Durability of Cyanoacrylate (CA) Finish

redsquid2

redsquid2

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Aug 31, 2011
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I don't think I ever applied CA. How does it hold up to the mess of quartering and dressing game, and preparing all kinds of foods? How does it hold up in a dishwasher?

What woods are appropriate for this finish? What woods are not?

Thanks for feedback.

--Andy
 
Dishwasher ??
That will kill any wooden handled tool.

Stabilised wood, maybe not so bad.
But wood with just a surface coating, wont last long thru a dishwasher.
 
If you run a knife thru a dishwasher, the chances are the epoxy holding the scales on will be softened and ruined. Most commercial grade epoxies are only rated to about 250 - 300 degrees f and dishwashers may exceed that temp during a hi temp wash or dry cycle.
 
CA is for temporary tack joints and for sealing small gaps and pits in wood. Otherwise, it is a poor handle finish or glue on anything but a show queen.
 
No knife deserves to be put in a dishwasher...even the one you cut rubber hose with. Larry
 
I will disagree with those that are poo pooing the CA as a finish, I have a LOT of experience with CA finish on Pens that I make and I actually ran one made from Cocobolo wood with a CA finish through the washing machine a couple of times, and the finish held up beautifully. Now a washing machine might not be a dishwasher, but In my experience a fully done (multiple coats) CA finish has proven very durable and attractive.
I have done several knives out of exotic wood with a CA finish for folks liking a high gloss finish. When put on thoroughly CA is effectively a thin synthetic coating that is very tough and durable. There have been a lot of improvements in CA over the last few years, and there are even more flexible CA's that are made in different viscosity's and designed for multi layer finishes, there is even a CA specific polish for buffing up a CA finish to a brilliant shine.
Pens with wood I've done a CA finish on which worked super well, include, Maple, Bloodheart, Walnut, Black Walnut, Ironwood, Cocobolo, Ambrosia/Spalted maple, Mulberry, Zircote, Zebrawood, Bocote, Leopardwood, Teak, Koa, Bubinga, Goncalvo Alves (Tigerwood), Ipe and Rosewood. A pen is a often handled item, that sees extreme temps (think car interior) and constant use, and I've had no complaints at all in many years on all of the pens (hundreds) that I've done CA finishes on.
Bottom line, don't write it off to quickly.
 
Last edited:
Fish30114 said:
Pens with wood I've done a CA finish on which worked super well, include, Maple, Bloodheart, Walnut, Black Walnut, Ironwood, Cocobolo, Ambrosia/Spalted maple, Mulberry, Zircote, Zebrawood, Bocote, Leopardwood, Teak, Koa, Bubinga, Goncalvo Alves (Tigerwood), Ipe and Rosewood. A pen is a often handled item, that sees extreme temps (think car interior) and constant use, and I've had no complaints at all in many years on all of the pens (hundreds) that I've done CA finishes on.
Bottom line, don't write it off to quickly.
Click to expand...

Fish, would you be willing to share some of the details of how you do your CA finish? Do you use the watery 1 second curing CA or the thicker slower curing CA? Also, I'm assuming you wet sand it in? How many coats? Do you use the activator or instant cure spray?

The other day I put some runny CA along vulcanized fiber liners and spacers to help seal them and when I hit it with the instant cure spray, the drips that went to the bottom of the handle made a rock hard bump of CA that took some elbow grease to sand away. It makes me wonder if it's better for some woods than others based on how much it soaks in. I have a lot of unstabilized woods that I like and want to use and wonder if CA finish is better than what I've been doing which is tung oil varnish finish (Watco tung oil finish, not real 100% tung oil) with paste wax on top.
 
CA is to dangerous to the breathing department for me. Can/will cause lung problems and more if breathed long enough [which isn't that long] and the results do not go away. I prefer to use a finish that is safer.
 
tim37a said:
If you run a knife thru a dishwasher, the chances are the epoxy holding the scales on will be softened and ruined. Most commercial grade epoxies are only rated to about 250 - 300 degrees f and dishwashers may exceed that temp during a hi temp wash or dry cycle.
Click to expand...

Really? A dishwasher that tempers blades while it washes them? I want one. Please tell me where I can find one
 
My experience with super glue and the instant cure spray is that the CA material will become brittle and the bond will fail in a few years. I don't know if this has been fixed with more modern cyanoacrylate formulations, but I've seen it happen a lot with different brands of CA over the years, so I don't use the accelerator spray on anything that needs to last longer than a year.
 
hmmm. SR johnson uses CA with accelerator for his scales. you can see it in his video. i wonder if he is aware of this.
 
Dishwasher + knife = bad. Recently re built this old kitchen knife for a customer:

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Many of my customers are some of the best about using and abusing. Working cowboys and professional hunting guides can be tough on stuff, although the cowboys tend to be tougher on things. I've found over the years the best wood finish is already on the wood. While I've expermimented with about every wood finish there is, including CA, seems hard to beat cocobolo, ironwood or something similar that came with the finish inside for pure durability.
 
I made some stabilized burl wood rings in the past, and coated them with CA type glues.


It can get super shiny when buffed, but after a few weeks it starts to wear off. The good news, is that you can simply pick it off, and re-coat it. Lather, rinse, repeat as often as you like.
 
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