Drying Wood for Stabilizing or Casting in Resin

[@ralphferree6825]

Thanks!

[@ZacHiggins]

My pleasure!! Thank you for your support 😀

[@steveocvirek6671]

Thank you, Thank you for making this video!!! I have see other "how to dry wood" videos and no one showed how to really know how the wood was dry. (most everyone said the moisture meter). You did such a great job clearly explaining HOW and WHY to dry the wood and weigh it. Again, than you so much - I really appreciate you making this video.

[@ZacHiggins]

You're very welcome! I remember when I first got into casting and stabilizing, I had no clue how to tell when it was truly dry. I learned this technique from Curtis Seebeck who makes Cactus Juice stabilizing resin, and it's always worked well for me

[@DavidsWoodturning]

Hi, great video well detailed. Do you leave the vacuum pump ON for the full duration when sacking all the air out of the wood? Or just like the pressure pot once it gets to the desired level switch off and leave as it is?

[@ABCRK18]

Would you recommend oven drying for cutting rounds or discs of a tree. I can't easily see running an oven for 24 hours in az.

[@CrushinGames]

Is it safe to run a toaster oven all night? I’m trying to get into wood stabilizing but the wife thinks the house will burn down if it’s left on longer than a couples hours

[@streametal]

Thanks Zac! Even 6 years later this video helping people like me

[@jessicapainter8349]

hey there. ok.. so kinda weird question im sure. but, i had some blanks put into a glass vac and they were vac sealed for a while. then left in the cactus juice for a good 2 years. yes you read that correctly. 2 years. i just disposed of the juice. and towel dried the blanks. and then i stuck them in my toaster ovens. so my questions are.. If i dry them can i dry them in my garage? or or does it need to be outside? the fumes make me wonder. i have a 3 bay garage. and i opened the doors half way and turned the fan on. because they seem to be setting off some major fumes i assume it is because of how long they were soaking. .. but it made me wonder if it is common to cook the blanks inside closed spaces. thanks so much!!

[@CaseyMartin707]

Solid video buddy. I forget where I read it, maybe on the CJ instructions but I always put the wood in a ziplock bag right after I take it out of the oven so it doesn't pick up any more moisture while it is cooling down. I don't know how necessary it is but I always do it since I'm dealing with small pieces that would pick up moisture pretty fast. You probably already know about this though, I think I saw an instagram post of you doing something similar. Thanks for the tips and I like how quick and straightforward everything was!

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Casey! Trying to get to the point quicker :) Yeah, it's a good idea to cover the wood with plastic to ensure it doesn't wick up any moisture. I'm not sure how much of an issue it is if you are planning to put the wood into the CJ as soon as it's cooled down enough, but you definitely want to cover it if you won't be doing the vacuum step right away.

[@carlosberrios1021]

Great video Zac......thanks for sharing your knowledge and giving us part of your time to do it...very well appreciated. Thanks.

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Carlos! Glad it was helpful for you =D

[@cherylcorbin3687]

Good morning. Thanks the info was super helpful. I have various sizes of man tree branches that were recently cut and some ideas came to me. I needed to have an idea of how to get them dried so I could use the slices with resin. So thanks I will try it and see.

[@JamesGarwood]

Do you need to stabilise wood or pine cones after drying, what does it actually do? I guess it stops the wood from moving, Have you got anything from years ago you could show us in a video that you cast without stabilising to see if it has moved? I would love a more in depth video on this,

[@ZacHiggins]

Hey James, the main reason I stabilize pine cones is so they are less chippy when turning and they don't float when casting. It's also a good way to ensure that there is no moisture in them when you cast them. The main thing is you have to dry anything out completely before casting it because Alumilite doesn't play well with moisture. You'll get bubbles and it turns cloudy white around the wood otherwise. There may be situations where wood movement could be an issue and stabilizing it will eliminate that problem. Stabilizing is more a necessity when you are dealing with punky wood or other situations where you want to increase the stiffness or hardness of the wood.

