Yet another CA finish question/problem

[msvoma44]

This is a Jr. Gent that I made for my son about a month ago. It is wrapper in ebony. The CA finish is bubbling and cracking on both the upper and lower barrel.

I put 12 coats of thick CA with MM to 12000 every 4 coats. My question is.......does ebony need to be wiped down with acetone prior to applying the finish, or should I be using thin for the first few coats and then medium to finish up?

I will be re-finishing this one for him.

Mike

 

[lapdog]

Mike---Personally, I never use thick CA for a finish. I start with a few coats of thin and then use medium to build up. I suspect using the thick may contribute to your problem.

 

[Atherton Pens]

First, I have extreme difficulty getting a good finish on ebony. Don't know exactly why but it seems to react differently than any other wood.

Second, I looks like you may have "trapped" some moisture under one or two of the layers of CA. If you used water with the MM between coats, residual water can cause a problem like you have. It may dry over time, but I had to remove the CA and start over with the ebony when I experienced a similar result. The pen wasn't assembled so it was just a "pain in the (you know)" to sand off and start over.

Just my $.02 worth.

 

[IPD_Mr]

I use thick all the time without any problem. The problem here is the ebony. Ebony is an oily wood and this is some difficulty getting CA to stick. The easiest way that I have found is to wipe the blank down several times with the CA accelerator before I apply the first coat of CA. This helps to dry up the oil. Also don't put any CA on the blank for about 20 minutes after the final wiping down of the blank. With regards to the pen in the photo, that is a little more than just CA lifting. If you were in Florida or Texas I would swear the pen was left in a hot car. Not too much that is hot in Wisconsin over the last month, so I am at a loss there.