At wits end with CA [PICS]

[Nicholas Briggs]

My CA/BLO finish is pealing off at the ends. No idea why. I am using medium CA from a local hobby shop. About 6 coats were used to cover all the dry spots. I used an exacto knife to separate the bushings from the blanks. The odd thing is, the CA tends to "peal" away instead of flake or chip off as it has in the past.

Perhaps this has to do with the brand of CA I'm using?

ANY help would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm trying to make 3 Statesman Ironwood pens as gifts for the groomsman in my wedding. I'm running a little short on time.

[Ed Scolforo]

Just a guess, but I think you would have been better off using thin CA. Good luck!

[Richard Magbanua]

Nicholas,
Just a guess, but I've read that many exotic woods have a high resin or oil content and as a result are more difficult to finish. In fact, if you go to thewoodwhisperer.com and look for the "question of the week" section one of the most recent questions involves someones frustrations involving cocobolo. Marc Spagnuolo recommends first wiping the piece with acetone, laquer thinner, or denatured alchohol and then using dewaxed shellac first to seal off the oils inside the wood followed by your finish of choice. Now, this may be way off the mark as far as what the real problem really is but it may be worth considering. Good Luck!

[Paul Heely]

I don't use CA for a finish anymore and never had this problem when I did, so this is only a guess.

Since you have to cut the bushings free with an xacto knife why not remove them from the equation all together? Try applying the finish without bushings. You can use a dead center, or turn one from wood, and use that to drive one barrel at a time between centers. Just use light pressure so you don't flare the ends of the blank.

My 2 cents.

[Gary Herrmann]

Try thin CA, and less of it. The drips look like you may be using too much.

[Benjamin Dahl]

I use thin CA and have had no problems but I do not use oil as part of the finish; it makes me wonder if the BLO could be the culprit. How long are you letting the BLO dry?
Ben

[Ed Scolforo]

I would lose the BLO.

[Bill Wyko]

Rosewoods typically have a high oil content. I don't use CA so I don't know if this is the cause of your dilemma but it might have an effect.

[Nicholas Briggs]

Thanks for all the quick replies. I have tried using then CA from beartooh with no so great results. The thin CA doesn't seam to stick to the wood. After light sanding the CA is all gone. I have had this problem on Cocobolo as well, and I used denatured alcohol on that as well as the Ironwood in the picture. Didn't seem to help much. I'll try not using BLO, and maybe try finishing with out the bushings. What brand of CA do you guys use?

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use the thin CA from beartooth with no problem. Why are you sanding it anyway? I used BLO/CA one right after the other with no problem but have since went to just using CA. I don't do any sanding until the last coat and then it is just micromesh to 12000 then a little TSW. When I ran out of the thin CA I got from Beartooth and my order hadn't arrived I went to wal-mart and got a package of four tubes of thin CA and it works as good as any of the rest of them. Oily woods I use acetone or denatured alcohol. Lately I have started using Enduro from beartooth on the more oily woods. Use the sealer first and then the enduro poly. You can buy small amounts to try which is pretty nice. Hope this helps.

[Paul Engle]

Sounds like Bernie got it, also the blo could be creeping up under the CA , causing it to loose adheasion. oil from you skin causes it to eventualy seperate when you glue up your finger, so maybe this is the same thing. I got the same 4 pack Bernie got ( 1$ a pack) and it works just as well as the expensive spread ....Just a thought.

[Nicholas Briggs]

Bernie, I sand to remove any lines left by applying the CA. Should I just put additional coats on top of this or am I applying it wrong? I just use a folded paper towel.

[Steve Trauthwein]

Nicholas,

Perfect results everytime! Doesn't happen in my opinion, I have made hundreds of pens and have a procedure that works out of the box 90% of the time. When it fails I try other things. I do use the ca finish as I think it is the toughest available, not to mention very attractive when it works.

First I would lose the blo, I never did have a great deal of success with it and do not see where it is necessary. Secondly, not all ca is created equal some of it is hot and some is slower. I like stick fast. Some exotic woods are really difficult to get a ca finish on because of oils in the wood. I have gone as far as soaking a blank in dna to try to deoil it. I do use a couple of coats of sanding sealer on oily blanks before my finish procedure.

My process; Turn and sand to 1200 grit. Loosen screw and tap the ends of all of the bushings with bees wax, a little dab will do you, this keeps bushings from sticking to blank. If it is an oily blank I will apply a couple of coats of cellulose sanding sealer.

I apply two coats of thin ca with the lathe turning at 500 rpm, I use a folded paper towel (I like viva because it is less absorbent), and just swipe the blanks, I will let the lathe spin a few moments and then rest to allow glue to set for a minute or two, then apply a second coat. I apply three coats of thick ca using a folded paper towel, usually have a 3/4 inch strip on a paper towel and put a little on the first blank and then apply rest to second blank wiping back and forth, return to first blank and smooth out, wiping back and forth. If you do this too long your paper towel will stick to the blank, practice will give you an edge in timing. One must wait for the glue to harden between applications, this will vary according to heat and humidity. When the three applications are ready I sand from 400 grit, using light pressure and short time moving paper, to 1200 grit. I then polish with micro mesh from 1500 to 12000 using water, I cut my micro mesh in half so I have 1 1/2" x 6" strips and then dip these in a glass of cold water, flicking off excess. I also cover the bed of my lathe with a cloth to keep from rusting it out. After the micro mesh if all looks good I apply two coats of paste wax with carnauba. Keep at it and you will come up with a procedure that works for you.

Regards, Steve

[Barry Elder]

Perhaps the ironwood is trying to tell you that it does not need a ca glue finish, does not need a blo finish, that it is dense and oily and will shine very easily without the xtra effort.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Nicholas I do pretty much like Steve T. does except I use a plastic sandwich bag tight on my finger to apply the CA. I think I get a smoother results doing it this way but just my opinion. I generally put 3 to 5 coats of thin CA on making just one swipe from one end to the other and make sure each coat is dry before going on to the next coat. I don't sand but do lightly micro mesh from 1500 to 12000 then I buff with white diamond and then apply TSW or Renaissance Wax. I am trying something Bonnie Klien said she uses. It is the clear shoe polish. She said it is strictly carnuba wax. I tried it on some finials I made and it looks pretty good. It took a while to get this down but it works for me. Like Steve said and I agree there is no 100% works every time or a least I haven't seen it. Like I said when the CA fails I use Enduro. It works pretty nicely.