[@JamesGarwood]

Zac Higgins thanks Zac, I will be trying some casting in a few weeks and trying to understand everything, your videos are brilliant and cramed full of info, thank you for your hard work :)

[@ZacHiggins]

My pleasure James =D Glad the videos are helpful. My goal is to try and clear up the minor details and hopefully get you over the initial learning curve fast so you can get to making awesome blanks! I also do a live stream on Twitch that might be helpful too. On Wednesdays we do the Dunkin Junk Experiments, and I go through the whole process start to finish casting blanks. I try to share as many tips/tricks and best practices for casting, and you can ask questions live too. Saturday I turn up the experimental blanks from the week before. Both days the stream starts at 2PM Pacific time on my Twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/nvwoodwerks Stop in and check it out sometime

[@timholiner381]

Nice video, Zac. Have you tried a microwave for initial drying? They only work on water so it might get out a good percentage of the moisture.

[@ZacHiggins]

That's a good idea Tim! I know bowl turners dry out bowls that way, I'll have to investigate that

[@britanniabaptistchurchservice]

How long for pine cones ?

[@mikecaffery8832]

Many thanks Zac, this video is very helpful. I'm beginning to gather the equipment needed for stabilizing and eventually casting blanks and have found your channel to be very informative.

[@ZacHiggins]

Awesome!! I'm glad that the videos are helpful. Trying to piece together all the necessary info so getting started is a as smooth as possible. Do you have any ideas of what you want to make once you're all set up?

[@mikecaffery8832]

I've been making pens for about 20 years but always relied on others to supply the blanks. Because of you & guys like you who share your knowledge with us I'm gonna try stabilizing and casting myself. I'm very thankful for your willingness to teach what you have learned.

[@ZacHiggins]

That's awesome! I'm glad to be able to help out, I know it can be difficult to get started. Once you get over the initial hurdles, it's a blast though! The possibilities are pretty much endless :-) If you have any questions or get hung up on anything, just shoot me an email.

[@vishalchoudhary3950]

Taking mixture out from the mould after 48 hrs is there still have some possibility that product still bend over or bit flexible??

[@benefpoint1233]

Tanks for all the info! Do you have any tips on how to dry a young 2cm conifer branch? I would like to cast a small piece of jewelry in which this will be embedded. I sm afraid that drying it will also let it lose the green color of the spruce needles. Should i just spray the small branch with some kind of protective laquer instead and then pour the epoxy over it? The piece will only be around 4-5mm thick. Thanks in advance

[@keebler1357]

Just found the video. If I put the piece in the oven for 3-4 hrs and took it out for a week and put it back in for 3-4 hrs the next weekend etc till dry would that work?

[@heffptbo]

i am trying to make wood cookie slabs...... and avoid the end grain crack. So heating it with the high heat to evaporate is the best way to go then? I do have a heating kiln i have been experimenting with......... just trying to tighten things up so i dont break them all

[@ZacHiggins]

No, I think you might be misunderstanding what I mean by stabilizing the wood. What I mean by stabilizing is a process where you basically resin impregnate the wood with a stabilizing resin. If you are going to resin cast or resin impregnate wood, it needs to be dried out to 0% moisture, which is why you will go up to higher temps. I believe you are talking about just letting wood reach equilibrium moisture content. If that's the case, I am not sure what the best method would be for drying it out without cracking, but I am almost 100% sure you don't want to heat it up to high temps

[@camyjokessler6113]

Just found this video !! Its great. I have some wood slices cut to 1-2 inches thick. Whats the best way dry them out? in say 3 months.

[@grahamdavis289]

Cool idea Zac thanks

[@ralfkessler]

ok another very helpful vid thanks

[@MonteTurner]

I have a question not really related so I'm sorry if I'm asking in the wrong place. Have you ever done castings for tobacco pipe stems? I know that the artisan pipe makers use acrylic blanks for some of the pipe stems.

[@ZacHiggins]

No worries Monte, you can ask questions about anything. I haven't actually made any blanks specifically for that use that I know of, but I did get contacted by one of the big manufacturers to make blanks on a large scale for them. They needed giant rods though, so I couldn't do it for them. We talked about the materials though when he contacted me, should work just fine. There are some other fairly well known pipe makers out there using casting resins for their designs.

