Help with CA glue finish

[Mr_Spiffy]

I'm working on making new scales, and I've been trying to use a CA glue finish on the wood. But, I'm having some issues with it. I'm using the gel-type glue, so it dries slower. I've found that I get a sort of crackle finish when it dries. Am I putting it on too thickly? Is it the wrong type of glue to use? Should I use a thinner glue? Or maybe a medium CA glue from a woodworking store? Or am I just doing it incorrectly?

I've been sanding between coats to smooth it out. I've read that there will be a few small dimple spots here and there that won't sand out that will fill in as you add coats. But that hasn't really worked. The crackle just gets worse. Just last night, I took 100-grit and 220-grit paper to the scales again to see how much I could smooth the entire coat out again. I managed to get nearly all of the shiny spots out, but I did hit a few spots back down to wood...

I need some advice or help with getting this done. I want to have a nice, glossy look to the scales. I'm just struggling a bit with exactly how to get there.

 

[superbleu]

look here.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/144398-Restoration-Tutorial-CA-Finish?highlight=tutorial

 

[Giant Kiwi]

I use a pretty thin glue applied sparingly.
It dries quick and gives a good result.

 

[trick420]

I use thin CA. You aren't using Gorilla Glue CA I hope? It's rubberized, which could explain the problem. I also use a curing accelerant as well, and build up many THIN coats rather than a few thick ones.

That is, when I use CA. I really don't like it - too messy and unforgiving. I mostly do french polish finishes with Shellac now.

 

[shaverjoe]

I use thin CA. You aren't using Gorilla Glue CA I hope? It's rubberized, which could explain the problem. I also use a curing accelerant as well, and build up many THIN coats rather than a few thick ones.

That is, when I use CA. I really don't like it - too messy and unforgiving. I mostly do french polish finishes with Shellac now.

Trick is spot on here. If you are going to use a CA glue finish, it would be best to use a thin or medium CA with an accelerator. They do make wood specific CA glue products which is what I have used in the past with great success on my brush handles. Have a look here-

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2084563/38153/stick-fast-ca-finish-medium-4-oz.aspx

 

[shaverjoe]

Additionally, you must zero voids in your coats, otherwise when you go to polish your finish with a CA or plastic polish, you will have little white dots where the finishing compound resides in the voids. As Trick said, CA is very unforgiving. It gives a nice finish when done correctly but is pain at times. Good luck.

 

[Mr_Spiffy]

I'm not using Gorilla Glue, though I noticed a couple of places on the net that they said it worked fine for them. But nearly all of the links were for turning pen barrels, which isn't helpful for me. I think part of the issue is I'm going too slowly. And I'm going to try using thin CA, instead. I'll sand it down a bit before the next coat and see how it goes with thin CA.

Thanks for the link! I think that it's going to help me significantly in getting these to look nice.

I've also been very careful to remove all the dust from the scales before recoating. No way do I want white spots under the clear coat.

 

[fast14riot]

I've tried many types of CA's and have settled on Loctite Professional liquid. Its a medium consistancy and no need for accelerants. I apply several coats and sand down. Use the Micro mesh pads, works great. The first and maybe second coat I almost always take back down to bare wood depending on the openness of the grain. After sanding to 8K or 12K I like to use a marine grade rubbing compound (3M brand) then on to white rouge on a loose wheel. Lastly I use Novus #2 for that "mile deep shine!"


-Xander

 

[shaverjoe]

Spiffy-

I don't know how to upload images in a PM so I'll put this here. These are the products I would recommend.





I have an almost empty bottle of the Medium CA glue wood finish (2nd bottle from left) I can partially refill (enough for you to give it a go), plus I can put some of the satin and gloss polish pastes in separate small ziplock bags. I will also include a piece of the 400 grit mesh for sanding prior to applying the polishing pastes. The only thing I can't ship to you is the accelerator. It is not a necessary step anyway, it just makes things go faster. I'll gladly ship the aforementioned to you if you want to try it before buying online.

 

[skipnord]

Some folks recommend using thin for the first coat, and medium for the rest. I've had good luck with that system. I use the stuff from Rockler. That said, I prefer an oil finish on oily tropical woods.

 

[shaverjoe]

Some folks recommend using thin for the first coat, and medium for the rest. I've had good luck with that system. I use the stuff from Rockler. That said, I prefer an oil finish on oily tropical woods.

Using the thin first is supposed to help fill any small voids. I have used the same system with good success as well, but like you, I prefer an oil finish as well.

 

[superbleu]

get the thin hot stuff, well this is the one I use.http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/hot/hoths-4.htm

 

[Mr_Spiffy]

Thanks, guys! I should've probably used thin first. Oh well... Thanks for the offer, Joe! PM on the way.

Do you smooth off the thin before it dries? Or do you just drip it on and let it even out? I'm guessing it dries too quickly to just let it even out.

 

[Mr_Spiffy]

Just picked up a bottle of the thin Hot Stuff from Woodcraft. It's a lot easier to get a nice, smooth coat with it than with the gel-type CA glue I was using. Looks like things are going smoothly, so far.

superbleu, that's the exact same bottle I found at Woodcraft. Looks to be plenty of glue to more than finish the project, if not two or three, at least.

 

[Doc226]

I have tried a few times to do a CA finish. The trouble I get is getting that nice fit of the wed to the scales.