tim0625 Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 I'm about to turn my first pens. I've watched many videos and at this point I have many grits of sandpaper up to 1000. I will probably stick with that for now and get some micro mesh later. On the finishes, I see people all over the map on what to use. First, what finish do you use on pens and would this kit be a good place to start for CA glue? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 seems like a waste of money all you really need is the superglue. most hobby stores sell the bottles 5$ a bottle. the hardener is basically just water. and the jar is just a jar. for my finishes I play with using super glue finishes with a thin superglue. I would sugest before you finish anything with super glue you first make a scrap spindle and practice its harder then you think to get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted June 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Morning Duck....why finish with super glue? Why not just poly or tung oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Check this out, General Finishes Wood Turners Finish. Awesome stuff. You can apply it just like CA glue. Keep it simple! -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgewaterWW Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Sorry but I have to disagree. Yes SuperGlue is cyanoacrylate (CA) I have never seen a "SuperGlue" in a lager bottle, it's normally sold in a .5oz tube at a high price (per oz) compared to buying CA glue from a Pen kit supplier. Yes CA Activator can be replaced with water mist and a CA finish can be applied without it. Super Glue comes in one Thickness, where CA is available in over 6 Thickness to customize the finish. Why use CA glue as a finish? Properly done CA pen finish is faster, more durable, and glossier than any other pen finish out there. Any Oil finish (BLO, tung,etc) will not stand up to the oils from your fingers and will discolor. General Finishes Wood Turners Finish (WTF, haha) is great, DON'T apply with friction, WTF is just a wipe on and dry. I use WTF on most of My turnings now, but word of warning it will add a bit of amber tint. (read TWW review http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/general-finishes-wood-turners-finish/) Minwax "wipe on poly" works fine as a Pen or turnings finish, I use it when I don't want the amber tint from WTF. Good Luck, there is 100's of ways to finish a Pen and 100's of videos on how to finish a Pen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Why use CA glue as a finish? Properly done CA pen finish is faster, more durable, and glossier than any other pen finish out there. Any Oil finish (BLO, tung,etc) will not stand up to the oils from your fingers and will discolor. General Finishes Wood Turners Finish (WTF, haha) is great. But DON'T apply it like a CA finish. CA is applied with friction, WTF is just a wipe on and dry. I use WTF on most of My turnings now, but word of warning it will add a bit of amber tint. I have to disagree...I have used WTF friction applied, dripping finish over the piece and working it in with a paper towel. Also, very important. CA glue is not as durable as people think. Yes its hard but it’s a GLUE, it was never designed to handle the chemicals that are on your hands. Thats just me...and sticking to my story -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgewaterWW Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Cool Ace, True CA is durable but not impenetrable. Question about "friction applied" are You rubbing it on or rubbing till it "heats up" like Hut Crystal Coat and Mylands Friction Polish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Cool Ace, True CA is durable but not impenetrable. Question about "friction applied" are You rubbing it on or rubbing till it "heats up" like Hut Crystal Coat and Mylands Friction Polish? I'm applying it like you can a CA glue. Drip it on a spinning piece and working it in with the paper towel or toilet paper using some friction after a build up of finish (yes I can feel a little heat) to flow it out. I was assuming by your post that you can't apply the WTF in that fashion. Sorry for any confusion. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Morning Duck....why finish with super glue? Why not just poly or tung oil? its got a nice hard shinny surface. prity durable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Sorry but I have to disagree. Yes SuperGlue is cyanoacrylate (CA) I have never seen a "SuperGlue" in a lager bottle, it's normally sold in a .5oz tube at a high price (per oz) compared to buying CA glue from a Pen kit supplier. Yes CA Activator can be replaced with water mist and a CA finish can be applied without it. Super Glue comes in one Thickness, where CA is available in over 6 Thickness to customize the finish. Why use CA glue as a finish? Properly done CA pen finish is faster, more durable, and glossier than any other pen finish out there. Any Oil finish (BLO, tung,etc) will not stand up to the oils from your fingers and will discolor. General Finishes Wood Turners Finish (WTF, haha) is great, DON'T apply with friction, WTF is just a wipe on and dry. I use WTF on most of My turnings now, but word of warning it will add a bit of amber tint. (read TWW review http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/general-finishes-wood-turners-finish/) Minwax "wipe on poly" works fine as a Pen or turnings finish, I use it when I don't want the amber tint from WTF. Good Luck, there is 100's of ways to finish a Pen and 100's of videos on how to finish a Pen my hobby lobby has all 3 thicknesses of 5 oz for 5 dollers in the model car areas you can use superglues it just has to have cyanoacrlate. the rockler brand is just has it labeled as that so it sounds fancy and special sounding but if you look at the labels of alot of super glue its a ingrediant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Try BSI IC Gel. Its one of the few CA's that will hold up under saltwater. Perfect for pens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Frank Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 Try BSI IC Gel. Its one of the few CA's that will hold up under saltwater. Perfect for pens. man i have serachased high and low havent see any discussions on that ca glue for pens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 man i have serachased high and low havent see any discussions on that ca glue for pens You probably won't, i wouldn't expect to. BSI IC gel is used in the saltwater aquarium industry for hard coral propagation. Hard corals are grow from "frags" fragments broken off of larger colonies. The frags are glued to rock with BSI IC gel and grown in an aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 why is it a better finish then regular super glue for pens? does it resist the oil and