Polish after CA

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I think most do some sort of polishing process after applying CA. I'm not sure if you consider micromesh or buffing to be 'polishing', or if you're specifically referring to the liquid plastic polish formulas. The two most popular plastic polishes as far as I can tell are Meguiars PlastX and Hut Ultrashine. I've used Hut and I see little, if any benefit after micromesh. Sometimes it can be detrimental if some grit gets on the paper towel when applying the polish. Others swear by these products, I just haven't ever noticed a major effect.
 
Yes and yes, sand up to 4000 (I use Festool Plantin, soft foam backed & last forever) I like one step polish followed by buffing with hut polish. Many like to use micro mesh but I find it too rigid.
 
I lightly wet sand through all of the micromesh grits then buff with the PSI blue compound on a sewn cotton wheel followed by a buff on a loose flannel wheel. Personally, I can't tell much difference before and after the buffing wheels.

I used to use two "grits" of liquid polish, one called "satin" followed by one called "gloss", but occasionally the polish would go into a very tiny pore or pinhole in the finish. When the polish would dry it would present itself as a tiny white dot that was almost impossible to remove. Hasn't happened again since changing to Micromesh and buffing.

I think a lot of it comes down to technique and personal regimens. Some have great success with liquid polishes, just not me. Others finish off with Renaissance wax or other micro-crystalline waxes.

Dave
 
Waxing or Polishing to keep fingerprints off as John said is helpful. But beware - Waxing and Polishing are temporary finishes only, and will wear off. Therefore if the polishing to waxing is used to improve the finish, (and if it does improve the finish), then it was not finished properly to begin with. Waxing and polishing should not be a substitute for not having a great finish underneath.
 
I have used a Ca glue on my last few pens, first sanded the wood to 800 grit, applied ten coats of Ca with accelerator after each. Then used wet sand for 800. 1200 and 15000 and finished with Burnishing cream. Maybe my eyesight could be better but they look great to me (and a couple of friends. What else could they say ?)
 
After CA I wet sand 400, 600 & 800 and then use all grits of Eddie Stone's polishing paste, then on to the three wheel buffer. Works great for me.
 
Thanks everyone!

I guess I should have been more specific with my question. Right now I apply CA (8-12 coats of medium) then micro mesh with all pads to 12000. It gives it a really good shine.

Does anyone apply anything after micro mesh? I think my finishes are pretty good but always looking to make them better!

thanks again!
 
My reply stands to your revised question. Just would like to make a statement. That is a whole lot of coats of CA and to me a waste of money and time. I like to use 3 coats of thin and 4 to 5 coats of med and then wait 24 hours before I MM. Just my way of doing it. Everyone has their own methods for sure. Your shine as you call it will improve with any polish. Try it and see for yourself. A good auto polish works well too. Just be careful because there is auto polish and auto wax. One has abrasive in it and that is not what you want after MM.
 
jttheclockman said:
My reply stands to your revised question. Just would like to make a statement. That is a whole lot of coats of CA and to me a waste of money and time. I like to use 3 coats of thin and 4 to 5 coats of med and then wait 24 hours before I MM. Just my way of doing it. Everyone has their own methods for sure. Your shine as you call it will improve with any polish. Try it and see for yourself. A good auto polish works well too. Just be careful because there is auto polish and auto wax. One has abrasive in it and that is not what you want after MM.
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Thanks. It is a lot of coats of CA, i always put more on than I probably need because I've had a couple where I micromeshed through the CA. Figured I'd rather put a couple more coats on so I dont have to worry about doing that and the rework involved when it happens. I give mine 24 hours to sit as well. Maybe I'll give auto polish a go, appreciate the feedback!
 
Jmaxcy said:
Thanks. It is a lot of coats of CA, i always put more on than I probably need because I've had a couple where I micromeshed through the CA. Figured I'd rather put a couple more coats on so I dont have to worry about doing that and the rework involved when it happens. I give mine 24 hours to sit as well. Maybe I'll give auto polish a go, appreciate the feedback!
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I am curious as to why you both wait 24 hours to do the micro mesh? I will do micro mesh right after and seem to have no problems on most of my pens. I am open to hearing why wait for 24 hours.
 
wrjones224 said:
I am curious as to why you both wait 24 hours to do the micro mesh? I will do micro mesh right after and seem to have no problems on most of my pens. I am open to hearing why wait for 24 hours.
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I always square my pens one last time using a sanding mill before micromeshing. I've found if you let the CA sit it gets harder and is easier to sand. Especially if I was a bit sloppy with the CA and have some excess on the ends.

I'm sure @jttheclockman has a better reason than that though haha.
 
wrjones224 said:
I am curious as to why you both wait 24 hours to do the micro mesh? I will do micro mesh right after and seem to have no problems on most of my pens. I am open to hearing why wait for 24 hours.
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I don't always let mine sit for 24 hours but when I have a special one, I do. There are a number of things that can affect CA and other finishes - temp differences between 70° or 85°, humidity swings from evening to morning to afternoon, wood density, moisture level in the wood. It is not uncommon to see a perfect finish on a wood pen and then a couple of days later see a minuscule distortion over a knot or grain change direction. And CA cures fast but not as solidly as one might think. Time allows for near perfect curing.

