CA finish

[Karl Card]

Wondering if someone could list out the steps of using ca for a finish.. and also is there a particular ca brand that does better...

thanks for the help.

I have some pens that I need to get done over night for a trip to see the family Tennessee and I dont have time to do the finish i usually do.

[Robert Parrish]

Karl, There are many different ways to apply a CA finish. It seems everyone has their own method. Check out some of the videos on You Tube. Penn State has a good method that I use called "I Can't Believe This Finish". Today I tried a new finish I found on the Internet, Krylon Clear Coat Acrylic spray and it works great and is easy to apply.

[Karl Card]

acrylic spray, that sounds interesting. Have to give it a try on my next batch.

[Mark Hix]

I'll step up....of course, two things you have to know....everyone has their own version and you ask 50 people that use it and you will get 55 answers....

I sand to 400, sometimes 600. Be sure that the blanks are clean after sanding. Light colored woods-- I skip the BLO. I use medium CA.
fold a paper towel into 1/16ths...several layers protects your skin. use this to apply the blo.
put 1-2 drops of blo on the corner, lathe on slow speed....apply w/ light even pressure, barely touch the blank going back and forth....light and even, don't worry about the bushings, it will come off. (You don't really need bushings anyway, they just make it easier to hold the blank...that's another thread, sorry.)

New towel, folded the same way, 2-3 small drops CA and apply with light strokes...barely any pressure...

Repeat 4-7 times, depending on how thick you need to go.

I don't worry about uneven places. I ususally let it cure overnight just to be sure it is fully cured but if I am in a hurry, I will let is go for an hour or so and then finish it.

I use regular 400 or 600 grit sand paper and even it out if I have to. Some wet sand. I did not find a difference so I took the easy way. It is very important to use very light pressure, you don't want to take the CA off. I then take it to my buffer and use EEE then white diamond w/ plastic polish last. Some folks use micromesh and go thru 12,000....again, you can't tell the difference, might as well do the easy way.

Assemble next.

If you have an open grain, use thin CA to wet sand..make a slurry to fill the grain and go from there.....look up Russ Fairfield's site...he has some great tutorials.

Couple of more thoughts.....wear your face shield---keep the CA out of your eyes, practice on practice wood, not on expensive blanks. It took me a while to perfect my technique. This will get you a high gloss finish, you can achieve a matte finish also...takes alot more practice.

Let me know if you need me to elaborate.

Mark.

[Karl Card]

Thanks Mark. That will get me going anyway. I do understand how everyone may have there own way of doing this finish but a person still has to start somewhere and build upon that...

[David Drickhamer]

There are as many ways to do a ca finish as there are people on this forum but I can tell you my way.
After sanding your blank I apply a coat of BLO (I use walnut oil) with the lathe at about 800 rpm. Apply the oil as you would a friction finish. I then put a few drops of ca on the same applicator. I use paper towel. With the lathe on wipe a few times across the blank. Leave the lathe on. After a few minutes repeat using a new piece of towel. I do this about 10 times. After the ca sets up I sand with 400 grit lathe on to get rid of any ridges. Then turn the lathe off and sand the length of the blank to get rid of any sanding marks and any remaining ridges. After that sand with micro mesh of fine paper up to about 1000. I finish off with a coat of plastic polish.

Visit the IAP web site http://www.penturners.org/ and check the library for more info. You can also check youtube for ca finishes.

I get my ca from http://woodenwonderstx.com/WWBlue/index.html and use a medium viscosity.

It helps to apply a coat of wax to your bushings before doing your finish but even so be careful removing bushings from the blank.

Dave

[Matt Ranum]

Good advice here, and go to the IAP board that was posted. Tons of info on pens there, and go through the "library". There is a learning curve to using the ca finish, at least with me anyway. I've sanded off more of my ca attempts than I care to admit to, but I am getting better at it now. When all else fails I will resort to a spray lacquer as a finish.

[Donald Wilkins]

I use about the same technique as Mark, but differ after applying the CA.

I use the blue shop towels (in forths) in stead of a normal paper towel as they seem to have less lint etc...still folding in 1/2 and folding a few times for protection.

Once the CA is applied, I then use 0000 steel wool (rubbing in grain direction or parallel to the mandrel) to even out the humps etc... Then using EEE as normal. Applying Shellawax friction polish (cream) lastly.

Set the pen on display for 1 to 2 weeks before any handling. So far the finish seems to hold up and if the friction polish wears thin, you have a CA underlayment.

This was a process that was shown to me at a turning get together that is easy and seems to work best for impatient people (i.e myself). The biggest thing was to not touch the pen for over a week. I have messed up many pens by wanting to touch them too soon.

Thanks,

-Donald-

[Chris Hayes]

I use Dave's basic method -- then again he's the one who taught me (and I'm very greatful for it)... it's pretty straight forward and easily repeatable.