Thread: Anyone ever dunk sclales into CA?

Instead of applying the coats by spreading it on the surface? If so, results? Did it work well? Did it ruin the CA left in the dip tank? If this works, I think I'd prefer it over the spreading tecnique. thx - John

Doesn't work. There's no shortcut to a good CA finish.

CA looks really cool, but isn't it brittle? It looks to me like it would chip with time, or when pinning a razor, so I haven't tried it yet...

Nenad

I'm with Joe on this one. I've CA finished dozens of razor scales by now, and there really isn't any shortcut

I've never had a problem with the CA chipping or scratching, it's a pretty durable finish. Even still, minor scratches and scuffs are fairly easy to repair if you have some experience with the stuff.

Forget this being a 'shortcut'. It may be a better way to coat the scales. So, that said, has anyone tried it? If so, what have your results been? What was the nature of the failure? Or, what problems did this present? thx - John

well, if you have that much CA, I suppose it could be worth a try.

I tried something similar with tung oil a while ago. I found that when trying to apply thick coats of anything, the drying time is longer and therefore much more prone to having particulate matter from the air get trapped in it. I also found that when I used thicker coats of CA, the finish wasn't quite as smooth as thin ones and more needed to be sanded down. There were almost more air bubbles that managed to get trapped and other imperfections that formed.

I'd imagine that you'd dunk, and it would run down the scales when you removed them, leaving a heavy deposit of ca at the lowest point?

Update, this does in fact work.

I have a slender 100mL Pyrex graduated cylinder (like from Chemistry class) which I fill with 80mL of CA. I bought a 16oz. container of 50cps E-Z Bond cyanoacrylate glue for ~$30 and the cylinder for $15 on eBay .

The cylinder is sitting atop a shelf in my office with no cover. The surface of the CA isn't hardened at all and the fumes which I expected are minimal to non-existent unless I'm dipping. It has been sitting open for a week.

The dipping process is simple compared to wiping on the layers and using the sticks. The glue does in fact collect and form a drip at the end of the scales, but I just use a razor blade and cut this flush to the normal surface when I begin to work on a scale. I can put 3 coats of CA on a scale like this in an hour. The key is, I could also do 20 sets like this in an hour.
I dip the scales hung from paper clips which I've inserted into the pivot hole. The other end, I make into a hook, much like Christmas ornament hooks. In fact if I had some, I probably would have used them. I then hang them on a coat hanger which has one end lodged under some books on my bookshelf, presenting a cantilevered hanging frame. I put a piece of newspaper under them to catch the drips. When done like this,I can simply go over, grab a scale, dip it into the glue, pull it out, knock the drips off and be done until next coat. Total time, about 20 seconds.

As for bubbles and particles, I haven't seen any yet. In fact, I think I'll get less dust particles since they're hanging vertical, presenting almost no horizontal landing area compared to scales lain flat.

Thanks especially to Bill Ellis, who is no longer an active member here, but who's CD on restoration led me down this CA path. It's excellent stuff.

Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I have even started looking for other items in the house to finish...

- John

great to hear...i was wondering if you could dunk scales in CA but then you posted the question and it seemed to be a no go.

where the heck did you ever find a 16oz container of glue though?!

I got the CA glue from these folks.

http://www.hinkleymall.com/caglue.html

- John