Instant Glue Finishes

Intro

Georgia woodturner Bill Hug applies a super-adhesive finish to make his finest small pieces sparkle. And it's literally a sticky process.

William E. (Bill) Hug, a retired professor of botany in Athens, Georgia, has turned more than 5,000 vessels since he began woodturning 16 years ago. And while he has finished a lot of his work traditionally -- with lacquer or oil -- Bill has perfected the application of a quite unusual one: cyanoacrylate.

"Instant glue [Krazy Glue, Zip Grip, and others] was once promoted by turners as a quick, high-luster finish for turned objects that could be applied in one coat," Bill comments. "But while the result was immediately spectacular, it was short-lived. Turners overlooked the fact that instant glue, like most good finishes, has to be applied to a carefully prepared surface, you have to put on more than one coat, and you should protect it with a quality was. It's the perfect finish for small turnings."