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Blo

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Me personally Terry, as soon as it dries, leaving the lathe running a short while helps ... :thumbs:
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
I gave up using BLO with CA was getting white spots in the CA, never thought about letting it dry.

That may be caused by oily woods Mark, i tend to use BLO on light coloured woods with nice grain ...
 

mervyn cadman

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Posts
86
Location
Colchester - Essex
Hi Terry, there are so many variations of applying CA and CA BLO every pen turner seems to have their own way and own technique of applying this type of finish and you Terry will master your own.
In my experience oily woods will not take a very good finish to those with close grain hard timbers, let's take Anjan an Indian timber that’s very hard but oily, I have never been able to get a good finish with either CA or BLO now let’s take A Honduras Rosewood burr that’s is probably the best finish I have ever achieved with both methods.

my method is to apply the BLO on a pad of kitchen roll or a velvet cloth (lint free) add to the work piece let that the BLO soak in and dry then on the same pad with the residue of BLO add two or three drops of CA at a running speed if 500rpm working on one blank at time, only you will know Terry when to lift the towel or cloth away from the work, when the CA has cured apply and repeat this method several times cutting back with a dry 1500 Micro Mesh pad very lightly to remove any high spots.

On the last application I use burnishing cream to cut back and to polish the CA finish, or a buffing wheel system works very well.
This is my method Terry the next pen turner will have their own method – hope this helps or anyone that reads this post.

Regards Mervyn
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
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Jan 31, 2013
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Terry
Thanks for that Mervyn. I got the impression that most turners used BLO before applying CA. Up to now I have been applying acrylic sanding sealer before CA with good results and I just thought that I would have a go with BLO.:thumbs:
 

Walter

Moderator
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Apr 22, 2013
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Amble on the sunny Northumberland coast.
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Walter
Hi Terry

I don't use BLO as I don't think it adds anything to the process. My theory is that if it is difficult to get a good finish on oily timbers then how is adding oil to non oily timbers going to help. This is just my opinion with no scientific basis for it but it works for me. I use sanding sealer with oily timbers before the CA.

My method of CA application is slightly different to Merv's if you want to try a different method to see what works best for you. I apply CA without BLO and with the lathe turned off. I wipe it on quickly along the grain whilst turning the spindle slowly by hand. I just apply thin coats leaving each to dry before applying the next. As Merv does I cut back with 1500 micromesh to remove any high spots then burnish with burnishing cream or a buffing wheel.

There are probably as many ways of doing this as there are people doing it. It is just a matter of finding the one that works best for you.

Walter
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
Executive Member
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Posts
9,504
Location
An exile Geordie living in Kingston upon Hull
First Name
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Hi Terry

I don't use BLO as I don't think it adds anything to the process. My theory is that if it is difficult to get a good finish on oily timbers then how is adding oil to non oily timbers going to help. This is just my opinion with no scientific basis for it but it works for me. I use sanding sealer with oily timbers before the CA.

My method of CA application is slightly different to Merv's if you want to try a different method to see what works best for you. I apply CA without BLO and with the lathe turned off. I wipe it on quickly along the grain whilst turning the spindle slowly by hand. I just apply thin coats leaving each to dry before applying the next. As Merv does I cut back with 1500 micromesh to remove any high spots then burnish with burnishing cream or a buffing wheel.

There are probably as many ways of doing this as there are people doing it. It is just a matter of finding the one that works best for you.

Walter

Thanks for the info Walter. I think that I'll probably go back to sanding sealer as I have good results with it. I was more curious than anything else but when I first tried the BLO I probably didn't leave it long enough to dry and then I applied 12 coats of CA. After I had finished using micromesh there was no finish on the wood so I can only assume the CA didn't adhere to the wood because the BLO wasn't dry enough. This has never happened with sanding sealer!!!!
 

Bluefoxy

Full Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2013
Posts
173
Location
London
Merv is right about there being as many methods of applying CA as you can shake a stick at. If using an oily wood such as cocobolo I clean the blank with meths or thinners before applying a finish. You will be amazed at the amount of s**t that comes off. My method of applying blo/ca is to apply a small amount of blo to a clean cloth or tissue, drop 2/3 blobs of medium ca on to the blo and apply directly to the blank at high speed keeping it moving all the time. 3 or 4 coats done correctly results in a very high shine. If you look on youtube and search blo/ca finish a Canadian gentleman shows how it's done.

Ray

Sorry being lazy here. This is the link that shows the method WoodTurning BLO and CA Pen Finish - YouTube
 

clumsysod

GOBBY GIT
Graduate Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Posts
687
Location
Grantham
have you lot finished yet????
What a load of tripe I have read and watched here.
Who is under the misapprehension that any oil will soak in and better still dry within a few seconds of being applied??
All of you it seems, Wake up people, you moan about oil on wood then go and apply the stuff to bring out the grain. Get real.
Does it really matter how you apply ca? The objective is to build up enough coats to polish a shine. Ends there.
Spend your money on fancy grinding pastes and fine abrasives, they all do the same job of rubbing down the ca you have applied and built up by whichever method.
It all boils down to elbow grease and patience that is the only method we all use.
 

Walter

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I agree with most of what you say George. As I said earlier, oil seems to me to be counter intuitive if you are going to apply another finish on top. I only use oil if that is the finish I am going to ultimately use (e.g. danish oil or gunstock oil both of which need to be left to dry and build up a finish so are a too time consuming for most people when making pens) My method of applying CA does pretty much what you suggest, building up enough coats to cut back and polish. I use burnishing cream but any mild abrasive will do the job from Brasso to toothpaste.

Walter
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Some good advice here, but as stated by a few, it comes down to the individual on how you finish your pens. When i first started like others seeked and learnt from what we saw or read, once we i had learnt it put me in good stead as to where i am today. It is good that people offer their advice, we all started as freshmen at one time, and reading others reviews and watching their videos put me on the right road ... :thumbs: :thumbs:
 

HardingPens

Apprentice Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Posts
4
Location
Aurora, Ontario, Canada
BLO will "pop" the grain (enhance the contrast), and it also speeds up the set of CA glue. I used to do this on all my pens but then switched to a method developed by Russ Fairfield. Russ found that if you sand the wood ultra-smooth first, the grain will "pop" just as well as adding BLO. This sanding method does not change the wood colour like BLO will. I also find that the CA is more glass-like without the BLO.
Brad
 
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