c a glue for pen finishing

Patrude

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so much to be said about using C A for finishing pens. even down to which paper towel to use to apply it to the wood. I have uses Blo and thin c a which produces a bit of a cloudy finish. also thin c a with accelerator and using Bounty paper towel to apply. Is anyone using Glue Boost with accelerator? I hate to spend that kind of money without hearing how folks like it or not or of a different brand works well. thanks in advance
 

Bean_counter

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Everyone has their own way of doing it. Here are my steps and I don’t use BLO. Not sure why that was ever recommended in the first place. You are essentially adding oil/moisture and then trying to cover it with CA which clouds up with said moisture. Even oily wood like cocobolo you should wipe down it down a couple of times with denatured alcohol or the oil is going to cause the CA to lift or Become cloudy.

1. Sand blank to 320, if a dark wood like walnut or ebony I’ll go up higher since the chances of seeing scratches imo are higher
2. Apply 1-2 coats of thin CA to essentially seal the wood. I let these coats dry naturally and I use craft foam to apply it. I find that craft foam doesnt react to CA as bad as paper towels (you know when the towel smokes and burns your eyeballs).
3. I then apply 3-10 coats of medium CA depending on how much I have to build back up to the pen component diameter. I use calipers your measure and have a cheat sheet for each pen I make with the diameters on them. I use bushings to get me close but don’t rely on them. I also use craft foam. I put a dab or two on the foam and then apply since this lets me control how much I want on it. Remember too much CA and it will “bloom” on you causing either white dots or cloudiness. I also do a small spritz of activator between coats. When I spray I am about a foot away. Activator will also cause it to bloom if you use to much.
5. I then seal the ends of the blanks with thin so water for sanding doesn’t not get between the CA and blank. Resquare lightly with my sanding jig. Very lightly.
6. Wet sand up to 1500 with wet/dry paper. Much cheaper than micro mesh pads. I always wait at least 24 hours for the CA to gas off.
7. Polish up with mcguires plastix
8. Sand the inside tube on most kits so CA doesn’t crack when I push them together.


That’s my process which is successful for me. Your mileage may vary. Remember CA Brand plays a big part of it as well. Make sure it’s fresh and ask
Around what people are using. I would stay away from stick fast as it tends to shatter over time. Try flexible ones which will move with the wood.

Good luck!!!
 

Wildthings

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I haven't read Bean's writeup above yet but I don't understand using any type of material that would soak up the CA glue. Aren't we supposed to have the glue go on the pen. That's why I use a nitrile glove and just use the tip of my gloved finger to maneuver the glue around on the slowly spinning pen blank. It doesn't stick well to the glove so leaves 98% on the blank, which means I use lots less glue. Usually 2 to 3 coats and I use medium.
 

The100road

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Everyone has their own way of doing it. Here are my steps and I don’t use BLO. Not sure why that was ever recommended in the first place. You are essentially adding oil/moisture and then trying to cover it with CA which clouds up with said moisture. Even oily wood like cocobolo you should wipe down it down a couple of times with denatured alcohol or the oil is going to cause the CA to lift or Become cloudy.

1. Sand blank to 320, if a dark wood like walnut or ebony I’ll go up higher since the chances of seeing scratches imo are higher
2. Apply 1-2 coats of thin CA to essentially seal the wood. I let these coats dry naturally and I use craft foam to apply it. I find that craft foam doesnt react to CA as bad as paper towels (you know when the towel smokes and burns your eyeballs).
3. I then apply 3-10 coats of medium CA depending on how much I have to build back up to the pen component diameter. I use calipers your measure and have a cheat sheet for each pen I make with the diameters on them. I use bushings to get me close but don’t rely on them. I also use craft foam. I put a dab or two on the foam and then apply since this lets me control how much I want on it. Remember too much CA and it will “bloom” on you causing either white dots or cloudiness. I also do a small spritz of activator between coats. When I spray I am about a foot away. Activator will also cause it to bloom if you use to much.
5. I then seal the ends of the blanks with thin so water for sanding doesn’t not get between the CA and blank. Resquare lightly with my sanding jig. Very lightly.
6. Wet sand up to 1500 with wet/dry paper. Much cheaper than micro mesh pads. I always wait at least 24 hours for the CA to gas off.
7. Polish up with mcguires plastix
8. Sand the inside tube on most kits so CA doesn’t crack when I push them together.


That’s my process which is successful for me. Your mileage may vary. Remember CA Brand plays a big part of it as well. Make sure it’s fresh and ask
Around what people are using. I would stay away from stick fast as it tends to shatter over time. Try flexible ones which will move with the wood.

Good luck!!!

@Bean_counter thank you for this. Can you please explain step 8 a little better? What do you mean by sand the inside of the tube and how do you do it? And this helps from cracking when you push what together?
Do you think this would help the wood from cracking on the ends when assembling the pen? I’ve had a few times that when I press the front or rear of the pen into the tube it will give a very hairline crack at the end of the blank. Talk about disappointment when you’re so close to being finished.
 

Bean_counter

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@The100road

Stan yes this helps from keeping the pens from cracking when you push them together. I’ve had them crack a lot especially stabilized blanks which tend to be more brittle and unforgiving. What it does is removes the glue from the inside of the tube and thins down the tube as well. Some pens which I know are a tight fit I will sand down and use red loctite on the tube and kit to keep them together. I buy these little sanding drums from eBay or amazon and sand then using the drill press. Here are a couple of pics

07151F1C-2F73-48E9-A5E5-996E01DA5363.jpeg
B7D6E97F-6C23-4492-8B1A-F62A6FF7A6B9.jpeg
 
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