Finishing with Superglue

[B3nder]

Hello,

I've seen turners using superglue (CA) to finish pens.

My understanding being that it is applied whilst the pen is turning using a paper towel. Which can be tricky to achieve a good finish.

What is the best way to apply to work pieces that aren't turned.

Thin it slightly with acetone apply to surface and wipe eith the grain. Repeat until desired finish is achieved?

Thanks.

 

[Rorschach]

You spread as evenly as you can and then wet sand to a flat finish before polishing.

 

[B3nder]

Thanks very much.

I'll give it a try.

 

[AES]

@B3nder: I seem to remember seeing at least one video on youtube, can't remember which, sorry. But I bet a quick search on youtube will pull at least one video up, probably more.

 

[B3nder]

Cheers for the YouTube suggestion. It slipped my mind to check there.

I found the following at the end of the YouTube rabbit hole.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-3G7dzqhIo0

Hopefully it'll help someone else.

 

[AES]

That was exactly the video I had in mind, but had completely forgotten "who/when/where" etc. I saw it quite some time back. Glad you found it.

 

[ED65]

B3nder, a super gloss is possible with superglue but it's an expensive way of achieving it. Did you know you can get that same level of finish using shellac, poly or lacquer?

Superglue is also not as durable as you might expect because of how brittle it is. Great for display pieces that sit behind glass, poor choice for things that might get a knock or two.

 

[B3nder]

Ah.

It's intended to be used as a test finish for a guitar neck amongst other things.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

TruOil?

 

[ED65]

Since the thread resurfaced, to illustrate my point above:

Now I prepared this the other day so let's see if I can remember: shellac, shellac, polyurethane, nitrocellulose lacquer, polyester, epoxy.