I received a phone call the other day about finishes and by the questions being asked, I said to myself - AZ. Sure enough here's the thread.
We have to start this out with the presumption that we're all using safety equipment such as glasses, masks, filtration and ventilation. Those are the prerequisites to opening a shop. We'll assume that all prudent cuemakers both past and upcoming would think enough about their safety to have all the necessary preventive and safety equipment. That being said, a CA finish is probably the easiest to apply of all the finishes. Automotive clear coat is cumbersome with all the spraying equipment and mixing that is involved. A UV system is the best route but it's costly for start-up and the learning curve slightly more difficult in finding a good base coat and more importantly, the top coat. We've used all three and the UV is the best and easiest in the long term. However it's best used when finishing quantities of cues and not practical for finishing one, two or three cues at a time; at least in my opinion. I prefer CA when doing small quantities of cues and I'm sure there are some who disagree with me but I don't like setting up the UV system for only 3 cues.
I can apply a CA finish in about 20 minutes and have the cue ready to go in less than an hour. Of course I don't do it that way as I want the cue to sit in my shop for a while before I give it out to a customer. The drying time varies from your location to the amount of humidity and temperature in your shop. I've used CA in Boca Raton, Florida (maximum humidity) to Las Vegas (no humidity) to New Smyrna Beach (much less than Boca). So, I would say that my experience in the drying process is well versed. Vegas is the absolute best place to build a cue. Everything goes right! The downside is, you had better learn how to construct that cue and make that cue sealed tight enough to prevent moisture from seeping in as the cue will expand when shipped to Florida and other areas. That's a whole other topic.
I'll relate a quick story. I have a friend who lived in the Florida Keys; a magnificant place to live but not build cues. We talked and I told him that his cue would not stand up to the dryness of Vegas. He just finished a cue and I said send it to me. He overnighted it. I left it on my pool table which was inside the house. Two days later the points rose out of the front as well as the ring work. I overnighted it back to him. Since this experience he is now building a better cue. Seeing is believing!
Anyway, back to CA. A CA finish dries much quicker in Vegas than in Florida. Although we are talking minutes and not hours. The first coat dries almost instantly. The second coat takes slightly longer and you should wait for it to totally dry (about 5 minutes) before applying the third coat. The third coat will also take time to dry and so on. I've applied a 3rd coat and gone to lunch, came back and put on a 4th coat; did some work for an hour and applied a 5th coat, etc, etc. What I recommend is applying the kicker or accelerator to a bounty paper towel and wipe the cue with that for instant drying. Then apply a 4th coat, accelerator coat, 5th coat, accelerator coat, etc until you've reached your desired thickness. By the time I get to 6 or 7 coats, I'm done and ready for sanding and polishing.
The base coat should be a clear finishing epoxy that resists yellowing such as this product:
http://www.cuecomponents.com/cuecofiep.html
I've used and tried just about every imaginable product out there and this finish cue is by far the best. I'm sure there are other equally as good products out there but we settled on Finish Cure.
The abolsute best base coat epoxy is West System. I've spoken with numerous cue makers over the years and we all agree that West would be the best for a base coat or even for a top coat finish. We all agree with that with only one slight exception - West yellows! Period. If West didn't yellow it would be by far the best base and perhaps even top coat. For over a decade, I've recommended using the West 207-SA special hardener which does have an ultraviolet inhibiting additive which does improve the resistance to yellowing under sunlight and UV exposure but the cured epoxy surface will still require the additional protection. I researched this and tried to add various components and was unsuccessful. West with or without the 207SA yellows; period. I recommended using it for joining parts and ring work where the surface area is minimal and as a result exposure also minimal. West is great for building a cue.
I don't know of any experienced, knowledgeable or otherwise cue maker foolish enough to use West as a base coat or for a finish for this very reason in that it certainly does yellow. We've proved that here:
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/cuecomponents_2217_132581395
Now, while I must admit I did expose these adhesives to rapid and excessive sunlight - direct exposure to the Vegas sun. However, the bottomline is G5, Devcon and West with 207SA all did yellow. The Finish Cure did not. The fact that the three products did yellow was all the proof experienced cue makers and myself needed to not use West for a base coat. I haven't tested whether it will cause yellowing in 1 year, 3 years or 5 years but one thing for sure is that it will yellow. No experienced cue maker who values their reputation would use West as a base coat. And I'm happy to say that I don't know of any cuemaker using it as such.
As for applying a CA finish, it's best to use a paper towel such as Bounty which will guarantee complete coverage and a more even application. Harder applicators will leave skipped areas and not provide as smooth a surface, at least in my experience. I apply the finish cure with a rubber glove mashing it into the wood for complete coverage. You should leave this coat dry for at least two days but once again depending where you're working (in what state).
Another option is to use an odorless Cyano. This is not as hard as regular cyano when cured but the difference is negligable however the cost is 3 times more than regular cyano. Cyano is also extremely clear when it dries so your work had better be up to standards.
And for sandpaper - we like
Klingspor. Used it for years with great results. Their statement, "The Most Sanding Power for Your Money" is without question, very true!
I hope this helps and this is not the definitive source but I hope there is enough info to assist you in making an educated choice based on experience.