[@richardandersen148]

Thanks Zac for your great advice on drying wood. I've had some moisture problems in pen blanks & bottle stoppers (w) wood pieces in casting. Just getting started and learning! I've coated semi-dry wood pieces completely with lacquer before casting with Alumilite Clear & had good results. Any thoughts to this process ?

[@Captaraknospider]

I harvest pasific yew. I bring it home and wax the ends and all the branches. Leave it out side for a while months. Then bring it in side. Once inside I rotate it so no end is on the same way down for long. Then I pit it in a strage area. Doesn't have to be heated. It sits there for a minimum of 5 years.

[@TheSafecrkr1]

Zac, I guess I've been messing up. I haven't had much luck stabilizing pen blanks. I dry them in the toaster oven & when they ARE dry, some I put in the Cactus juice right away (still warm) andsome wait their turn. Don't the ones that go in warm start the hardening process & the ones that are waiting, aren't they absorbing moisture from the air ? ( in Florida)

[@ZacHiggins]

Hmm, well that's no fun! First thing, you don't want to put the blanks in CJ right after pulling them out of the oven, it can harden the CJ and trap the air inside. Just put the wood in a ziplock until they drop to room temp, shouldn't pick up any moisture. How long are you drying them? It can easily take 24 hours to get them fully dried out, especially if they started out with a high moisture content. Also, how long are they staying under vacuum?

Hi Zac. I'm brand new to stabilizing. I'm just starting some pieces for ring blanks. The wood is pretty dry already, but I live in Hawaii. Would you recommend cutting them to size (1.5" x 1.5" x .5" thick) for quicker drying before placing them in the toaster oven? Or would they check and crack. Or should I leave them at 1.5" x 1.5" about 6" long? My thinking is that they'll dry faster and stabilize/saturate better/faster.

[@ZacHiggins]

They'll definitely dry out faster the smaller the piece is. Smaller pieces should soak up the cactus juice faster too. Both also depend on the wood species and density though

[@ChadSchimmel]

Good stuff Zac

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Chad!

[@bayoufowlduckcallsbojackso3763]

When baking the wood can I wrap it up in aluminum foil or just put it in the oven

[@NathanaelCBR]

Wouldn't the foil prevent the moisture escaping?

[@robertevans6481]

After the drying process,do you let it come back to room temp before stabilizing.

[@ZacHiggins]

Yeah, you don't want to put it in the Cactus Juice until the wood temperature has come down to room temp. It can prematurely activate the Cactus Juice in the chamber if the wood is too hot.

[@robertevans6481]

Okay thanks

[@tooljunkie555]

good stuff zac!-weighing it is a good idea. i have a question about resin.. a buddy of mine is going to build a coffee table and wants to pour resin on the top of it and let it drip down the side.-sounds weird ik..lol but its a really cool looking table ( he shared a picture of it on my Facebook page last week). my question is what his question was to me what type of resin or name brand of resin would you recommend for that type of project any suggestions or feedback is much appreciated thanks man

[@ZacHiggins]

Hey Joe, I would imagine any resin would do for that type of project. Slow setting resins like epoxy or polyester resin might work best for that situation. The long open time will help allow air bubbles to get free of the resin. If it's a really thin layer though, I'd imagine anything will work for it. If you were going for opaque, Alumilite White resin would do the job nicely. It's super thin, so air bubbles typically aren't a problem. It's also fast setting, 2 minute open time, so having it set so quick might give you a little more control over the flow and make for some interesting effects

[@seibert1234]

I have a pancake compressor with a pressure regulator, but I cant seem to keep it at a consistent pressure on the output line due to a very slight leak. are there any good after market regulators or other solutions that I could try to help with this issue

[@ZacHiggins]

I might be misunderstanding the situation, but I'd recommend just regulating it at the pressure pot. If you have both the compressor regulator and pressure pot regulator set at the same PSI, you will run into issues because the compressor regulator will likely stop the flow before the pot reaches the correct PSI. That also might help if you have a leak at the compressor. We have our compressor set at 90, and I regulate my CA Technologies pots at 80/Harbor Freight pots at 60. Other than that, I don't know of any particular brands that are better than others if you have to replace the regulator. I would probably just search on Amazon myself and stay away from the cheapest ones.

