Pen makers use Cyanocrylate as a finish, and some rod builders use it as a finish on wooden reel seat inserts and on wooden grips. Today I used it for the first time on an insert and liked the results. Can anyone with long term experience with CA on a reel seat insert or wooden grip comment on how the CA itself has held up after years of use? I’m not so interested in whether it withstood impacts, rather I’m interested in whether it cracked or degraded due to wood shrinking or swelling after exposure to the elements. Or, will it simply degrade due to age?

Thanks,
Jeff Shafer

It was never intended to be used as a finish and woodturners first used it as a crack filler. But, it seemed to withstand use as a finish and the rest is history. It will hold up pretty well for a long time. How long is hard to say because it's not yet been used in that capacity by a lot of people for a lot of years. But, so far, so good.

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

I made a segmented wooden shifter knob for my car that has a CA finish. It obviously doesn't get exposed to water so much but it sits in direct sunlight day after day here in Florida. It also has seen cold and extreme hot inside my black interior. It looks exactly the same now as it did when I made it almost a year ago. You also have to factor in that I drive that car just about everyday and the sweat and acid from my hands are on it constantly. CA is a great, tough finish.

My long term concern would be the exposure to the fumes. That stuff has a wicked odor and I`m sure it aint good for ya.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Use in a well ventilated aera the fumes cause cancer, hence the name CA finish?
Cheers Ron.

Thanks guys,
I'm drawing the fumes away with a remote shop vac and a hood over the turning wood. Would still like to hear from others who have had reel seats or grips finished with CA. I have received feedback from an individual on another board who has fished rods for up to two years and his CA reel seats look good as new. Other's experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

I have used thin ca for many years as a hardening agent on soft woods. You can apply it to cork before final shaping and harden the cork so it wont chip out . I have used it on cork reel seats on my light weight fly rods and they held up well over the years. CA can also work as a wood filler before sanding. CA can soften when left in a closed car in the sun and its not completely waterproof... Bob.