More Stabilizing Wood

[@DKWalser]

Mike -- A very good video. Three suggestions: First, the reason for using aluminum foil is to prevent the blanks from sticking to each other. This allows you to put more blanks into your oven at once. If you're not stacking the blanks on top of each other, you can get away with just putting them on the wire rack and allowing any resin that boils out of the blank to drip into the drip pan. (Be sure to cover the drip pan in foil.) This makes cleaning up the blanks much easier! Second, you can save a lot of resin by rough turning the blanks. If you're going to make a box, pre-hollow the blank. If you're making pen blanks, pre-drill the blanks with a 7mm drill. If you're making a pepper mill, pre-drill the blank with an undersized drill bit. Etc. This also makes it far easier for the resin to completely penetrate the wood. It also saves time in the vacuum chamber and time in the oven. The 'cost' for these benefits is a little extra prep time AND a loss of flexibility. You kinda need to know what you're going to make with the blank before stabilizing. Finally, cooking your blanks at 200 degrees is 'safe' in that it makes it much less likely that a blank won't be fully cooked -- which leaves a blank with uncured resin in the middle. However, cooking the blank at 180 degrees will 'save' you about 10% to 20% of your resin that otherwise would be 'boiled out' of the blank at 200 degrees. I put 'save' in scare quotes because cooking at 180 degrees doesn't save you any money -- it just ensures that more of your resin stays in the blank. This gives you a higher quality stabilization and makes cleaning the blanks easier, but the total amount of resin used is the same. It's just more of the resin stays inside the blank. To use this method, you need to have a way to hold the temperature at 180 degrees and most toaster ovens cannot do this reliably on their own. You need a PID controller. Or, if you have a Sous Vide water oven (which precisely controls the temperature of a water bath), you can use that. (Just make sure you seal the blanks inside a plastic bag with very little air inside. You DON'T want the blanks getting wet!) HTH

[@briansinclair3967]

Great video Mike. Very clear instructions and observations.

[@DKWalser]

Mike -- As RB shared, Cactus Juice is incompatible with the acrylic sheeting you used to make your vacuum chamber lid. It is the fumes from the Cactus Juice that is causing the cracking. Using a thicker acrylic will help, but it will only delay failure. If you're going to use plastic, use clear PVC. Tempered glass is a better option, assuming you can find an inexpensive source. (You can get a 10.75" diameter lid for $48 from BestValueVacs.com. Larger sizes cost more.)

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for sharing. Not sure if I will do much of this. Too expensive for what I do. If it is for the occasional threaded box, I will just buy an exotic blank.

[@Jeff1Jeff2Jeff3Jeff]

I had the same thought, a solid disk with a smaller viewport for the plexiglass. I hope it works !! As always, an informative and well-created video. Thank you Mike

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for your support, Jeff.

[@walshjp17]

When yo u finish with the stabilizing under vacuum, you can reuse the Cactus Juice several times. Cuts the costs down. Curtis has some more info on his website.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I alwasy reuse the leftover!

[@bertdelisle393]

Very good video Mike, thanks for posting. You could consider putting a tee fitting on the vac cover, with a gauge and valve to help control the foaming action. I did that on mine after several mishaps with sudden foaming of epoxy degassing.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yes, but the valve and gauge on my vacuum chuck pump that I use for stabilizing as well is nearby within an arm's reach.

[@bertdelisle393]

Perfect!

[@mitchellmanning7887]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@LewisKauffman]

Thank you, Mike!

[@garythomas6866]

Thanks Mike great info. & like your videos

[@edwinleach4013]

I think you can superglue two pieces of 3/8 together and this would work too.

[@tompuskar4426]

I like the wooden top idea. May give that a try. Also, if you protect your heating element with a drip pan covered with aluminum foil, you don't really need to wrap the blanks in foil. Saves a lot of clean up. I've done a few experiments side by side, wrapping and not wrapping and saw no measurable difference. I do a lot of stabilizing of 3" by 3" by 4" blocks for pepper mills and it works fine. Finally, don't tap your plexiglass lid for your connector. Use o-rings on either side of a short threaded rod as a sort of bulkhead fitting. Reduces stress around the hole.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Great ideas, Tom. Thanks for sharing.

[@RB-ck3xr]

Acrylic is nfg as the vapor from the stabilizing resin will attack acrylic causing stress cracking. You should use polycarbonate around 1" thick. Rather than using a mini oven try immersing the impregnated blanks in boiling water. The heat transfer is much greater using boiling water bath instead of a mini oven.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for sharing. I did not know the difference. I see the trade name for polycarbonate is Lexan and it is stronger. Never heard of the boiling bath curing method. I will have to research that.

