Clear coat options

[JonW]

I hate to dredge this conversation back up, but I've been doing quite a bit of reading the last few days from previous threads regarding clear coat options and it seems like everyone leans toward the mindset of "this is what I use and I'd never consider anything else". Not a dig by any means, but as someone who is wanting to get away from the CA glue and paper towel method of applying clear coat to a cue, I am having some difficulty deciding what direction to start heading.

I don't currently have the ability or space to set up a full auto-clear/2k spray booth, so unfortunately that option is pretty much off my table.

The product that I lean most towards is solarez. I've seen some back and forth regarding that product, but the photos and videos I've seen using the product seem to make a fantastic result.

I've also contemplated brite tone, but from what I gather, it isn't the most resilient and also can be damaged with alcohol, which makes it seem like a less-than-desirable option.

I've also read that there may be some secret sauce for using CA that provides more consistent results? I'd be interested in hearing those out as well. I'm currently using starbond medium, sometimes with accelerator and sometimes without. My results so far have been passable, but not exactly something I step back and say "wow" about.

I guess I'm mostly looking for a "you should try this, it's worth it" in any specific direction. UV seems to be super doable with less setup, but I'd like to make sure I'm not getting the cart ahead of the horse. (even better if anyone wants to take the time to provide a link or two with a "do this first, then this, then you're done")

Thanks everyone, I enjoy reading the discussions in the forums and I've learned a lot so far.

 

[ratcues]

Jerry Powers has a newer kind of UV finish that looks promising. The recommended UV light to cure is around $500 but, if you compare that to the price of a spray booth, it isn't a bad option.

I've used every type of finish over the past 30 years. Each one has its pros and cons. I still go back to auto clear. It is hard to beat the clarity and sheen.

 

[Ģüśţāṿ]

I'm certainly not as experienced as many on here, but I've done quite a few CA finishes, and you need to wipe with oil between CA coats. I did not like using starbond or any accelerator, loctite worked the best for me. Two to three coats, sand flat, finish coat, then finish sanding.

With that said, I really don't like using the CA finish due to health risks, even through its the most durable IMO. Auto clear is the best all around, but slightly less durable with just as good of clarity is an oil based urethane. I've been trialing one common wood working product lately and I've been very pleased with the results so far. It's surprising how far some of these products have come in the recent years.

 

[jokers_wild96]

Jerry Powers has a newer kind of UV finish that looks promising. The recommended UV light to cure is around $500 but, if you compare that to the price of a spray booth, it isn't a bad option.

I've used every type of finish over the past 30 years. Each one has its pros and cons. I still go back to auto clear. It is hard to beat the clarity and sheen.

Its a really good and easy finish to apply, pain the butt to get a nice shine. Way to much for lights. I bought a 2 pack of UV light bars for $20 on amazon that do the job.

 

[JonW]

Jerry Powers has a newer kind of UV finish that looks promising. The recommended UV light to cure is around $500 but, if you compare that to the price of a spray booth, it isn't a bad option.

I've used every type of finish over the past 30 years. Each one has its pros and cons. I still go back to auto clear. It is hard to beat the clarity and sheen.

That’s interesting, I assume one would need to call him to get it? I didn’t see any products on his website

 

[JonW]

I'm certainly not as experienced as many on here, but I've done quite a few CA finishes, and you need to wipe with oil between CA coats. I did not like using starbond or any accelerator, loctite worked the best for me. Two to three coats, sand flat, finish coat, then finish sanding.

With that said, I really don't like using the CA finish due to health risks, even through its the most durable IMO. Auto clear is the best all around, but slightly less durable with just as good of clarity is an oil based urethane. I've been trialing one common wood working product lately and I've been very pleased with the results so far. It's surprising how far some of these products have come in the recent years.

Only 4 coats or so? What thickness CA glue were you using? Also what type of oil do you recommend between coats?

