I was browsing through the photo's of reel seats and came across a beauty by Terry Henson. He credits David Mayer for a burl cleaning technique and Mark Blabaum for a CA application technique. Does anyone know where I can get more info on these techniques? Thanks

You'd have to do a search.

One note of caution, I was speaking to Ralph O'Quinn after the Expo, according to him, CA does not handle moisture well. Thus it is a poor exterior coating.

I haven't used it myself but others might be able to confirm or deny this.

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The cleaning process is easy. After you have sanded the handle to the desired smoothness, then run water over the handle and brush with a stiff tooth brush to remove dust from the pits in the cork. Then allow to dry and apply CA or any other cork sealer.

As far as CA handling moisture, it seems to do just fine. I fished with two CA rods a few weeks ago in the Sierras and it rained and snowed on us for 3 days straight. I was wearing gloves that were wet the whole time and the grip I was using was wet and cold the whole time. When I finished fishing each time, I placed the rod on the dash where the defroster was and the rod was heated up as the truck warmed up. Three days of fishing in 30 degree weather, wet and snowing and then subjected to heat as the rod rested on the dash in the heat, the rod was submerged in the water and photographed next to several fish.……………AND you can’t even tell the rod has been fished. Now what it will look like in 3 months from now is anyone’s guess……….but for now it works and looks perfect. I have also used the handles in ideal conditions and received ideal results.

I am currently using just CA on the hard materials and I am using Tru Oil and such on the cork to seal it and that is working great.

The CA application is simple, using a lathe, apply CA with a rubber glove covered finger to the hard materials or cork as the handle turns at 500 RPM or so. If desired, apply a second coat after the first dries. Allow to dry and the handle should feel like paint over-spray on a hard surface. Using 400 grit paper turn the handle in the lathe and gently hit the CA with very wet 400 grit sand paper. Check with your hand as the handle turns and see if it feels smooth. If so, use 1500 grit and above to wet sand to a high shine. If you end up with dull areas, then cover with CA and repeat. I use Micro Mesh for all finishing and it ends with 12000 grit and the handle will end up baby butt smooth.

The cleaning process is easy. After you have sanded the handle to the desired smoothness, then run water over the handle and brush with a stiff tooth brush to remove dust from the pits in the cork. Then allow to dry and apply CA or any other cock sealer.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2009 09:41PM by terry henson.

Thanks Terry. You really make some great looking grips.

Hi Terry,how does the final color of the CA finished grip compare to the Tru Oil?

I have used Tru Oil on numerous burl grips and do like the result but your CA finished grips look much lighter in color and are clearer.I can get a fairly high gloss finish with multiple coats of Tru Oil but my grips definitely look a lot darker than yours.As much as I like the darker grips,I like the look of yours more.

Do you find the Tru Oil finish makes for a darker grip than the CA,or does the cleaning(I haven't done this on any of my grips before adding the coats of Tru Oil) of the cork before hand help keep the Tru Oil finished cork look light and clear like your CA finished grips are?

I did a quick google on CA finish.

"DELO-CA instant curing Cyanoacrylates adhesives are one part, solvent free cyanoacrylates, for general bonding applications. They are more generally known as super glue "superglue" or instant adhesives.

Cyanoacrylates cure with the presence of moisture (RH 30-70%), the greater the moisture, the quicker the cure. The cyanoacrylate adhesives are ideal for use with nearly all materials, especially plastics and elastomers. They provide high tensile & shear strengths, with initial strength in seconds."

CA uses moisture to cure, and it should be water proof because of it. The main issue with CA is the fact that it is very hard and has a high shear strength. I worry that over time the finish is less flexible than the material that it's applied to. Over time it could possibly cause the finish to crack, the thing I really like about CA is the durability compaired to tru-oil. It seems to hold up much better than tru-oil and CA can be reapplied fairly easily if it does come off. CA is also a little more clear than Tru-Oil, if you want the warmer feel of Tru-Oil apply Boiled Linseed Oil to the piece before you apply the CA, that will darken the piece a little before you apply the CA. There is a good tutorial on applying CA here [www.penturners.org] , I need to spend a little more time working with the product before I can really say how it holds up. I need to do some more R&D, as in more time on the water.

I saw one of Terry's rods at the Expo and really liked the smooth, clear finish on the grips. He said it was CA and this is why I had asked Ralph about the stuff when used as a coating. Remember, it was designed to be an adhesive, not a surface coating.

I had the same conversation with a guy from the Valspar lab the other day. He said the same thing - that long term use of such an item out of doors wouldn't bode well for the CA.

Enough of you guys have used it this way that within a year or so this will either be confirmed or denied. We'll see. In the meantime, it provides one of the better looking coatings I've seen.

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Tony, I will answer your questions tonight, I am at work or I would answer them now....

But that being said, REMEMBER, CA is easly sanded off and re-done or you can sand it off and coat with another coating if you like.....in that light, I love the look and thanks Tom for the comments, but I look at it this way, if it goes south and deterorates, I can always re-do the handle in less than 5 minutes, so it is not much of a risk, if you ask me.......

Mark and I recently re-did a handle that was coated in CA we were repairing and it was easily done.

I am trying to use the CA coated rods in all types of enviorments to test them.

Terry

I have done some experimentation recently after seeing some of Terry's grips in the photos. I am interested in enhancing the accent rings without overpowering the appearance of the cork. On burl cork CA will fill and pop the grain of the burl cork resulting in a much glossier finish no matter what is used on top. As far as cleaning the grips--compressed air and wiping with t shirt rags or gun cleaning patches dry or wet with DNA will clean well. I prefer a satin gloss vs a high gloss finish on handles. I have tried Helmsman satin finish spar which will build gloss with multiple coats and provide gloss similar to TRU oil. I covered some cork with CA and let it float on water for several days--looked OK. Now that it is warmer outside I suspect you could cover some cork with CA and just leave it in the sun for a few days and see what happens.

Regarding the use of CA as a finish on wood, there are as many techniques as there are reel seat, pen and game call turners. I know, I’ve tried many techniques. Those who achieve their desired appearance have settled in on a technique that works well for them. CA for me was problematic anytime moisture was involved. Yes, moisture is necessary for CA to cure. Think about this - some of us live where humidity swings somewhat, with levels reaching nearly 100% at times. Others live where 5% humidity is the norm. Some turners use an accelerator to cause their CA to cure faster. All I have to do is breath in the area of CA and it blushes white.

CA also takes a lot longer to cure than most think. It may harden quickly, but after sanding and polishing CA applied thickly will continue to cure for some time. Put a finished/sanded/polished reel seat insert into plastic bag and in an hour the highly lustrous finish will go dull due to moisture in the wood – if the CA isn’t fully cured. I’ve had this happen four days after CA application. So now I apply coats over several days, wait at least four days to sand and polish, then set the seat in a dry location for at least a week.

The bottom line from all this rambling is that very nice results can be attained with CA, but there is no one size fits all method.

Jeff Shafer

Terry:
Have you tried Permagloss ? Sounds like less work.

Bill - willierods.com

Gents,

Been following this string for a while as it is most interesting. I too have been very impressed with Mr. Henson's CA finish on his handles and appreciate the deep dark results with Tru Oil. I have also viewed the video from the "penturner's" forum depicting the application of CA and boiled linseed oil for a nice finish on the pen blanks.

The thought came to mind, is it possible to apply the Tru Oil with a CA finish using the same technique in the pen turners video, and get the dark results from the Tru Oil and high luster of the CA finish.

Curious if perhaps someone has already tried this or thoughts in general regarding this idea.

Thanks

Eric Ege