Thread: Whitening of CA

How do you prevent CA finish from whitening. I am trying to do my first scales and can't get a perfect finish because of the whitening of the glue as it dries.

Sounds like a humidity problem. CA can cloud up if there's too much moisture in the environment. Do you have access to a dehumidifier or maybe another location?

-Steve

Yeah we have had a rather wet june this year so it might be. What process do you use to apply CA to the scales?

Mate... I'm not sure how 'white' you mean but CA will typically dry milky looking then you have to rub the surface clear with fine wet and dry.

It may take more than one coat to achieve the thickness of finish that you want... there were some photos posted here... I'll see if I can find them.

Greg Frazer

I just never got the hang of the CA finish. I kept sanding through to the wood even after loading up many coats. I haven't turned my back on it completely and would try again because I've seen lots of excellent results from others.

-Steve

I have a small brush that is now as hard as a stick.

I lay the scales flat on the table, apply CA and brush it open.
The key (to me) is to apply enough that the surface area of the glue is whole and not visibly smeared out, and to work quickly enough that I can cover the entire wood surface before the area I am brushing open congeals.