Gluboost vs CA for pen finishing

OK, I got my Gluboost trio the other day. In short, I like it a lot.

First heard about Gluboost here, then read more about it here. Originally used by luthiers, there are a few youtube vids on the product.

Sanded to 400-600 as usual. Then I used 2 coats of the thicker blue bottle of Fill n Finish with a spritz of accelerator in between, a quick wipe with .0000 steel wool, and repeat with 2-3 coats of the orange bottled thin formula and another light wipe of .0000, all with the lathe off. No white spots or bubbling. Smooth as silk. Quick and easy. Same results on acrylic.

Then my normal micro-meshing. I also added the additional step of using some Triple E before the plastic polish which I hadn’t been doing.

Non-scientific chemical analysis…...Smell was no worse than regular Stickfast CA, and maybe a little better. The 3rd blank that I did I forgot to use gloves and got a layer on my finger. It definitely is a different formula from regular CA. It actually was more flexible after it dried and peeled off of my finger in one piece vs the hard CA that also removes a few layers of skin and fingerprints.

As with Stickfast, I will run out of accelerator 4 times faster than I run out of glue so I might as well order more now.

I really have no way (or need/desire) to compare the thickness of 4 coats of this vs 10 coats of CA but it definitely goes on easier, dries smother and faster without clouding or spots and looks great. Even the thin is thicker than thin CA so it might be depositing more product per coat. I think it even has a richer, smoother finish but that might just be my imagination or the fact that I used EEE before the plastic polish.

They also included a free sample of the dye which I haven’t tried yet.

Would I recommend this product? YES.

-- Andy - Seattle USA