HI All, I've been trying to use a CA finsih for some grips. I keep gettng inconsistent finish, sometimes with flat spots and other times with a fine speckling, like on the attached image. I try to gut it back with a fien micro mesh but the specks persist. Any practical suggestions welcomed!
cheers
DAVID
you can see a photo at
[www.davidw.talktalk.net]

You can find a lot of information on CA finishing at penturning sites. I have found Tru oil to be a better finish for grips than CA.

John
God bless the troops and USA

David, looks like pin holes to me. I used to run into this at the last place I worked, We did interiors in aircraft and used CA occasionally to fill pinholes for a quick repair.
Sometimes it can be tough to get the wood to grain fill with CA. You might try picking the white spots out with a needle then fill them with a syringe and needle. When you sand them down smooth again you will have a halo so you may have to put one more coat on the whole thing before you can polish it.
Hope this helps,
Vic

I agree with Vic, they look like pin holes that are now filled with the white dust form the sanding. There are better finishes for wood than CA. I personally prefer Tru-oil as I can do it with a matte or very high gloss or somewhere inbetween finish. Multiple Tru-oil coats dried hard and wet sanded with micro mesh looks like glass!

It looks like there wasn't enough CA on the blank before you started to sand it down. I put a lot more CA on the blank than you would think is needed before I start to sand. I use a gloved finger to slather it on, let it cure and then sand it down, blow out the dust with a compressor and repeat until I have all the grain filled. After that I use three thin coats and then sand through the grits to 2000 before I polish it with flitz and white diamond buffing compound. The trick to CA is to find a rhythm that works for you; put more on than you will think is needed you can always sand it off. One other thing is be careful when you get to corners and edges that's the easiest place to sand through the finish. I would also be willing to put my CA finishes against any Tru-Oil finishes; CA has a deeper finish, is much tougher, and faster to apply than any Tru-Oil finish I’ve used.

If you havn't seen Andy Dear's DVD by all means get it!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Not sure, but it looks like you had small pits and when you sanded the pit filled up with the fine white powder sanding debree. What you might try to start off is to use a thicker gap filling CA then sand it down until the surface is completely flat (no pits) then go to your thinner CA. Also if it is a Spaltede wood I first use a good amount of thin to soak in to solidify the soft/rotten wood before I apply the thick gap filling CA.

Kerry

many thanks for al your suggestions - lots for me to think about!
cheers
David

David you might try Russ Fairfield's web site re finishing with CA and other finishes very knowledgeable individual regarding finishes
[www.woodturnerruss.com]
John

Hi Mark. I was hoping you would chime in. That case you had at Chicago was awesome! Beats the heck out of tru oil for sure.
Vic

Does anyone know where I can get a copy or see a copy of the Andy Dear DVD?
many thanks

David