CA more durable than auto clear? I may need to step my game up on CA maybe, mine has chipped in a couple places when I bumped it into a table before…

 

[Ģüśţāṿ]

Only 4 coats or so? What thickness CA glue were you using? Also what type of oil do you recommend between coats?

CA more durable than auto clear? I may need to step my game up on CA maybe, mine has chipped in a couple places when I bumped it into a table before…

That means you're not getting good adhesion between layers. You need to test out some oil types to see what works best for your CA type and process, my preferred product was danish oil.

CA finishing has been extensively tested/covered by pen turners, quite of bit of information out there for what works well, you just need to sort through the crap.

I'm not necessarily the most careful player out there, nearly all my cues are used hard with bumps and bruises. For me, CA has been the most durable, but please don't take my word for it, test all the finishes out for yourself, so many different products out there with various pros and cons.

 

[muskyed]

In woodturning when using CA for pens and such, I use boiled linseed oil either between coats or mostly with the CA when applying.
Never tried Danish oil with CA. Hard to tell what's really in Danish oil you buy, most brands are a mix of oils and small amout polyurethane.
I do use a lot of Watco Danish oil in woodturning, but not with CA, maybe I'll try it sometime.

 

[kling&allen]

I hate to dredge this conversation back up, but I've been doing quite a bit of reading the last few days from previous threads regarding clear coat options and it seems like everyone leans toward the mindset of "this is what I use and I'd never consider anything else". Not a dig by any means, but as someone who is wanting to get away from the CA glue and paper towel method of applying clear coat to a cue, I am having some difficulty deciding what direction to start heading.

I don't currently have the ability or space to set up a full auto-clear/2k spray booth, so unfortunately that option is pretty much off my table.

The product that I lean most towards is solarez. I've seen some back and forth regarding that product, but the photos and videos I've seen using the product seem to make a fantastic result.

I've also contemplated brite tone, but from what I gather, it isn't the most resilient and also can be damaged with alcohol, which makes it seem like a less-than-desirable option.

I've also read that there may be some secret sauce for using CA that provides more consistent results? I'd be interested in hearing those out as well. I'm currently using starbond medium, sometimes with accelerator and sometimes without. My results so far have been passable, but not exactly something I step back and say "wow" about.

I guess I'm mostly looking for a "you should try this, it's worth it" in any specific direction. UV seems to be super doable with less setup, but I'd like to make sure I'm not getting the cart ahead of the horse. (even better if anyone wants to take the time to provide a link or two with a "do this first, then this, then you're done")

Thanks everyone, I enjoy reading the discussions in the forums and I've learned a lot so far.

I'm just a hobbyist and make a handful of cues a year (and pens too). Be very careful with the CA, you can read up on the many health problems turners and cue makers have faced with it.

It takes forever, but I get the best results with West. I would invest in a Solarez setup if time mattered.

 

[JonW]

That means you're not getting good adhesion between layers. You need to test out some oil types to see what works best for your CA type and process, my preferred product was danish oil.

CA finishing has been extensively tested/covered by pen turners, quite of bit of information out there for what works well, you just need to sort through the crap.

I'm not necessarily the most careful player out there, nearly all my cues are used hard with bumps and bruises. For me, CA has been the most durable, but please don't take my word for it, test all the finishes out for yourself, so many different products out there with various pros and cons.

Good point on trying things out, I think I’m just trying to avoid wasting too much money and time on less than desirable options.

I had no idea people were using oil with CA, I was just doing the paper towel and layering thing I saw on YouTube. Definitely going to try some different things with CA though!

 

[JonW]

In woodturning when using CA for pens and such, I use boiled linseed oil either between coats or mostly with the CA when applying.
Never tried Danish oil with CA. Hard to tell what's really in Danish oil you buy, most brands are a mix of oils and small amout polyurethane.
I do use a lot of Watco Danish oil in woodturning, but not with CA, maybe I'll try it sometime.

Gotcha, I’ll but BLO on the list for sure, thanks!

