Using Cyanoacrylate as a Finish

People often ask how I use CA. There are many "systems" described on the internet. It is a common finish for pens, for example. Unfortunately, it is a bit unpredictable and many people never get it right before they give up in frustration. It is affected by the ambient humidity and temperature, the wood type and wetness, the moon phase, and many undocumented minor factors. It goes on relatively easily for me about 80% of the time, and the other 20% of the time it is a real pain in the neck.

Wear safety glasses and thin rubber gloves -- it will save your eyes and fingers.

Here is how I apply it on the lathe:

1. Shape and sand the piece to 220 grit.

2. Wet sand (using 220) the piece w/ CA as the liquid. Use just enough CA to coat the wood and create a little bit of a slurry. This fills the grain and seals the wood. Keep sanding until the CA cures and then sand off the majority of the CA. If you leave CA on the surface it may create a discoloration blemish that is really just the CA w/ very fine dust in it causing a darker color. This doesn't always happen, but if you see a dark streak in your finish, you will know what happened. The goal is to fill the pores of the grain and seal the grain, not get a real finish here.

3. Sand the sealed piece through at least 320 grit. I usually stop here, but for very hard woods, I will go to 600 grit or use steel wool to get a dull sheen on the wood.

4. Fold up a 1/4 of a paper towel and apply a few ml of CA to the paper towel. Rub the CA on the wood fairly quickly. This is a lot like rubbing on any other finish except that the CA cures more quickly. W/ medium viscosity, the CA will start to cure in 15 - 30 seconds with this first coat, so don't dally.

5. Let the CA cure completely. I usually give it 10-15 minutes and work on other tasks in the mean time.

6. Inspect the first coat. If it is reasonably smooth (the grain shouldn't rise since you sealed the wood) just put a second coat on like the first. If you didn't get a smooth first coat, you may want to smooth it out a little w/ steel wool.

7. Continue to add coats until you have a smooth surface. Smooth w/ steel wool between coats if needed (I usually don't need to do this more than once). If you want a bright polish, you need to completely fill the grain. As the coats add up, the cure time gets longer. Up to an hour or more depending on conditions. I usually put 2-3 coats on and then let the finish cure for a few hours. Then come back and put 2-3 more coats on. That is usually enough to get a nice polish w/o making it too thick.

8. Once you have completed the last coat and it is cured, polish the piece with plastic polish or a Beall buffer if you have one. Finish up w/ a bit of wax. I use carnauba wax, but have used car wax too.

You don't have to apply the finish on the lathe, but it does help keep things even. If you don't apply the finish with on the lathe, you may need to sand (lightly) the finish between coats w/ 600 grit paper to keep the finish even.

That's it! Good luck. Be patient. It works, but like I said, it is a bit unpredictable.

22mm Thuya burl w/ firm loft

22mm Thuya burl w/ firm loft, originally uploaded by panodanno.

Now that's a burl!

46/365 -- 25mm Firm Tulip

46/365 -- 25mm Firm Tulip, originally uploaded by panodanno.

Black and white ebony.

Claro Walnut Brush & Bowl Set

16-365 Claro Walnut Brush & Bowl Set, originally uploaded by panodanno.

I have been meaning to blog this for some time, but haven't had the time. I made this set out of a single chunk of dry claro walnut. I actually tuned the bowl about 5 months ago, and didn't get back to the brush handle until last month. The bowl stayed round, which was nice -- that shows you how dry it was.

The grain wasn't fantastic, but it was nice. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

I'm blogging...

Just not here.

I have been blogging though. I have been trying to get my day-to-day photos uploaded regularly. If you are interested, you can check it out here: http://mymountaintrail.blogspot.com. Hope to see you there.

If you are wondering about my brush-making, I have not abandoned the craft. I have just been so busy with life and work, that I haven't had much time in the shop. And the time I have spent there has been devoted to meeting orders from earlier this year. I finally got some time working the lathe to make some candlestick holders for our upcoming wedding.

Keeping things in perspective here, that is clearly the right choice at the moment. I have the materials to make HUNDREDS of brushes... I will be back one of these days. :-)

Long time no blog...

I've been busier than a one-armed paper hanger -- or something like that. I appreciate the requests/comments, but haven't had time to respond.

As for wood stabilizers, I do use a stabilizer occasionally, but usually just try to get dry wood to start with. The stabilizer I use, resolute, seems allot like deck sealer to me, but what do I know? I've been using it on my spalted maple brushes, but that's about it. The resinol90c probably works better at adding some backbone to softer woods, but my research in to it indicated that it was not available in smaller quantities that I would find useful, and doesn't have a long enough shelf life once it is opened to make large quantities worthwhile. And, it's complicated stuff for the time I can put into it right now. I'll add the link to resolute in a bit.

CA is a much more complicated question, but I will answer it when I get a chance. The bottom line is, it has a mind of its own, and responds differently depending on the wood, temperature, humidity, moon phase, etc.

Gotta jump on a plane... I'll get back with more later. Sorry.

These badgers are not from around here!

The picture says it all. Yet it also raises a bunch of questions.

First of all, I've been busy. You don't create a beauty like the one in the back of my truck without some effort. This project has been a bit of an undercover operation for the last few months. One of the local high-tech-struck-it-rich wet shavers around here wanted a brush like no other. Guys like that go big, and I wasn't going to let him down. This beautiful cocobolo silvertip badger brush is the result.

So that's the answer, what about the questions you ask?

Well, first of all, that looks like quite a load for a '69 Ford pickup. Are you sure it can handle it? It turns out my good ol' F100 comes with factory installed heavy duty springs in back, so the weight was manageable. I just had to tie the load down to be sure it didn't sway too much on the winding trip down the mountain.

Second, where do you get badgers for a brush like that? Most people don't realize that the planet Chiena has supersized resort badgers available for your average 1000 lb., medium firm, 90cm silvertip badger brush. The brush-commissioner ordered the brush for me on his interplanet network and the Space Shuttle (I'm not kidding) picked it up last time they were at the space station --that's why they had such a long mission last trip.

What about the cocobolo tree? They don't come that large! Oh, come on, you know those high tech wizards get whatever they want. He said "make it happen", and the forest complied. Simple.

And finally, how did you get it loaded and unloaded in that very cool truck? I've been spending lots of time with my personal trainer. Fortunately, she is my fiance, so I could afford it. Note though, I am obligated to fix dinner on command until 2020. Works for me. I'd have done that for her anyway!!!

So don't get too jealous of the haves here. I have no idea how to lather this thing up. I'm thinking scuba gear may be required to survive the process. Having that kind of money is more trouble than I would know how to handle. My 28mm works just fine for me!

I hope your April has started as well as mine! ;-)

More very impressive pics tomorrow...