[@RB-ck3xr]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning Boiling water cure is used industrially, not a method commonly used by amateurs. Thorough drying the wood to be impregnated is critical.

[@petestacy8349]

I'd heard the same thing, however, according to Curtis at Turntex that's a misconception. www.turntex.com/help-center/questions-and-answers/stabilizing-with-cactus-juice/can-i-use-a-acrylic-lid-on-my-chamber-with-cactus-juice-or-do-i-need-to-get-a-glass-one

[@ralphc.edwards1851]

MIKE, IS THAT POT STAINLESS STEEL? AND IS JUST A COOKING POT? GREAT VIDEO.. THANKS

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yes. Thrift store $4

[@ralphc.edwards1851]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning THANKS MIKE

[@rosshowe4997]

On your next lid add a valve on your lid to control bleed off it might be easier than working a valve at your lathe

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for your suggestion.

[@rodhathaway4409]

I'm wondering why wrap the product with the Aluminum foil? Other than containing the resin while the wood is baking, is there any other purpose?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

That was the way I was taught but several folks say it is not necessary.

[@rodhathaway4409]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning I have seen several videos on stabilization and they all wrap the product in Aluminum foil, only to have to fight to remove it. I would think that it would be easier to allow the cactus juice to drain off then lay the product on a foil covered surface, then just lay an Aluminum cover over the entire parts to be baked to prevent splatter onto the oven surface.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Good tiip, thanks for sharing.

[@diydarkmatter]

mike now your a smart guy been doing this alot longer then me for sure so i think your the guy to ask . i see a lot of people using expensive resin to stabilize there wood . is there a reason they dont use wood hardener ? wood hardener is a liquid resin and when it drys its just as hard as nails . it is a plastic of some sort i have used it for different things not turning but it works great for stabilizing punky wood . its made for protecting and saving wooden support beams that start to rot outdoors and to keep them from rotten . so i just dont understand why the woodturners dont use it . seems to be a great product . it stinks and puts off fumes and is a bit messy . but i would say its cheaper and does a better job of penetrating the wood pores . dont see why it could not be colored like any other resin . so maybe you know why no one likes to use it ?

[@billy19461]

diy dark matter where do you get the wood Gardner?

[@diydarkmatter]

@@billy19461 you can get wood hardener at the hardware or amazon or any of the home improvement stores how ever im not sure where to get wood gardener at lol . thanks buddy for the comment really had me laughing even checked to see if i spelled wrong . have a great day .

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I have used the Minwax wood hardner to harden parts of a punky, splated bowl blank. I have not tested but do not believe it penetrates as deeply as the resin pulled in with a vacuum. Still, it is a good product for some applications.

[@diydarkmatter]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning i dont have a vacuum chamber but i would so try it if i did . what do you use for a vacuum pump . i thought about using a refrigerator pump but it is not as easy to find lol . how ever i know at some point i will need one . i dont have that many wood turning videos yet but im working on it . i have a carving series going on right now called honoring a hero nathan boyce . it is a custom carved ferro rod handle for nathans dad . nathan was a soldier seen one tour of afghanistan . a great loss as with any of the boys or girls we lose over there . the carving videos dont do so well but it is what it is . maybe it is just my channel lol im not sure . but the turning videos i have to say are alot more fun to do . and resin well that stuff just looks messy . but man the stuff people are making with it is just out of this world . god bless ya mike your the man brother i was talking about you on my last live stream . i need to mention you in a video at some point cause my live streams always go to unlisted . we have way to much fun on them lol . ok well ill stop bugging you now and ill catch you in the next one brother . i always look forward to your videos .

[@DKWalser]

@@diydarkmatter Minwax wood hardener should NOT be used under vacuum. The fumes are highly flammable. Sucking the stuff into a vacuum pump -- where a spark from the motor can set the fumes off -- is dangerous. (There are vacuum chambers that have traps to capture any flammable fumes, but they are expensive.) Besides, even if you could use Minwax wood hardener, why would you? It's much more expensive than Cactus Juice and much less pleasant to work with.

[@gilgrace1915]

I wonder if there is a clear glue made for plastics that would allow you to double up the 3/8" Lexan. I know they make glue for Plexiglas or Acrylic, but I hear Lexan is a slightly different product. Perhaps simply switch to Plexiglas. Just a thought to save some money.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Mine is acrylic. I thought about glue but figured it would be a challenge finding the right glue and getting an even see thru coat.

[@stevestoverstudios2223]

1” acrylic at www.freckleface.com. Works like a charm and relatively inexpensive.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks, looks like a great source!