Gerry,

Please outline for us the in's and out's of how to use CA on grips (types, accelerators, suppliers, etc.).

There appears to be something woodworkers know that rodbuilders don't know.

Many thinks,
Stan

Woodworkers, particularly wood turners, have begun using it as a sort of finish on their turned pieces. It fills small gaps and cracks and if you'll coat the entire piece of wood, you can then sand through progressively finer and finer grades of paper to achieve a high gloss.

Most hobby shops are a good local source of supply for these adhesives. I don't use an accelerator personally, but I suppose if you were in a bit of a hurry it would make a lot of sense. Even without it, most CA glues will dry inside of a few minutes.

............

CA has been used to finish high end pool cues for quite a long time. Probably the most important thing to remember is that the CA available at places like Home Depot, WalMart, etc is garbage. Places like Woodcraft, Craft Supplies USA, Rockler and Penn State sell good CA. I buy mine from a local hobby store that caters to RC modelers who apparently use it by the bucket. The stuff I get is made by Bob Smith Industries(I think) and is labeled for the hobby store. EZ-Bond, Hot Stuff and Insta-Bond are also good. I use two types, thin and thick. The thick stuff is about the consistency of maple syrup. I never ever use accelerator for finishing. If the CA was put on a bit thick, accelerator can cause it to "bloom" and you have to remove it entirely. I sand to 400 grit, wipe the wood with DNA and let it dry thoroughly. I fold a Viva paper towel to about 2" x 3". With my lathe running at about 800 rpm, I hold the folded paper towel lightly against the wood and run a thin line of thin CA the length of the wood. The cellulose fibers act as an accelerator. The first coat dries almost instantly since a fair amount of it actually soaks into the wood. After the first coat is dry, I apply another coat of thin CA. If the wood is particularly porous, especially spalted wood, I'll apply three coats of thin. After the thin coats are applied and totally cured, I apply a coat of thick. The thick stuff takes quite a bit longer to cure, sometimes as long as 2-3 minutes. If there are noticeable ridges after the first coat of thick, I'll sand it down level before applying a second coat of thick. After the final coat is completely cured, I dry sand with 400 grit to smooth it out and remove any ridges. Then I wet sand using Micro Mesh grits 1500 through 12000. Then I let it set for 24 hours before buffing with white diamond. Except for the 24 hours wait, the process takes me about 20 minutes.

As an experiment, I tried applying CA to some of Andy's exotic cork. It required about 5 coats of thick CA and frankly didn't look very good, even after buffing. So, when making a wood/cork grip, you need to fairly careful applying the CA so you don't get a lot of it on the cork.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2006 09:18AM by Gerry Rhoades.

Stan,

Chk out this site..[www.woodturningonline.com] "Finishing" there is an article on CA finsihes...if you scroll down their are 2 articles under "Glue" about CA that you might find useful.

While many of the no name super glues are not good I have used loctite brand CA which is sold at WM, Lowes, Home depot without any problems whatsoever.

If you want to find more info or suppliers for CA look on pen turners sites...Pennstate industries..hut products. Many of these suppliers have other products for finishing wood that is usefull if turning your own seats. CA works really great to fill any small voids you might find when turning burls also. There are also many finishing articles from knife makers.

On the down side CA can be expensive if you are finishing alot with it.

Thanks, guys, for the very useful information. I'll give CA a try.
Stan

Ditto on the thanks!!! Some good info!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Keep in mind that while CA glue can provide a brilliant almost perfect finish the finish is subject to shattering if struck with a hard object. Pretty but also fairly fragile!

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

Stan,

I have several pens and reelseats with CA finish and have never experienced a problem. I build mostly fly rods but can't imagine a situation where I would strike the surface of a reelseat? I don't use wood as a butt cap. I have never had a problem. Not say it isn't possible....but then many other finishes would be damaged I would think if you hit them with something hard also. It is wood and so it is not industructable.

I wouldn't recommend using CA on a materials that flex such as cork does, but it's great for use on wood, as a finish, to fill grain or checks, etc. It would be a poor choice for filling pits in cork, for instance, because with use the cork will work itself away from the hardened, rigid CA filler. I'll second what Stan says.

Josh Markvan
www.markvanheirloom.com

I wouldn't recommend using CA on a materials that flex such as cork does, but it's great for use on wood, as a finish, to fill grain or checks, etc. It would be a poor choice for filling pits in cork, for instance, because with use the cork will work itself away from the hardened, rigid CA filler. I'll second what Stan says.

Josh Markvan
www.markvanheirloom.com