# CA question



## Ken Martin (Nov 12, 2017)

I recently turned a bowl out of a very figured chunk of walnut that was thoroughly dry. There were a couple of inclusions and two main cracks had to be dealt with that extended through the thickness of the wall - one out to the edge. I stabilized those with CA by putting a piece of painters tape over the crack on the outside and filling the void. The cracks are less than a 32nd” wide and the patch seemed to work well. I sealed the wood, but held off on finishing until I could see if the patches were going to do their job. That doesn’t seem to be a problem, the cracks seem stable. The problem is that the CA shows white in the cracks. I expected this to vanish as I applied the laquer, but it hasn’t. Any suggestions?


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## Herb G. (Nov 13, 2017)

Moisture in the air cause the CA to fog. Sand it out & reapply it in drier conditions if possible.
Use some accelerator to set it quicker so it won't absorb moisture.


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## Sprung (Nov 13, 2017)

Ken, what brand of CA are you using? I've had cheaper/lower quality CA's fog up and go white on me under certain circumstances.


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## Tclem (Nov 13, 2017)

Also have black ca glue


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## Tim Carter (Nov 13, 2017)

The use of an accelerator can make the CA bubble which sounds like what happened to you. If they are bubbles, I usually use an awl to puncture the bubbles and then reapply the CA and let it harden without using any accelerator. either that or apply a little accelerator before you use the CA and it will speed up the hardening process without bubbles. The other thing you might consider is putting at least 1 coat of finish on the piece before you use CA to fill cracks. This will keep the CA from bleeding over into the unfinished wood, creating a noticeable difference in color around the crack.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## duncsuss (Nov 13, 2017)

What Tim says about a coat of finish -- or de-waxed shellac (a.k.a. "sanding sealer") -- is important.

@Tclem mentioned black CA -- I've also got some light brown and some white, for those woods where black would be too dark. I think the brand is Star Bond, other brands might also do a range of tinted glues.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Ken Martin (Nov 13, 2017)

@Sprung, I’m using Star Bond thin CA and Bob Smith accelerater.

@Tclem, I’ll have to get some. I’m new to a lot of things. Didn’t know about colored CA.

@Tim Carter , I don’t see any bubbles. I’ve included some pics. Hopefully you can see my delima in them.

The voids didn’t fill completely or there was a little bit of movement in the piece. I’m thinking that, at this point, my best option may be to mix some fine walnut sanding dust with some clear epoxy and fill the cracks again. But I’d welcome any other suggestions! It’s just too pretty a piece to chunk it!


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## Ken Martin (Nov 13, 2017)

One more pic of the whole thing. 

...ok, three.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 2 | Way Cool 1


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## duncsuss (Nov 13, 2017)

Ken Martrin said:


> I’m thinking that, at this point, my best option may be to mix some fine walnut sanding dust with some clear epoxy and fill the cracks again. But I’d welcome any other suggestions! It’s just too pretty a piece to chunk it!



Agreed on both counts -- unless you have some powdered metal and want to highlight the cracks rather than hide them. (I like brass.)

Scrape out as much of the CA as you can first (I use "dental picks" that I got at HarborFright).

The beautiful thing about epoxy & sanding dust is that it lets you work it into the cracks without gluing your finger and/or tools to the workpiece. I'd use the pointy end of a bamboo skewer to get it into these cracks.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Tim Carter (Nov 14, 2017)

I think if you start scraping the white areas, you'll find that they're crusty with air pockets in them. I call those bubbles. My solution to fill the crack would be to crush some turquoise, fill the crack and then use thin CA to lock it in place. you may have to apply the CA several times to completely fill the crack. I wouldn't use any accelerator-let it dry naturally. The thin CA will wick down through the turquoise and bond it to the walnut.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## Robert Baccus (Nov 14, 2017)

Black epoxy would work well here also. I often rub black wax into a crack like that and let it dry if it's a look at piece.


