CA Finishing Demo

[@craigstannard3391]

I love it, nice and simple. People tend to over-complicate stuff!

[@McKenziePenworks]

@@craigstannard3391 appreciate that! I'm pretty process oriented and I don't like steps that add no value to the finished product. I'm picky about that finished product, but I'm going to find the efficient way to get there. 😃

[@cursed_to_toil]

I'm a big fan of the blue rags but it sure does eat up the CA. But other than that, I really like how it applies and prevents bulging from too much CA. I have tried several methods with foam, plastic, and a few other applicators but every one of them ended up with a pool of CA in my hand that I didn't realize had accumulated. However, I have not tried the finger condoms yet. GIven the price and real estate of the blue rags, I may give this a shot! I will still use the blue as my final polish buff but I may just see about upping the CA game for sake of saving resources. But regardless of applicator, I have found a few vital points to a great CA finish. 1.) ALWAYS use slow RPM for the entire application 2.) I have found that you can skip hit the activator (when you apply once, it will activate the applied coat as well as the next coat you apply and so you can alternate activator application) 3.) Your environment needs to be above 65 degrees. Below that just creates issues that are hard to identify the cause and mainly, a much higher rate of orange peeling on the finish. 4.) When fine/wet sanding, it is absolutely imperative that the lowest fine grit you start with is the main workhorse of the finish. Sand that first grit and be sure to stop the lathe and ensure the entire coating has a matte finish. Any spots or lines of a satin finish after the first grit WILL result in a wavy or wobbly finish. The rest of the grits will only need a gentle and quick application. 5.) Finally, I swear by Meguiar Ultimate Car Compound. Applied as directed on the bottle and I use the blue rags to buff it off once its set well and I get wonderful glassy finishes each time. I have recently started using the mercury activator pump spray because I ran out of aerosol activator... Dude I have stuck to aerosol for the atomizing and force behind it but... The mercury activator does not seem to ever blush so far, and it atomizes great from the pump. Seeing as I have numerous bottles that came with the CA, I may switch for good... Especially when activating larger amounts of CA like in my inlay channels. It seems to activate faster as well. These last steps are the same for synthetic blanks as well as CA finishes. Thanks for the video sir!

[@McKenziePenworks]

If you have a pool of CA... you're using way too much. :) Ridges are typically caused by trying to push it on to the barrel instead of just smoothing it out. What if I told you I sanded this pen with only 3 grits and a single polish? Wet sand at 400, 1200, 1500 and then used our M3 polish step #2. It's flawless. Folks like to make finishing schedules a lot more difficult than they need to be.