CA Finish

[Douglas Robinson]

I would like to understand the CA finishing technique. I have seen DaveO use it, but now I would like to understand the specifics. Please let me know the details of your techniques.

Thanks,

Doug

 

[BarryC]

I use it to finish oily woods like Cocobola and Bacote on knife scales with excellent results. I really don't like wearing rubber gloves so I cut the tip out and use it so smear on thin coats. Be careful not to try to cover a part that has partially dried or it won't be smooth. The CA doesn't stick to rubber glove tip and you can get a really smooth finish by lightly sanding with 0000 steel wool between coats. I use 4-5 coats on scales.

 

[NZAPP1]

This was sent to me by Clay and works great for me

"Here's the post with my CA finish. The only difference is I now use a rubber glove to apply the coats of CA. 2 medium and 2 thicks instead of 2 thin ca and 2 thick ca."

 

[ebarr]

Doug,

The only tip I really have to offer is, don't sand to much. I think that was my main problem early on, If you apply 4 to 5 thin coats, ala DaveO, and sand lightly you get a pretty good outcome. Some woods take the finish much better than others. I think my best results have come from Rosewood.

I have pretty much adopted the DaveO method.

 

[DaveO]

I've got my own method 8-O I learned it from Clay :icon_thum
I turn my blank down to the desired diameter. And then I sand it all the way through the 4th Micro Mesh pad. I clean the blank with some DNA to remove the dust from the pores. Spin it a little while to let the DNA flash off. I like to apply some BLO to woods that will benefit from it. I lightly apply the BLO, then crank the lathe up to it's highest speed and "burnish" the BLO into the wood, effectively speeding up the drying process.
Then I start to apply the CA. I use a finger off a Nitrile glove (you can get a big box of them cheaply at HF, and on glove will do at least 5 finishes.
With the glove finger on my index finger (left hand) and the lathe on medium speed, I apply a drop or two of medium CA (Stick Fast brand from Klingspor), and wipe it across the blank. The key is to get as even of a coat as possible with the minimum amount of CA.
Then I hit it with aerosol accelerator from a distance of about 12", just a quick blast.
I let that spin for a few minutes. Then I apply another coat of medium CA, same as above.
I apply 4-6 thin coats of medium CA, with accelerator between coats.
Once that has been done, I stop the lathe and check out the results. There might be a bogger or two...or not. That doesn't matter. The important part IMO is the sanding. If you got a bogger, sand it down with 320-400 grit paper. If not start with the first Micro Mesh pad. The key is to evenly sand the CA layer until it is uniformly dull. If there is a shiny spot you haven't flattened the finish completely.
Once you have the finish completely flattened you can progress through the MM pads to bring it to a high polish. I like to finish off with a rubbing (on the lathe) of Hut Plastic Polish that will get rid of a world of sins.
If you have to sand your CA almost down to bare wood to get rid of any boggers, start again with the applications.

Dave

 

[RandyJ]

But how do you keep the CA from gluing the blank to the bushings???:dontknow::slap:

 

[DaveO]

But how do you keep the CA from gluing the blank to the bushings???:dontknow::slap:

You don't Either you use a parting tool or sharp skew, if you're brave, to remove the CA from the bushings. OR the best method is to use custom turned Delrin bushings that CA won't stick to, or for some pen styles a smaller 7MM bushing will work and keep the CA finish off of them. Also there is finishing them between cone centers without the mandrel.
Dave

 

[toolman]

Thanks for the info Dave and every one!! :mrgreen: