Finishing Question

[Zagiflyer]

I did try Chris's super glue method. Never had your luck with it and I hated the fumes. Don't know if they're really harmfull like some of the clear coat's, but it's pretty nasty!

I'll have to wait to see about the yellowing problem with the Polycrylic. Depending on the type of wood your using I don't see a "slight" yellowing as a problem. In fact, in some cases, I think it would actually enhance the beauty of some woods. How long before you noticed the yellowing?

I too have switched to plastic joint collars for now. I'm also curious how to match the finish to a metal joint collar that is not finished. Would you undercut the wood slightly at the joint collar? Let me know how you make out if/when you try it.

Thanks again!

Hi Bill:

I noticed the yellowing fairly soon on the first few inches of the shaft where it's easy to see against the light maple. I can't honestly say that it was the Polyacrylic that yellowed now that I think of it because I tried some other finishes as well. I also tried just hanging the cue up by a string and using plain old Deft clear gloss spray lacquer fom a spray can and it works pretty well with enough coats. It will buff out nicely.

The superglue fumes will irritate your eyes. I keep a fan blowing the fumes away from me and this helps a lot, beyond irritation I don't know if the CA fumes are that harmful but I try not to take any chances. The superglue finish has worked well for me but it takes a lot of patience. The nice thing is that if you wetsand/buff the cue out and you find any imperfections you just sand more and add 5-10 more coats and wetsand/buff until you are satisified. I hope to find an epoxy some day that can be rubbed on and will buff out easily to a good shine. Epoxy never seems to really harden fully.

With the metal joint collars I read that you sand the wood down a little lower next to the collar and build the finish up slightly above the collar then sand down to even. I'll have to try it. I also wonder if you could finish the cue first then add the collar and turn the collar down to the finish level. This would probably be tough to do without damaging the finish and if there is a little high spot it might be hard to get rid of. I have also been a little hesitant with metal joints because I have Cuesmith lathe which is somewhat light duty and I'm not sure how well it will turn Stainless steel. So far I've been experimenting with various linen phenolic materials for joints and butts and I like them a lot. I've never tried any plastics but I have some MP ivory substitute that I want to try. I've turned, drilled and tapped Aluminum with my lathe to make some fixtures and it works fine for that. Anyway, keep experimenting and have fun. This is a hobby for me and I really like it.