[@seibert1234]

I have a harbor freight pot, but I'm not sure if it has a regulator, or how to use it, but it should be all the way open, and I just regulate the pressure at the compressor. The issue I have is keeping it at 60 consistently. I think it's just a cheap compressor. I'll see what amazon has

[@steveplunkett6985]

Love your videos! What brand of scale do you recommend?

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks so much Steve! Glad you're enjoying them =D I actually have a video that covers scales and shows which one I use: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqTCZoCha8d3q9E I also have a direct link to the one I use as well as links to most of the products I use or recommend for casting/turning on my website: nvwoodwerks.com/tools/

[@steveplunkett6985]

Ok Zac, I’m gearing up to do casting and it’s all your fault. Just sayin’.

[@490heaven]

Hey Zac great video again. One question is what have you found that works best to store your dried wood pieces that will prevent it from absorbing moisture again? I have used ziplock bags but during a stabilizing session I noticed some bubbles that just wouldn't stop so I figured it had to be moisture again. These pieces had been dried and stored in the ziplock for about two weeks prior to stabilizing. What do you think?

[@ZacHiggins]

I'm not sure there is any perfect way to keep the moisture out. The best solution I've come up with is to wrap the pieces in plastic wrap a couple times then put it in a ziplock. I'd imagine if you submerged them in cactus juice, it should keep moisture out too. I try to just get the baking done then do the vacuum step once the wood has cooled down.

[@BossTweed69]

I love this videos, iv just started stabilizing wood and you are a huuuuge help. Thanks buddy

[@ZacHiggins]

That's awesome!! I'm glad that my videos are helpful, thanks for letting me know =D

[@BossTweed69]

@@ZacHiggins your very good at explaining things too, you make it easy to watch your videos ✌

[@austinsignis]

do you sell blocks bigger than pen size?

[@ZacHiggins]

I do sometimes, depending on how busy I am. Are you talking about resin cast blanks or wood blanks though? I don't sell any totally wood blanks, only resin cast ones. Generally, I only do custom sizes of the blank designs that I sell on my website store: nvwoodwerks.com/product-category/pen-turning-blanks/

[@bajamini1]

Have my first batch in my regular toaster oven because my sweet $4 goodwill oven shuts off after 3hrs ugh. Anyway won't condensation form in the ziplock if I put wood in while still warm? Or am I overthinking this . I have all stabilize and pp ready just need CJ.

[@ZacHiggins]

Hey Bud, glad to hear that you have your first batch in! That's a great question about the condensation, and I'm not 100% sure on it. This is actually a question I've been meaning to ask Curtis Seebeck about but keep forgetting when I have him on the phone. I think if you get most of the air out of the ziplock before you close it up, condensation won't happen. Hasn't been a problem for me so far. I'll try to get a definitive answer on it and make a video on this subject as soon as I have the facts

[@steinbierz]

Hey Zac...did you get that definitive answer back from Curtis yet? 😜

[@timbroderickjr]

Thanks Zac! Looking forward to more info on stabilizing!

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks for watching Tim :-)

[@KagedCreations08XX]

Great video, super helpful.

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Kage! I'm glad it was helpful :-)

[@chootrain57]

thanks for the tip Zac, great video as always

[@ZacHiggins]

My pleasure!! Hope it helps out =D

[@RockyPhillips]

Here is a question for you, Do you have to stabilize the wood before casting it with resin. I am not set up for either yet But I was wanting to get into casting and I have a bunch of scraps exotics and burls. So I am just curious. Thanks.. Great videos Zac

[@ZacHiggins]

Hey Rocky, great question :-) It's not a necessity, but stabilized wood offers some advantages when casting in resin. The big advantage is the wood won't float in the resin. Aside from that, it will help to ensure that they won't pick up any moisture, it will also keep dyes in the resin from bleeding into the wood when casting, and it can also improve the bond with the resin a bit. Overall though, there's no absolute need to do it. The main thing is drying the wood out completely. If you do that, you're good to go and should get perfectly good blanks out of it. You just might need to come up with a method of holding the wood chunks down in the resin. That's not that hard though, just put some tape over it, and you should be good. Glad you're enjoying the videos!!

