jmccustomknives Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Basically, a friend has commissioned a knife, the catch is the wood he wants to use for the scales came from an unusual source. He was driving one day during a storm and a tree blew down on his car totalling it. He saved a crotch that broke off for this purpose. The tree I think is pecan and was dead (why it blew down) and is spalted. I do have some marine epoxy that designed for stabilizing dry rot. I'd rather have it stabilized to reach deeper in. If anybody can do it or know of a good way to stabilize this stuff let me know. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Blythin Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I've used a product called "Pentacryl" with good results. I get it from Lee Valley, but there are a number of other woodworking suppliers that carry it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Yeah, cut the epoxy with xylene solvent. the xylene will act as the vehicle and carry the resin all the way through the wood, when the xylene evaporates the resin will break and set. DO mix the resin and hardener before diluting it and make it quite thin, flow and pour like gasoline thin. We used the same technique with polyester resin and acetone to butter wood before fiber glassing it. If you don't it'll delaminate in a few years at most. I experimented on epoxy resins while I worked at the rubber plant in S. Cal. For grins I resined some balsa wood and made a knife blade from it that actually held an edge on easy targets. But yeah, epoxy resin and xylene will do it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielC Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I am awaiting my full order from turntex From all of the blanks I have seen using his cactus juice (It's basically Resinol 90c according to him), a vacuum chamber he builds, and a refrigeration pump, I was amazed enough to jump on the band wagon. Even have a few hundred pounds of cherry burl drying for future stabilizing. As far as I know, this stuff will stabilize just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Mullins Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Anyone try Minwax Wood Hardener? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willis Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I stabilize dried corncobs. I soak them in a 50-50 mix of polyurethene varnish and acetone for about 4 days, stick them on a nail with the head cut off and air dry for about a week. I have used them for tool handles, and knife handles. they can be turned on a small lathe. I even had a friend turn one on a pen lathe and present me with a unique writing instrument. If you use a cheap hand vacume pump from Harbour Freight then I'm sure the process can be sped up or bettered in some way. I use a large mouth glass gallon jar with a small hole poked in the lid for the soaking process. I get my dried corn from Wal Mart. They sell dried corn, about a dozen to a bag, in the garden shop listed as squirrel food. Just shell the corn off the cob and voila. Dried corn cobs. I assume you can use the same process for wood, but with a longer soak time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 Thanks for all the advice, I'll have to experiment around with all of the methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossdawg Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Go to you tube and put in wood stabilizing. There are some videos on this subject. The one I watched used the small hand vacuum from harbor freight and min wax wood hardener. Looks simple enough but I'm sure there is a learning curve with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeshow Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Go to you tube and put in wood stabilizing. There are some videos on this subject. The one I watched used the small hand vacuum from harbor freight and min wax wood hardener. Looks simple enough but I'm sure there is a learning curve with it. There is a curve. Try the vacuum method with 1/3 each minwax wood stabilizer, linseed oil, and isopropyl alcohol. BEWARE THE FUMES! The best knife maker I know gave me this recipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyO Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 jmc - did you experiment and if so, what were the results? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhitee93 Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Anyone try Minwax Wood Hardener? I have used it in a vacuum chamber, and it was a bit disappointing. I think the vapor pressure on the stuff is so low that it boils under the partial vacuum. The bubbles (Almost a rolling boil) didn't slow down after an hour, so I assumed it was boiling and let the pressure back in the chamber. There was definitely penetration into the wood, but final product wasn't nearly as hard as what I see with "Real" stabilizers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearhartironwerks Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 The bubbles came from air being evacuated from the wood and is part of the process. The solution is sucked into the wood when the vacuum is released. Some folks use a paint pressure pot and after releasing the vacuum, apply pressure to drive the solution in. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhitee93 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 The bubbles came from air being evacuated from the wood and is part of the process. The solution is sucked into the wood when the vacuum is released. Some folks use a paint pressure pot and after releasing the vacuum, apply pressure to drive the solution in. John I'm familiar with the wood out gassing under vacuum for stabilization, and in this case, I'm pretty sure the gas was not coming from the wood. The wood was just the nucleation site for the chemical to boil under vacuum. I was using very dense woods - blood wood and black wood. The bubbles kept the full rolling boil for an hour, and I was loosing liquid level fast even before I released the vacuum to let minwax into the wood. I could be wrong, but even if I am it didn't behave anything like true stabilizers and was disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Pentacryl is a great product, but it is not really a stabilizing fluid. Its intended use is to speed up curing, I have had green woord ready in 6 months using the Pentacryl, rather than 2 years normal dry time . Cactus juice is one common available product. I like to vacuum for half hour or the bubbles stop, what ever is first. Then 2 atmospheres pressure for at least an hour after that, then release and let dry. any more I dont bother, I hire it out. less stink and less mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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