Now what do I do?

[carlor]

So, I'm making a Sierra in walnut with laminated strips of brass and after a very tense session of turning and sanding, I'm starting on the finish. After some experimenting, I'm giving the CA finish a go again.

I put an initial coat of BLO and now I'm only using medium CA. I'm trying what some have suggested: put on a coat of CA and hit it with the accelerator and repeat.

I tried that and now I have the pores of the walnut filled with the white residue from the accelerated drying. Ok, I thought that maybe it would disappear if I hit it again with CA and let it dry naturally but no go. I still have the white residue and now I imagine it has a sealing coat of CA overtop.

Short of sanding through the finish and starting over again without the accelerator, are there any suggestions?


Thanks,

Carlo.

[jaywood1207]

I'm afraid your only option is to sand through and get rid of the white. Once that is done I would skip the BLO and go straight CA. When you hit it with the accelerator make sure you hold the accelerator back from the spinning blank far enough that you just get the fine mist on the blank. Chances are you had the accelerator too close when you put it on which is why you have the white specs.

[Crickett]

I agree. :eek: ;)

[carlor]

I didn't get the white when I used the first coat of BLO; just when I used the accelerator. I think I'll skip the accelerator part. I have not had luck getting CA to dry without it going white when using accelerator.


Thanks,

Carlo.

[Penmaker]

Hey Carlo,
I know exactly how you feel. I also had trouble with CA going white when hit with accelerator. Here's what works for me: Use thin CA instead of medium or thick. It sets up so much faster and goes on so much thinner that the accelerator will not cause it to get white and crusty.

[Curly]

We have seen the white "crystals" in porous woods and oily/resinous ones from the tropics especially with the CA/BLO. Sometimes it shows up more a few days later. :mad:

You might give Rhossack's method of sanding while dripping some thin CA on at the same time so the slurry fills the wood.

Marla hasn't had the problem happen very often since she went to straight CA and accelerator shots. (Power drinker, that one! :rolleyes:)

Might want to make a few walnut dowels/cylinders to play with the finishes to see what works best before playing with the segmented one again.

Pete