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## dennisp42 (Nov 22, 2017)

Ken Martrin said:


> I recently turned a bowl out of a very figured chunk of walnut that was thoroughly dry. There were a couple of inclusions and two main cracks had to be dealt with that extended through the thickness of the wall - one out to the edge. I stabilized those with CA by putting a piece of painters tape over the crack on the outside and filling the void. The cracks are less than a 32nd” wide and the patch seemed to work well. I sealed the wood, but held off on finishing until I could see if the patches were going to do their job. That doesn’t seem to be a problem, the cracks seem stable. The problem is that the CA shows white in the cracks. I expected this to vanish as I applied the laquer, but it hasn’t. Any suggestions?




Ken, try to clean out the CA as much as you can. Apply a sanding sealer to the entire bowl. Then fill the crack with fine walnut sawdust or something that will contrast that you will like. Rub it in very well. Then apply the CA. You can put more sawdust then more CA to fill the area. Let it dry then sand. The purpose of the sanding sealer is to prevent the CA from soaking into the area around the bowl and darkening it. It will leave a dark stain wherever the CA hits. You can also use epoxy to fill the void if it is a large crack. The epoxy can be colored or you can put some metal shavings from the key machine at the big box store. 
Good luck


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## Mike Mills (Nov 22, 2017)

From a very very non-professional
Celebrate or hide
To celebrate add metallic/other contrast
To hide..Coffee grounds imitates inclusions and bark very well
I keep well dried coffee grounds in the shop all the time.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ken Martin (Nov 22, 2017)

Thanks, guys! I’ll consider these suggestions. The bowl is to be given to a friend of mine in Florida next March, when I go down to hunt an Osceola. So I have some time. I don’t like the way the finish is laying down, so I think I’ll sand it off and start over. I’ll do something with the cracks then. Nothing’s going to get done til after Christmas, tough. I’ve decided to try my luck at our state Craftsmen’s Guild Christmas show next weekend and then make a few Christmas presents. I’ve got plenty of sanding dust in my shop. Make more every day. I’ll check into the key cutter. That’s a source that hadn’t occurred to me! I’m sure I’ll put that knowledge to use, even if not on this project.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Wildthings (Nov 23, 2017)

If I get him a cracked bowl would he let me come hunt Osceola's too!!

Reactions: Agree 2 | Funny 1


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## Ken Martin (Nov 23, 2017)

Haha! Heck of a deal, ain’t it?

This is for a very sweet lady that I’ve known my whole life. She and her husband are letting me stay in a cabin they own about 30 miles north of Ocala. I’ll be hunting public land around that area... if I get drawn. Gotta have my application in by the 30th. 

The cracks are more character flaws around a knot, but I don’t want them to develop into something more serious. I left the walls a little thick in order to let the bowl hold itself together. The grain in this piece is just plain gorgeous and I want to save it whether I give it to her or make her another one. If I can seal the cracks, I’ll cut it down a little thinner. It’ll really be a treasure then!

Reactions: Like 2


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## Gdurfey (Jan 3, 2018)

so everyone keeps offering suggestions, etc.........can I just say it is a gorgeous piece!!!!!! Best wishes; on the cracks and the hunt!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Tim Carter (Jan 4, 2018)

Ken, if you get key cutter brass-be careful! There are a lot of small slivers from the key cutter that will end up in your fingers and you will spend a lot of time using tweezers to pick them out.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ken Martin (Jan 5, 2018)

Thanks, Tim. I appreciate you thinking about me. I picked up a little bit at the hardware store and thought that stuff looked a little coarse and sharp. I haven’t tried it yet, but I had already considered that possibility. I’ll be using the mixing sticks to apply it.


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## Nubsnstubs (Jan 5, 2018)

You might want to run a magnet through those filings. Some keys are made of steel or iron. ............ Jerry (in Tucson)

Reactions: Informative 1


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