Finish!

Onecrazyplayer

Onecrazyplayer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok after making many mistakes with my cue building and learning from it, I have one that I am just dumb about and would like to take my teaching like a man, I have no idea what I did wrong. Reading books and watching dvd's and all that stuff is great but now I need some help.
Now the finish turned out really nice but????

IT SOFT!

NO bad jokes about that one.

Any info would be taken to heart! Thank you for your time.
 
Finish

TomHay said:
Yes, what kind and did you mix at proper ratios?
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Well what I did is a basic way of finishing a cue.
something like this.


Mixed it up and smeared it on with my hand 20min finishing epoxy. The cue rotating after it's applied slow. Let the cue sit for 1 week prior to sanding. Then sand evenly until all rough and shiny areas are gone. Then, 10 coats of Thin Cyanoacrylate and let dry overnight. Once again, I sanded all rough and shiny areas off, wet sand up to 2000, then buff.

Now this has worked before on 2 other cues I did the measurments out right time was right just dont know what caused this one to come out soft.
That just sounds so bad.
I know I have to put the time in and learn on my own so any info would be appreciated!
 
finish

10 coats of cyanoacrylate in how long a time?? My guess is that you have "SOFT" unhardened glue layers. Try this experiment. Put on three layers of cyanoacrylate and sand/polish after sitting overnight. Then put the piece in a polyethylene cue liner/slip. Looks good immediately, but after sitting for a day or two you should see the characteristic white haze build up inside the slip and on the piece's surface. This is due to the finish outgassing as it hardens on the inside. The outside layer may be firm but the inside layers are still"SOFT".
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues:cool:
 
The problem may well be in the measurement of the epoxy. If it's not accurate you can end up with a soft finish.
It only takes a few grams of epoxy to coat a cue so it can be tough to get an accurate ratio measurement with such small quantities.
For $15-20 or less you can buy a scale from Amazon or elsewhere that measures to .01g. For your very small batches this will give you very good accuracy every time.
For the 20min. finish epoxy the correct ratio by weight is ABOUT! 1.25 resin : 1.1 hardener, as determined by weighing both full bottles. So I mix 1.25g of resin with 1.1g hardener or twice that, or whatever I need.
A 1:1 ratio by volume works, but I can't keep the mix accurate enough by eyeball.

Robin Snyder
 
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I'll make this nice and simple. It will probably cost me a couple of customers but if it stops one person from getting very very sick or die, its worth it.

Super Glue is NOT a finish. Show me on any Spec Data sheet from a manufacturer that it is. You are fooling with something by using it in this way that could make it so you will never go near another cue. A proper finish in itself is the hardest and most dangerous part of making a cue. Please learn to do it safer.
 
If you mixed the right ratios, my guess is you did not mix it enough. Mix it and mix it some more and then mix it some more.
 
Another tip with the finish cure that was posted on here some time ago that really helps is to let the epoxy sit for a few minutes after mixing to let the chemical reaction get started before applying it to the cue.
 
The finish may be soft for any number of reasons. None of us are there so the OP is going to have to experiment and figure out why he did some perfectly and his last attempt was soft. My guess would be perhaps too much humidity or heat (temperature) or any combination of the two and perhaps not allowing the finish to thoroughly cure. It could be any number of things.

As far as a cyano finish, it's a fine finish and it's no more dangerous than spraying clear coats. In fact, I think it's less dangerous as you don't have to fiddle with mixing it. Additionally, one would assume whether applying cyano, clear coat or any type of finish that the user would be using certain safety precautions.
 
What the op needs to do is write down his whole process so guessing can be minimized.
What woods ? Sandpapers used and how?
Did you use a sealer ? What kind? How long did it sit ? Did you sand it ?

How old are your epoxy ? From what store ? Once you open the hardener, it better be in a cool dry room.
Same goes for the CA. They're more temperamental than epoxy.

Also, why use CA ? You already have an epoxy coat .

Do you have a heat box or flood lamps ?
What's the humidity level in your shop ?

If you use CA finish, I sure hope you have an assisted air apparatus.
I've heard the word cancer way too much already.
The fumes you breath go to your blood and lungs.
 
Onecrazyplayer said:
Ok after making many mistakes with my cue building and learning from it, I have one that I am just dumb about and would like to take my teaching like a man, I have no idea what I did wrong. Reading books and watching dvd's and all that stuff is great but now I need some help.
Now the finish turned out really nice but????

IT SOFT!

NO bad jokes about that one.

Any info would be taken to heart! Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...

Hey OCP,

I use BSI 20 minute for gluing my wood inlays only not my substrate. One thing that BSI says is that you should heat up the 20 min to 90 degrees before using it. Even though I do that I have noticed it is finger nail soft around the inlays 12 hours later at 1 to 1 by volume. I always wait 24 before taking taper cut to flush the inlays to the cue.

Also the 15 min in the orange bottle does not say to heat it up. I did that when I was glueing some points one time and it got gummy too fast. I had to make a mad dash to get some solvent in a hurry. Almost lost the blank!!!

It pays to read the bottle. :speechless:


Rick
 
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Thanks to all.

YOU have passed on some great information and when I say this (I DONT KNOW XXXX) really it’s the truth. Learning and gathering information from other builders that are willing to pass on tips and trade secrets is a wonderful thing. My really good friend is the reason why I wanted to build cues warned me that WOODS are tricky!
They can be as a touchy woman and give you hell if you don’t treat them right.
After reading all your posts going over all my steps plus asking a few questions, my good friend that I see as a master cue builder and a true master of his craft told me that when working with Cocobolo and Rosewoods He made a point about the importance of the preparations and time after sanding before applying the 1st coat of epoxy with these woods.
Let’s just say the light bulb tuned on.
I thank all of you and say this, thank you for the lesson!

Humbly,

Onecrazyplayer
 
I started off with CA and no ventilation and it burned my lungs and made me sick as hell for a week. Painful coughs, shortness of breath, and a dizzying headache. I only use CA for the couple inches of shaft that needs clear now. I have tried epoxy, auto clear, CA, lacquer, aerosol clear coats, and some water based clear coats and for now my absolute favorite is ceramithane. I've only done a few cues with it, but man this stuff is great. Its virtually odorless, goes on easy, levels out better than anything I've tried yet, and buffs to a glass like shine. I'd like to thank Whammo (Kim) for leading me towards it. It takes a while to cure, but I love how easy it is to use.

Joe
 
I second

snipershot said:
I started off with CA and no ventilation and it burned my lungs and made me sick as hell for a week. Painful coughs, shortness of breath, and a dizzying headache. I only use CA for the couple inches of shaft that needs clear now. I have tried epoxy, auto clear, CA, lacquer, aerosol clear coats, and some water based clear coats and for now my absolute favorite is ceramithane. I've only done a few cues with it, but man this stuff is great. Its virtually odorless, goes on easy, levels out better than anything I've tried yet, and buffs to a glass like shine. I'd like to thank Whammo (Kim) for leading me towards it. It takes a while to cure, but I love how easy it is to use.

Joe
Click to expand...

I also am using the Ceramithane and as stated it is super easy to use. I started with epoxy and once I changed using a method similar to what Kim stated I never looked back. I also have used CA and the fumes were really nasty.
 
Where are you guys buying ceramithane?
I've been really happy with what I'm doing, but always up to try something new.
 
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