Dave asked me about using CA as a wood finish so I thought I'd share my technique with everyone.

Superglue brand glue is thin CA and is not the best for a wood finish. Most woodworking (not home improvement) stores will have CA in 3 grades thin, medium, and thick. Thick CA fills gaps the best and takes 1-2 minutes to setup. Thin sets up quick (5-10 seconds) and does not fill gaps as well. Medium is right in the middle and takes about 30-60 seconds for setup. Also the thicker it is put on the the longer it takes to dry. I personally use Medium, but thick works also. If it doesn't state thin, medium, or thick - it's thin.

Pros:
Will work on oily woods
Polishs to a bright shine
Very quick to apply and quick to setup compared to other wood finishes
Fairly safe compared to other wood finishes (in fact it's used in place of sutures for cuts)

Cons:
Smell (you can pick up odorless CA, it's harder to find and more expensive)
Expensive compared to other wood finishes. (but not too bad)
Builds high and has that plastic look that some people do not care for. You can use less coats for less of the plastic look.
Requires some method of polishing.

I turn the exposed portion of the insert about a 1/16" short of where I want it to be.

I spin the insert on my lathe at about 500 RPM. Then I put a good amount on my finger. I apply the CA to the insert, trying to keep the coat as even as possible. Usually it takes 2 applications to cover the exposed portion of the insert. I let it spin for about 5 minutes until it's dry.

Then get a sanding block with some 220 and lightly sand it flat. continue to 600. Be careful not to sand through the layer or it'll show and, you'll have to sand it down and restart.

repeat 2-4 times until you get the depth you want.

Then either buff it or I prefer to use the Micro-Mesh cloth backed sandpaper that goes from 1500 to 12000 grit for the final polish.

You can peel the CA right off your finger when you're done.

Micro-Mesh and Medium CA are both available from www.woodcraft.com.

Safety:
Read the safety info on the bottle. Wear eye protection (and if you wear glasses wear protection over your glasses or you'll wind up with little spots of CA you can't get off :)

Thats good info. Christian. I have been using CA glue for various woodworking operations since I started building electric guitars in the mid 1980's. Hot Stuff by Sattelite City is the brand all of the Luthiers use...it's a very high quality CA glue, and the only one I'll use for reelseat work.


Andy Dear
Lamar Reel Seats

Thin CA glue has been used as a wood finish by pro pool cue makers for a long time.
The odourless CA glue is definitely the way to go and is available from most pool cue parts suppliers.
Eden

Eden -
I have never heard of thin CA being used. I would guess that it would be difficult because it sets so quickly. Do they use a different technique?

Andy -
Hot Stuff is the same brand I use. I really like it, but I have never tried anything else.

Christian

Christian,
You can find details for finishing cues with thin CA, regular CA , odourless CA as well as epoxy here: [cuecomponents.com]
Eden

"Regular CA" in my last post is an error and should be ignored!
Eden

I LOVE this place ... fishing rods, wood finishing, guitars, pool cues what an amazing depth of knowledge and talent is found here daily. I think I've overfilled my browser on NetScape!

The CA adhesive is also quite good for filling large cracks or voids, regardless of what finish you eventually use.

........

Gee Tom....thnaks for the lead in for a shameless plug for my new DVD.

"For more information on how to use CA glue to fill cracks/voids/fissures in a reel seat, take a look at my new DVD "The Wood Lathe in Rodbuilding"


Andy Dear
Lamar Reel Seats

I also get my CA from [cuecomponents.com]. I like the thin oderless. It works great as a filler and buffs right up with stabilized wood.

Perhaps a silly question as I haven't yet done the research, but is the oderless CA glue REALLY a good thing? Obviously, it's a bit more comfortable to use on the eyes and nose, it's the "smell warning" that I'm curious about. I kinda like the ability to know when I'm inhaling/exposed to various solvents and other potential nasties that way I can avoid it or modify my work habits. Is the oderless still a potential health risk?

I use alot of CA for fly & jig tying and it works great, best head cement around IMHO. However, when the eyes start to burn, that tells me I'm a bit too close to my work and it's time to lean back or do it near a fan or breeze. Can't say it's dangerous, I don't know, but it just doesn't seem like it would be a good thing not to know where the fumes are. Kinda like oderless propane or other gases.

If anyone sees this and has some info, I'd appreciate input as I have considered the oderless versions, but the implications scared me off a bit.

BTW, great info above, never really considered using CA on wood as a finish...thanx.