Advice on superglue finish please

M

mdoyle

Joined
Feb 10, 2006
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Good Sunday morning to all,
I am currently ATTEMPTING to put a superglue finish on an ironwood skinner. This is the first time I have tried this type of finish. The search function and I are currently fighting, and it is clear who the loser has become:o
I sanded the knife to 1500, buffed with fabulster, cleaned thoroughly and then applied the finish with one finger of the latex gloves I was wearing. All this went pretty smoothly and I applied several coats without much problem.
After letting the glue cure and harden for a day, I started in sanding with 220and a small block. The finish apparently had some low spots in it that I had not noticed. While trying to sand the finish flat I inadvertantly sanded through the finish in a couple spots. My plan is to finish the entire handle back to 1500, lightly buff, and then reapply to the areas that I sanded through. My thinking on this is that if I applied more finish now to the areas in suspect I would merely be burrying scratches with glue and they would be there forever.
Am I on the right track here? :confused:
Sorrry for the long winded post,
Matt Doyle
 
Matt, I am not sure why you are trying to put a superglue finish on Desert Ironwood (I assume that is what you have).Sand to 1500 ,or finer ,and buff - that's it. A wood like DI won't need, or take, a superglue finish (which I don't recommend as a coating, anyway).Superglue works on porous woods that will soak up the glue and seal the pores.If you want a built up finish on wood, use a high grade finishing oil.
Stacy
 
Stacy,
My intent with the superglue was not as a sealant, but geared more towads depth and durability. My thought behind it was that I wanted a built up finish, like what can be achieved with tung oil, but with more durabilty, and I thought that I may be able to get this with a superglue finish. Please also explain if you would why you do not like the superglue finish.
Thank you,
Matt Doyle
 
Matt
I have used Superglue finish on one(1) Kit knife using birdseye maple.
It was a lovely finish. I would apply several coats then sand 1500 grit.
I ended it by buffing instead of sanding. The only problem I had was the depth of the finish,
which I had not planned on. Absolute newb then (relative newb now)
It can get relatively thick, pretty quick.
I ended up using several dozen coats.
I might use it again but it needs better planning on my part.
 
Superglue is cyanoacrylic resin.It is not hard at all. It will get dull and turn hazy with any use.Tung oil and other similar finishes will be more durable - and a lot easier to tough up.With woods that have their own hard resinous oils (DI, cocobola, ebony,blackwood,) you only need to polish to get a deep glossy surface.
I like stabilized wood for the reason that it will usually take a good polish. If it gets dull,touch up is a few buffs and done.
As with any wood finish, the amount of hand sanding and polishing put in equals the amount of depth of the finish.Done right,it can look like a layer of glass over the wood.
The tips are :
Seal all pores - you can't polish a screen door
Remove all scratches to as fine a grit as possible (I go to 8000) - you can't polish a file.
Use an optivisor to see how much you still need to sand before polishing!
Build up to a great finish - you can't "paint" on a sheet of glass
Buff with just enough pressure to burnish the surface,making it harder.
Use good quality finishes - there is a difference -try several and master one of them
The best tool for final polishing is at the end of your arm.
Polish while watching TV,it makes a couple hours go by faster. (note: tape the blade first!)
Change polishing cloths regularly - if you don't you are polishing in what you polished off - also, the softer the cloth,the smoother the polish
Stacy
 
Stacy,
Thank you for taking the time to offer the tips and the explanation. Guess I'll sand it off and go with tung oil. It's great to have such knowledgeable makers here, and even greater that they are so free with sharing their knowledge.:thumbup:
Tom, Thank you as well for your input.
Matt
 
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