applying a CA finish.

[Keith Christopher]

Looking for tips. got a satine pen looking excellent on 75% if the the rest didn't seem to get any CA.

[Chris Barton]

Hi Keith,

Chect some of the past posts by John Hart, AKA the "CA Alchemist." I have tried it but with mixed results. Plus, I just got my fingers apart from my last CA finish experiment and my wife won't let me try again. She says I need to be able to work for some reason...

[David Fried]

Keith,

I've only done a few but my results improved when I cut the tip of the CA bottle back further to get a little more flow. For me, the problem seemed to be too much BLO, too little CA. Just a thought.

Dave Fried

[John Hart]

Keith,
For what it's worth, my best results have come from laying down light BLO on the blank, then getting a good tight wrap of the cloth around my fingers, dipping it in BLO, then putting roughly 5 drops of CA on the fingertips, then applying quickly back and forth at about 1000 RPM. The BLO seems to prevent "sticky fingers" too!:)

The CA Alchemist
"Turning CA into Gold"

[Ron Ainge]

for those of you that are using ca to finish pens with you have the supplies that you need to do a great finish with when you bought the pen kit. I have made a lot of corn cob pens using strictly ca glue as the filler and the finish. I use the little plastic bags the come with the pen kits to put the finish on the pens. As the pen blank is turning as slow as possible I put one of the little bags on my index finger and then drip the glue on the pen blank and rub it back and forth with the bag covered finger. If I am after a high gloss finish I may repeat the process several time with sanding between each application. If you are trying to fill a gap as in the corn cob pens I use thick ca in the manner stated above then finish it with thin. Using the plastic bags eliminates the need for the BLO. The only problem that I have found with this type of application is that some of the kit makers cut a small hole in one corner of the plastic bags and if the glue gets into the bag you may have some finger become one for a while. Good luck and may everything turn you on.

[John Hart]

That's really interesting Ron. I'll have to try it. Hows the heat factor?

[Ron Ainge]

John

the only thing I want is to smooth out the ca, when that is done I do not keep any pressure on the pen so there is no heat build up at all.

[Ron Ainge]

on second thought, doing the finish the way I do I remove my finger and the plastic bag before the glue starts to set up so there is not heat form that process either.

[John Hart]

Oh..ok. I think I get it. You are using the bag as an applicator...not as a finishing cloth. So, spinning real slow keeps the CA from rising due to centrifugal force and you just allow the CA to cure by itself while spinning...no friction.

Do I gots that right?

[Mike Vickery]

Not sure what type of ca you are using, but it helps to seal the wood with 1 or 2 coats of thin ca then follow that with 2 or 3 coats of medium. Also the smoother you put it on the higher grit you can use to start polishing which decrease your chances of sanding through the ca.

[Ron Ainge]

John

you are correct, the lathe spinning slowly will allow the glue to set on the pen without gobbing up or running. the slow movement of the lathe is the key to the finish. and yes the plastic bag is use as the applicator and to give you a smooth finish.