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Finishing with Hotstuff CA Glue (Cyanoacrylate) By Emory McLaughlin All rights reserved 2009 © Copyright I have finished many pens using the CA Glue finish. My process for finishing has changed slightly over time. After turning your pen to the final dimensions start the sanding process. I cut little strips of sand paper in the following grits: 120, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800 and 1,200 grits. I start sanding with the 120 grit and go up through 400 grit.  I make sure to wipe the dust off the blanks before switching to a new piece of paper. It is very important to use a medium gap filling CA Glue. The thin CA will wick down into the bushings and glue the bushings to the mandrel.   Safety Dust and fumes and CA glue. Sanding produces dust both from the wood and from the CA Glue. The Glue produces Fumes. The glue can also splatter and fly all over the place. Take some precautions. A Dust mask will help with the Dust. Proper ventilation will remove the fumes. A Face shield and safety glasses will prevent glue splattering in your face and eyes. Glue as a finish  I like to use the Hot Stuff brand of Medium Gap Filling Glue and NCF Quick Accelerator. I like these products because they give me consistent results. I am able to Get a hi-build finish with 3 coats. This gives the finished piece some depth. I take a paper towel and fold it up small. This is what I use to apply the glue. With the lathe running slow, hold the glue on top and the paper towel underneath and touching the blank. Begin applying the glue, the paper towel will catch the excess. Move both hands evenly; you want to apply a nice smooth even coat. You only have about 5-10 seconds to make a pass back and forth on each blank. Then I will pull the paper towel and the glue bottle away form the blank. You can either let the glue dry naturally about a minute or 2.  Or you can spray it with a little accelerator. (Let me emphasize LITTLE) If you spray too much the finish will cook off and turn white and maybe even bloom out. I will apply 3 coats using this method. The paper towels soak up a little of the Hotstuff Glue but I end up with a very smooth surface. 
 Sanding  I will now finish sanding the finished surface. I start with the 400 grit paper and wipe the blank between grits up through 1,200 grit. I am looking for an even white glaze on the CA Glue surface. I am looking for this on each step up in sandpaper. Stop the lathe and inspect the surface. You are looking for a nice even surface. The pen will have a dull whitish appearance. Buffing and Polishing  I use a 2 step buffing and polishing procedure to finish up the pen. I use a Red Rouge and White Diamond compound. Theses are available in sticks and are sold at any hardware and woodworking store. Leave the blanks mounted on the mandrel. This makes it easier to hold on to them while buffing. I run the lathe in reverse for buffing. Hold the mandrel at a 45 degree and rotate the blanks. Keep them moving while buffing. I buff with the red rouge first and then the white diamond. It is important to have separate buffing wheels for each compound.  Problems and solutions Dull spots in finish It is possible to sand through the finish. This will cause dull spots. The only way to fix this is to sand with 400 grit paper and then reapply the finish. Blooms or white spots in the finish If you apply too much accelerator it will cause the finish to do this. Less accelerator or wait slightly longer before spraying. Bumps in the finish These are probably cause by too much glue. Apply less glue next time many light coats is better then one heavy one. Sanding will remove the glue. And then sand up to 400 grit and reapply the finish. Problems removing the bushings The CA Glue will attach the bushings to the pen. Take the skew chisel and using the long point down lightly score the joints between the blanks and the bushings. Also make sure to use the medium gap filling CA Glue. Warning the Thin CA will wick down into the bushings and glue the bushings to the mandrel. Thin CA glue is meant to wick down in cracks. The Hotstuff Thin works very well for what it is designed for.  This is a problem that was there right at the start. I thought I would turn through this crack. Here is the solution to this problem.    I take a bit of wood shavings and I grind them up in the palm of my hand. Then this gets rubbed into the crack. Then follow this up with some CA glue. This will seal the dust into the crack. You will have to go back and sand the CA Glue smooth and then go through the whole sanding and polishing process again. This is a better solution then scrapping the blank. I would also keep some de-bonder on hand just in case  This is a very nice finish to have on a pen. It is very durable and retains a high gloss after many years of use. This finish technique takes some practice. I have changed my procedure over time and this is the method I use in my studio and that I teach my classes. Practice this first on some wood and then enjoy the results. Suppliers I teach at the Woodcraft store in Jacksonville so I tend to buy most of my supplies there. Or you could go right to Satellite City, Inc. for sales and info on all their products. http://www.caglue.com/HST-4-Super-T-Medium-2oz_p_16.htmlhttp://www.caglue.com/QA-6-NCF-Quick-aerosol-accelerator_p_28.htmlhttp://www.caglue.com/http://www.caglue.com/HS-4-Hot-Stuff-Thin-2oz_p_11.htmlhttp://www.caglue.com/US-1-Super-Solvent-debonder-2oz_p_35.htmlSchedule.htmlhttp://www.woodcraft.com/http://www.caglue.com/shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7

Emory Mclaughlin

Jacksonville, Florida

904-434-5686

emory@asthewoodturns.com