For most pens (probably 90%), 10 to 30 minutes will be OK to cure for some pen makers, and some will sand immediately after. These types of pen will sell (if selling) on the low - to middle end at best. John T (If I can speak for him) is a perfectionist (and so am I, and some others) and we do not take chances. 24 hours will allow for movement and final curing and "gassing off". It is well known in wood working circles that "wood moves" with humidity and temp changes, and even minutely if stabilized. CA causes heat; sanding causes some heat. 24 hour curing lets the CA and wood become climatized to each other and the ambient air as well as nearly 99% gassed off of the CA.

If you take a freshly finished CA pen and immediately put it into a plastic bag or tightly closed box, there will be a whiteish film develop on the outside that is difficult to remove. This is "gassing off". If left out in the open, most CA finished pens never experience this. But if put into enclosed spaces, the gassing off of the CA will effect this. Gassing off of the CA continues for hours after the pen is finished. Occasionally it will continue for 2 to 3 days or more. If one is going to ship a pen in an enclosed box, it is better to let it sit for 24 to 48 hours in the open before shipping. This gassing off does not always occur that long afterwards, but it does sometimes.

The above is more generalized and might need some clarifications from others. I welcome the input and will stand corrected if needed.
 
wrjones224 said:
I am curious as to why you both wait 24 hours to do the micro mesh? I will do micro mesh right after and seem to have no problems on most of my pens. I am open to hearing why wait for 24 hours.
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The reason I leave mine sit for 24 hours is off gassing and curing. Just because a finish is hard to the touch does not mean it is cured throughout. A good example of this is lacquers or even polyurethane when used as top coat. It skims over but under the layers are still drying. The thicker you apply any layers the more time is needed to cure. Use a heavy coat and it will take longer. I will always let any glueup weather for segmenting pens or doing flat work I let sit. Learned long ago never be in a rush to finish a project. Plan ahead for finishing.
 
Completely agree with Hank . You know what a pen smells like immediately after applying CA . If you get a whiff of that same smell after sanding or Micromeshing , you can be sure that the finish has not completely cured , regardless of length of time since application .
 
Jmaxcy said:
Do you use all bottles? I see there are 6 in the full set. And what grit MM do you stop at or do you go all the way up to 12000? Thanks!
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I do use all the bottles although it looks good after just the first two. I think using the entire regime helps seal the finish. I use the MM sheets (dry) through 12000.
 
Jmaxcy said:
Do you use all bottles? I see there are 6 in the full set. And what grit MM do you stop at or do you go all the way up to 12000? Thanks!
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MJ is s 6 step process that only takes a few minutes to fully apply it. I recommend wet sanding resin blanks up to 2k grit and then start with Step 1 of MJ.

These are the directions included with each set.

Magic Juice (MJ) is best used as a polishing compound for solid resin materials and plastics. MJ may also be used to polish items with a CA (Cyanoacrylate), CC (Craft Coat), or other similar product finish. For best results of hybrid and worthless wood blanks, a sealing finish of CA, CC, or similar is needed before polishing with MJ.

Prepare your turned items by wet sanding up to a recommended 2000 grit, however stopping at 800 grit is acceptable. Using a lathe speed of 2400-3000 rpm, work through the six-bottle MJ set. Start with STEP #1 and work up the numbers, with STEP #6 being last. A pencil eraser sized amount is all that is needed from each bottle. Polish the sanded item with mild pressure for 20-60 seconds. You will notice a change of a mild grit to a smoother feel while polishing. That smoother feel is your indication to move to the next bottle.

MJ is not recommended for use on friction polish finishes or raw unfinished woods. Magic Juice is water based; do not allow it to freeze.
 
Jmaxcy said:
Thanks everyone!

I guess I should have been more specific with my question. Right now I apply CA (8-12 coats of medium) then micro mesh with all pads to 12000. It gives it a really good shine.

Does anyone apply anything after micro mesh? I think my finishes are pretty good but always looking to make them better!

thanks again!
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I use Meguiars Ultra Finish Polish and/or PlastiX for any resins or acrylics (including CA).

The 12000 grit MM is roughly equivalent to about 5000 grit normal sandpaper. Polishing compound can range from about 5-6k to 30k or so grit. I find that with any sandpaper, no matter how fine, in the right light I can usually see the scratches. They may be very fine, but some lighting just catches the surface right and you see it plain as day. Polishing reduces the scratch level significantly, and more than that, what you end up with is a softer surface...rather than the kind of hard edged scratches you get with sandpaper, polish will roll those edges over and round them out. So even though you technically still have tiny scratches, they just don't catch the light the same way as the scratches raw sandpapers (of any kind, even Zona) can and will usually make.
 
egnald said:
I lightly wet sand through all of the micromesh grits then buff with the PSI blue compound on a sewn cotton wheel followed by a buff on a loose flannel wheel. Personally, I can't tell much difference before and after the buffing wheels.

I used to use two "grits" of liquid polish, one called "satin" followed by one called "gloss", but occasionally the polish would go into a very tiny pore or pinhole in the finish. When the polish would dry it would present itself as a tiny white dot that was almost impossible to remove. Hasn't happened again since changing to Micromesh and buffing.

I think a lot of it comes down to technique and personal regimens. Some have great success with liquid polishes, just not me. Others finish off with Renaissance wax or other micro-crystalline waxes.

Dave
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Yeah I've fought the dots before...&T#!^. Next time I do that type of blank I'll try your micromesh then buffing wheel method and skip the polish. Thanks for the idea!


May be an old thread...but I picked up a new trick!
 
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