salts from human skin better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 why is it a better finish then regular super glue for pens? does it resist the oil and salts from human skin better? yes, regular super glue breaks down in saltwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Frank Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 yes, regular super glue breaks down in saltwater i thought i read its because its a gel and can stay stuck on different angles without running off reg ca is watery dont see ablut the salt thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 There is quite a lot of anecdotal evidence in the hobby R/C world that CA selection must be carefully considered because some CA is plainly not salt water resistant. If this product is successfully marketed for coral that means there must be a fair amount of success with complete saltwater immersion for life. I realize you are looking for more concrete data Mike but I have found sometimes that data does not exist in tidy form. You may have to infer from four or five incomplete sets of data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Frank Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 not sure what you are saying from what i see super glue is used in the fish tank biz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted June 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 I realize that our bodies emit salt, oils, and acids but I'm not in salt water. From an initial and uneducated standpoint, it seems that the BSI IC may be over kill. If there are thousands of people making pens and using other finishes that are working, that's what I want to know. If pens are finished with something besides BSI IC and do not eventually loose their finish or go bad, I want to know what they're using. If other finishes are viable, BSI IC is a moot point and has no value in debating. I want to know what's working. Ace, the wood turners finish looks good. It seems easy. It's not costly, sounds like it may be a ticket - one ticket. If you're out there and you're making pens, what are you doing? Doug, you put what looks like a quote up - copied/pasted? (because the type is different) Why use CA glue as a finish? Properly done CA pen finish is faster, more durable, and glossier than any other pen finish out there. Any Oil finish (BLO, tung,etc) will not stand up to the oils from your fingers and will discolor. Have you found this to be true? Keep talking - thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 it is overkill its like our government spending tons of cash to make a pen that can write in space when the Russian invented one for nothing...........the pencil. I use any thin ca super glue from a hobby store works great I think you will be satisfied with that. if you needed something for salt water like a marine biologist then what the hey buy the special stuff but since you just playing with making a few pens go pick up a 5 doller cheap bottle of thin superglue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 I realize that our bodies emit salt, oils, and acids but I'm not in salt water. From an initial and uneducated standpoint, it seems that the BSI IC may be over kill. If there are thousands of people making pens and using other finishes that are working, that's what I want to know. If pens are finished with something besides BSI IC and do not eventually loose their finish or go bad, I want to know what they're using. If other finishes are viable, BSI IC is a moot point and has no value in debating. I want to know what's working. Ace, the wood turners finish looks good. It seems easy. It's not costly, sounds like it may be a ticket - one ticket. If you're out there and you're making pens, what are you doing? Doug, you put what looks like a quote up - copied/pasted? (because the type is different)Why use CA glue as a finish? Properly done CA pen finish is faster, more durable, and glossier than any other pen finish out there. Any Oil finish (BLO, tung,etc) will not stand up to the oils from your fingers and will discolor. Have you found this to be true? Keep talking - thanks I think your making to much out of my simple suggestion. Bsi is a brand of ca that is known to hold up well. It's no more expensive and no harder to get than other ca glue brands. Works plain and simple can be had at hobby stores. I just bought it at the local hobby town store for $5. Holds up great to normal use. It's not NASA high tech over kill glue that duck is making it out to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 hahaha I think the glue bottle should have a tiny tv on it hows that for tech? no was just saying any brand will work no need to go crazy for specific type I checked out my local craft store and they did not have that brand a similar glue was 15 dollars. when I asked around the manager said that they don't get too much glue like that no demand for glue to hold up in salt water in Illinois. when he ran a store in Florida he had 6 glues that would work with saltwater. so just use what you got Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted June 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 I think your making to much out of my simple suggestion. Bsi is a brand of ca that is known to hold up well. It's no more expensive and no harder to get than other ca glue brands. Works plain and simple can be had at hobby stores. I just bought it at the local hobby town store for $5. Holds up great to normal use. It's not NASA high tech over kill glue that duck is making it out to be. that's cool....I didn't realize....I will look at the hobby shop and PB...where would I find bsi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgewaterWW Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 Yes Tim it is a quote from a article I was reading about CA finishing, to be on the up and up, I don't do a CA finish any more. At My woodturning club I have seen 100's of pen with a CA finish and they look great but it hard to master and I don't recommend it to new turners. So here is My top 10 list why not 1.Gluing bushings to the blank or mandrel 2. Gluing paper towel to blank or fingers 3. i like WTF better 4. I cry and/or the smell (CA fumes) 5 I can use WTF on any (ok most) turning, try CA finish on a vampire stake (haha) bottle stopper 6. as a new turner You may flex or bend a mandrel making the blank out of round, making dull spots in the CA finish 7..after CA applied to get the ultimate finish more steps, MM sanding, buffing, scratch remover, wax 8. I like WTF better 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgewaterWW Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 Duck, is this the Glue from Hobby Lobby your talking about? I was at the store and found this today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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