Stag Crown Question

K J Frasier

K J Frasier

Joined
May 23, 2019
Messages
72
Hey all, I am going to use this piece of Stag for a Bowie Handle and am not sure how to go about sealing and finishing this area where the tine was removed. I don't want to half ass it, if you know what I mean. I appreciate your advice!

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Fill it with thick CA. Repeat every few hours until it is completely ffilled. Then sand smooth to 800 grit and buff lightly with a soft cloth and some waqx.
 
BTW, the thick CA I am referring to isn't the gel stuff you can get some places. It is regular CA but thicker. Most good hobby shops and wood suppliers sell CA in thin, medium, and thick. Medium will work fine, but you will have to repeat the application more. You can use accelerator, but don't overdo it.

Also, while applying the CA, set the stag with the cut off end slightly higher than the cut off tine. Leave it in that position while filling the cut off area. If you don't the CA will run down through the porous core and drip out the end. More than one person has glued his antler to the workbench by forgetting this.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Fill it with thick CA. Repeat every few hours until it is completely ffilled. Then sand smooth to 800 grit and buff lightly with a soft cloth and some waqx.
Click to expand...
I don t know on which CA you mean in USA , but CA glue I can find here are extremely fast-acting , activator is moisture from air ...So I don t think that it is possible that that kind of glue can penetrate deep in that stag .First coat will dry very very close to surface and any other coat will be useless .At least that was happening when I try to seal some wood .I found that water resistant CA glue penetrate much deeper because it don t dry that fast / actually someone of them take more then minute to dry / and can be applied several coat .
 
Natlek said:
I don t know on which CA you mean in USA , but CA glue I can find here are extremely fast-acting , activator is moisture from air ...So I don t think that it is possible that that kind of glue can penetrate deep in that stag .First coat will dry very very close to surface and any other coat will be useless .At least that was happening when I try to seal some wood .I found that water resistant CA glue penetrate much deeper because it don t dry that fast / actually someone of them take more then minute to dry / and can be applied several coat .
Click to expand...


We have the good stuff here. CA works in an anaerobic environment. The lack of air is what is needed. The activator is great for getting it to set up quickly.
 
AVigil said:
We have the good stuff here. CA works in an anaerobic environment. The lack of air is what is needed. The activator is great for getting it to set up quickly.
Click to expand...


Avigil,
Actually, No - the catalyst for CA is water - mostly moisture in the air and in the surfaces being bonded. That is why it is instant on skin ( which is full of moisture), but slow gluing two pieces of steel together. The water starts the polymerization and the chain grows rapidly if enough moisture is present, as in skin. In gluing to pieces of glass or steel, the moisture must enter the chains through the very thin ends of the film.

CA would store the best in an anaerobic environment. The reason people keep it cold is cold air contains less moisture and cold slows polymerization. A full bottle has less air, so it keeps longer. When I buy a quart bottle, I pour it into eight 4oz bottles for storage.

Natlek,
On stag CA will run down the pith and come out the other end if you aren't careful. It will not set up immediately, nor only penetrate a small amount. People regularly completely fill stag and oosik with CA by sealing one end and slowly filling the pith and core with CA until it is all solid.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Avigil,
Actually, No - the catalyst for CA is water - mostly moisture in the air and in the surfaces being bonded. That is why it is instant on skin ( which is full of moisture), but slow gluing two pieces of steel together. The water starts the polymerization and the chain grows rapidly if enough moisture is present, as in skin. In gluing to pieces of glass or steel, the moisture must enter the chains through the very thin ends of the film.

CA would store the best in an anaerobic environment. The reason people keep it cold is cold air contains less moisture and cold slows polymerization. A full bottle has less air, so it keeps longer. When I buy a quart bottle, I pour it into eight 4oz bottles for storage.

Natlek,
On stag CA will run down the pith and come out the other end if you aren't careful. It will not set up immediately, nor only penetrate a small amount. People regularly completely fill stag and oosik with CA by sealing one end and slowly filling the pith and core with CA until it is all solid.
Click to expand...

I get and know that the catalyst for CA is water....but I also have accelerator that I use at times. Is that just scented water? Or is it doing something else?
 
Could you resin stabilise it like wood?

Bill DeShivs said:
I glued my eyelid to my eyeball once.
It hurt, and I immediately pulled my eyelid open-removing a piece of my eyeball. That REALLY hurt!
Click to expand...
Note to self: wear goggles when using CA from now on...
 
I have a nice chunk of stag I picked up at the last blade show west. My solution to the brow tine is a double key hole Bowie. This will probably be my winder project as it will probably take all winter just to fit the keyholes lol.

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In the old days, a strong solution of baking soda was used as an accelerator for CA.
The current stuff is a chemical that starts the polymerization instantly by creating a strong alkaline environment. It contains Isopropyl Alcohol, N,N-Dialkyltoluidine, and
Hydroquinone

You can make your own accelerator spray by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 2 oz of water. Spray on with a fine mist sprayer.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
In the old days, a strong solution of baking soda was used as an accelerator for CA.
The current stuff is a chemical that starts the polymerization instantly by creating a strong alkaline environment. It contains Isopropyl Alcohol, N,N-Dialkyltoluidine, and
Hydroquinone

You can make your own accelerator spray by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 2 oz of water. Spray on with a fine mist sprayer.
Click to expand...

Baking soda also makes an excellent filler if you have large gaps and only thin CA. Apply CA, sprinkle with baking soda, repeat as needed...cures rock hard:thumbsup:
 
Actually, it just makes the CA bubble up and set hard. The baking soda adds no real amount of structural fill.

A better method is to use micro-balloons or micro-balls to pack the void, add the CA and then let it set up naturally. If needed, give it a spray of accelerator after 60 seconds. Repeat as needed to fill the void.
 
WValtakis said:
Baking soda also makes an excellent filler if you have large gaps and only thin CA. Apply CA, sprinkle with baking soda, repeat as needed...cures rock hard:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Reverse process gives better results , baking soda is first used to fill a gap then the adhesive is dropped onto the baking soda. This works well with porous materials that do not work well with the adhesive alone.........
 
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