[@RockyPhillips]

+Zac Higgins awesome good to know.. the plan is to eventually starting getting the stabilzing equipment. baby steps i guess.. thanks a bunch

[@ZacHiggins]

Nothing wrong with that. I started out just tossing wood chunks in before I got the stabilizing equipment myself. Although there are some advantages to stabilizing, you'll still get some great results without it. Good luck :-) Send in some pics when you get some blanks made up, I'd love to see them

[@RockyPhillips]

Sounds good

[@donaldtaylor8287]

Thanks for the info! Gives me a place to start.

[@ZacHiggins]

You're welcome Don! I'm glad it was helpful :-)

[@anklebiterwoodworks2818]

Sweet. Thanks for the tips.

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks for watching, hope it was helpful :-)

[@jyohe09]

Just picked up a piece of driftwood that was floating in the ocean from a recent vacation. Do you think the salt in the water would cause any issues?

[@Tim_Pollock]

Lots of good info Zac! Thought I was already subbed but I took care of that little problem. ;- )

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Tim! I appreciate it!

[@jf6720]

Thank you, exactly what I have been looking for.

[@r1johnny]

Thanks Zac. Good info.

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks for checking it out John :-)

[@BlackCat_2]

Great video! I have two toaster ovens dedicated to non-food items. :p Also a microwave that is only for my glass fusing. I use it also to store curing resin in as well (when they fit) so that dust will be kept out. I have considered using my gas oven that I cook in for clay sometimes so I can make something really big. :p - Heidi

[@ZacHiggins]

Nice! You are hooked up :-) We tried baking poly clay in our kitchen oven without any consequences. I think you just need to make sure you don't burn it, the fumes can be super dangerous I hear.

[@BlackCat_2]

Zac Higgins I hope they are not too bad because I have burned my fair share of things. :P Only one was really badly though because I didn't watch it but I should have. :p It not only set off the smoke alarm but I had this brownish smoke coming out the windows and front door when I opened them. *laughs*

[@shaunm2208]

Thank you

[@sparkydoodles4440]

Totally new at this but has anyone ever tried an air fryer to dry wood?

[@lawrencerayborn6258]

Thanks you are a lot of help

[@JamesGarwood]

have you ever tried drying wood in a microwave?

[@ZacHiggins]

No, haven't tried it myself. I can't remember if there is a reason why most people don't. Might just be because it will smell up a microwave

[@JimE6243]

A lesson learned for me. Thanks Zac. JimE

[@ZacHiggins]

Glad it was helpful Jim! I get this question quite a bit, hope it will simplify things for everyone.

[@stubrearley9220]

Ooops! 200 farenheit ???? I should have taken more notice. Celsius seems to crisp the wood somewhat!

[@ZacHiggins]

LOL Oh no!! Yeah, that could be a bit hot at 200 C. One thing's for sure, it was definitely at 0% moisture content =D

[@bubbagant1]

Thanks! Need to get a toaster oven that I can use - wife might object to the taste of her Pop Tarts otherwise!

[@wildbill23c]

I got mine at a thrift store for $5. I wouldn't buy a new one for this process LOL.

[@ZacHiggins]

LOL Yeah, this is one area where I wouldn't sneak the woodshop into the kitchen :) I'd definitely check out the thrift stores, best place to get a beater for this type of baking

[@bill7453]

Also be sure the oven has an always on setting. My first "fancy" oven only had an up to 30 minute timer.

[@ZacHiggins]

Yes, very important! The wood never dries if the oven shuts off on you. Thanks for mentioning that Bill

[@bajamini1]

Appreciate the quick reply and of course ur knowledge but it's good to hear an idk! Makes u a real person to us little guys lol. Seriously thnx and u can just email answer video may give all u secrets , u gotta make a living too!

[@hsunyenchan7820]

If you have a Fagus hayatae Palib wood (also called Taiwan Beech), do not put it in oven!! Because it will crack. QAQ....

[@ZacHiggins]

Actually, all wood may crack when you dry it out, especially if it is green wood. Best to let it air dry a bit first to get it to equilibrium, then oven dry it. Still might crack, but if you're casting it in resin that shouldn't really be much of a problem

[@phillipchristy7792]

Please don't ask my wife about the house oven 😌