 

[JonW]

I'm just a hobbyist and make a handful of cues a year (and pens too). Be very careful with the CA, you can read up on the many health problems turners and cue makers have faced with it.

It takes forever, but I get the best results with West. I would invest in a Solarez setup if time mattered.

I haven’t heard much about west, looks like they carry multiple things, any specific products that work best for you?

Definitely heard about the dangers of CA, I need to compare that against other options as well to minimize potential health risks, even though I take all the precautions I can. That’s why I was really hoping brite tone was going to be a good option because it supposedly has less harmful fumes

 

[muskyed]

I'm just a hobbyist and make a handful of cues a year (and pens too). Be very careful with the CA, you can read up on the many health problems turners and cue makers have faced with it.

It takes forever, but I get the best results with West. I would invest in a Solarez setup if time mattered.

As a woodturner who uses CA for some things, you could never convince me to use it for a cue finish no mater how good it looked.
The thought of using it in such big quantities gives me the willies.

 

[SSDiver2112]

I did my first few cues with CA. It is a cheap and easy way to get started. It is simple and quick to apply. No issues with bubbles and polished up great. One of my first conversion cues I leave at my local hangout has a CA finish. I use it weekly with no real effort to protect it and the CA finish is still perfect.

I learned quickly to protect myself from the fumes and finger burns. I soon started looking for a different finish that might be better. Epoxy didn’t polish like I wanted and I can’t afford auto clear. With a small amount of effort and smaller cost I went with Solarez.

There have been times a wanted to go back to CA when things went south using a different finish. Solarez has a learning curve. Luckily my first cue went great because my second did not. I might have given up on the stuff if I didn’t know how good it comes out. The learning continues, but getting much better at it. I am still experimenting with the best base coat to use.

I could build cues all day. The finish takes more motivation to do, but once you pull that cue off the lathe and hold it up to the light, man…….

 

[JonW]

I did my first few cues with CA. It is a cheap and easy way to get started. It is simple and quick to apply. No issues with bubbles and polished up great. One of my first conversion cues I leave at my local hangout has a CA finish. I use it weekly with no real effort to protect it and the CA finish is still perfect.

I learned quickly to protect myself from the fumes and finger burns. I soon started looking for a different finish that might be better. Epoxy didn’t polish like I wanted and I can’t afford auto clear. With a small amount of effort and smaller cost I went with Solarez.

There have been times a wanted to go back to CA when things went south using a different finish. Solarez has a learning curve. Luckily my first cue went great because my second did not. I might have given up on the stuff if I didn’t know how good it comes out. The learning continues, but getting much better at it. I am still experimenting with the best base coat to use.

I could build cues all day. The finish takes more motivation to do, but once you pull that cue off the lathe and hold it up to the light, man…….

Yeah my CA work could definitely use some tweaks and I’m sure it could turn out a bit better.

I think I’m going to try one thing at a time until I settle on something as far as finishing options go. I’m not seeing anyone say that solarez is the worst thing on earth so I think that’s what I’ll start with. Doesn’t look to be much different price wise than what I’m spending on CA anyway…

Agreed 100% on the motivation on finishing, I feel like it’s a work-to-progress ratio issue for me, putting a cue together seems like I progress really quickly and it comes together and then the finishing is barely any progress comparatively but takes so much more effort.

Looking forward to learning and reading more as time goes on, thank you for your response!

 

[Kim Bye]

You can get 2 K UV clear as well and while not ideal, you can apply it with a foam brush. You will obviously have some streaks and bubbles, but if you do enough coats, you should be able to wet sand down to a nice surface for buffing.
Finishing in general is difficult and sensitive to humidity and temperature, so whatever you choose, it's most likely gonna take some time to figure it out

 

[kling&allen]

I haven’t heard much about west, looks like they carry multiple things, any specific products that work best for you?

West has a system of epoxies you can use for different purposes. 105 and 207 are the common finish combination. Don’t waste time with cheaper epoxy brands if go that route. If I made more I would give Solarez a try.