Here are a couple of rings I turned on the lathe. I’ve turned 4 of them, but the 2 in the picture are the best looking ones so far. One of the 4 didn’t survive. They are finished with a buildup of CA glue that is sanded and polished.
Since this picture was taken, I have sanded down the “cracked” one and un-cracked it. I am uncertain the cause of the cracking, but I have read there are 2 common reasons for this. The first is old superglue (CA glue). And the second is the brand.
Old CA glue could have been the cause. The thick glue I was using is about 5 years old. I may have also piled the glue on too fast and the lower layers didn’t cure before putting another layer on. I’m unsure about that. I would like to try that glue again and let the layers cure more fully before saying old glue was the real cause.
Also, I read that the Stick Fast brand is known for cracking when used as a top coat. The thin glue I used was Stick Fast. But, I don’t really think this was the issue since I used the same glue on all the rings I did and didn’t have this problem. However, I also didn’t build up the coats as thick in the subsequent rings.
If you want to go down a rabbit hole of how these rings are made, here are some of the YouTube videos I watched to get started.