CA & BLO - sploches

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mdwilliams999

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Joined
Apr 18, 2011
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73
Location
Glenville, NY
I have been using BLO & CA for the last 2-3 months with average results and after some more research on this forum and others I realized my problem. Basically I was putting on way to little CA (literally 1-2 drops per side) and then rubbing so hard that I was probably rubbing it back off. I was doing this about 5-7 times but obviously not building up...just rubbing it off.

So last night I did a red mallee burl and was very generous with the CA and did not get overly worried about it being perfect (meaning no ripples), then added BLO, then CA, then BLO etc. After adding the CA, I would do a quick pass with accelerator as the BLO wasn't enough to dry the CA. I finished off with micro-mesh sanding to get a great smooth finish and then one last application of BLO and CA (I used very little) and then buffed it out. Last night the pen looked great.

Tonight, I went out and added some wax and then took it off the mandrel to press it together and realized that I had small blotches all over the pen. It looks almost like small areas where maybe the layers didn't adhere to one another. Not sure what exactly happened.

I did two stabalized curly mangos this way and they came out really nice.

Any help or advise would be appreciated.

Mike
 
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BLO with CA

mdwilliams999 said:
I have been using BLO & CA for the last 2-3 months with average results and after some more research on this forum and others I realized my problem. Basically I was putting on way to little CA (literally 1-2 drops per side) and then rubbing so hard that I was probably rubbing it back off. I was doing this about 5-7 times but obviously not building up...just rubbing it off.

So last night I did a red mallee burl and was very generous with the CA and did not get overly worried about it being perfect (meaning no ripples), then added BLO, then CA, then BLO etc. After adding the CA, I would do a quick pass with accelerator as the BLO wasn't enough to dry the CA. I finished off with micro-mesh sanding to get a great smooth finish and then one last application of BLO and CA (I used very little) and then buffed it out. Last night the pen looked great.

Tonight, I went out and added some wax and then took it off the mandrel to press it together and realized that I had small blotches all over the pen. It looks almost like small areas where maybe the layers didn't adhere to one another. Not sure what exactly happened.

I did two stabalized curly mangos this way and they came out really nice.

Any help or advise would be appreciated.

Mike
Click to expand...

I learned on this very website the following:
Turn and sand the pen through 800 both directions. Take a papre towl or an air hose to blow all of the grit off.

I work at about 3300rpm for just about everything.

CA and BLO. When everyrhing is ready, using a folded paper towel (I like Bounty) Have your Blo and the CA in your L hand. Put an adequate puddle of BLO on the towel immediately followed by two drops of thin CA. Dont load the CA outside your ring of BLO-It'll get hot.

With your lathe running at about 3000rpm hold the paper towel under the prize pen blank. Now quickly put the BLO/CA onto the bottom of the blank. Using moderate pressure wipe it back and forth in a rapid fashion.............................Keep goin back and forth. You will see the gloss appear. Now it's time to do in again. It is NOT necessary to use accelerator, as the bLO?thin CA combination will sufficiently dry the CA. If you reach down to the blank, and it feels tacky, you didn't go backand forth long enough.There are a million ways to do this, and everyone has an opinion. I use five coats of thin CA. Just my two dollars worth
 
Your experience has been more common than one would think among new CA users. Trying to get "just enough" is sure to bring on the spots. Use calipers to size your blanks and then build up a layer of CA to the point that you can measure it building up. Then you will know just how much CA is there.

Another hidden problem (but not always) is the fact that the blank may not be round but eccentric or not round. People who use non 60° centers in mandrels will have this problem. IF the lathe centers are not totally aligned, or one of the bushings are loosely fitting, or one has an off center hole by a fraction, the result will be a high side. This will cause one area to constantly be sanded or rubbed until the CA finish is gone in that area.

This last part is also the reason so many folks use the TBC Turning Between Centers or "without the mandrel". It eliminates many of these problems automatically.
 
Last edited:
Thank you!

Sharon,

Thank you so much for posting that link! I thought I'd seen them all and still couldn't make it work until I watched that video. Right after I watched it I went to my shop and turned 4 pens using that techinque and it worked perfectly. Now I have a use for the quart of BLO I bought.

Pictures soon to be released :biggrin:
 
I had the same problem

I had the same problem. I got all the usual responses about using the right paper towel and not using old CA glue. I tried everything. Turns out I was putting the layers on too quickly and it was trapping the checmicals inside the finish. It felt like the finish was dry so I would just add another layer but the reality is that you need to allow some time to cure between layers. Now I allow at least 15 minutes between layers and I smell it before adding another layer. If you can still smell that CA smell you will prabably want to wait a bit longer. Hope this helps.
 
I was always told never to use accelerator with blo some chemical reaction.! + I never use blo anyway.

Lin .
 
information overload

Dulos said:
I had the same problem. I got all the usual responses about using the right paper towel and not using old CA glue. I tried everything. Turns out I was putting the layers on too quickly and it was trapping the chemicals inside the finish. It felt like the finish was dry so I would just add another layer but the reality is that you need to allow some time to cure between layers. Now I allow at least 15 minutes between layers and I smell it before adding another layer. If you can still smell that CA smell you will probably want to wait a bit longer. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

What you get out of all the usual responses is their opinion. What you deduce from them is information........if it looks good, try it, and give it a good try. If you don't like it, you will probably have gleaned some good info from each one you try. The way I do it is the result of hybridizing comment from each opinion and using it in my own way. My way of using CA is 3 or 4 coats of medium CA all done with clean spots on the paper towel-not little pieces-the towel will always be useful for something else. I run low speed. each individual coat is put on generously and then (NO PRESSURE ON THE FINISH AT THIS TIME) swiped the other way to level the coat. About three-four of these coats and a spritz of accelerator and let it rest for a couple minutes then go right back at it. You can always tell that you're going too fast or slow by using the backside of your finger to check for tackiness. If it's tacky, give it a spritz. I usually do about six coats and call it done except for the sanding. I'll assume that you know about sanding. I sand 400 wet, 600 wet and go to the micro mesh. The 400 and 600 are for getting the ridges out of the VA then the MM. When done with that if you are satisfied with the way things are go with it. If not,give it some more 400 and 600 and start the CA process again.

Accelerator can and will cause problems being used over large amounts of CA. Thus the application and then the leveling. If you don't level or spread it out and use accelerator, you can cause crystallization under the finish and it becomes milky looking

Get you some 2X4 lumber, cut it into small pieces, put it between centers and practice your finishing while you're in a mode of using junk to practice on, and getting better with each finish. The only waste I see is CA, paper towels and accelerator.

FOR WHAT ITS WORTH
 
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