my personal experience.
 
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