Thread: source for stabilized wood

Im looking for stabilized wood to make scales with. all I can find is pen blanks and they are to small.

Somewhere in the search mode you can find a do it yourself recipe if you're interested. Trying to think, but it has something to do with warming some kind of minwax in a mason jar with your scales, then screwing on the lid to create a vacuum which forces the goop into the wood.
Also try www.stabilizedwood.com

I'll be looking for the info on the home made stuff...
Pretty cool final result. I believe that ventilation and soaking for several days is important..
So if you live in an apartment use the flower box on the outside ledge

I've heard of people using minwax wood hardener - you would just soak your scale material in this stuff and let it dry out. I can't comment on results as I've not seen any, but I imagine it would do a fine job.

Ok, dig it. Take a large pickle jar, and a coffee can. With several cans of the minwax wood hardener in the pickle jar, place it in the coffee can. Water should be in the coffee can. Your making a double boiler. I use my BBQ since it has a burner on the outside of it to heat the water and Minwax. DON'T DO THIS INSIDE YOUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS STUFF IS FLAMMABLE!!!!!!!!
With the wood in the minwax, bring it to a "near boil", you'll see it foaming white. Remove from flame and screw the lid on tight.
Let it cool down, a vacuum will form which will cause any air in the wood to be displaced by the minwax. Let the jar sit a couple days. Open the jar, remove the wood and let it dry for a few days. The minwax will change the color of some woods. When the wood is dry, you can sand the wood smooth (wearing your respirator of course).
This is how I stabilize all my scales, it's works well.

The process of stailizing wood involves two ingredients, a resin and a solvent. The solvents are all flamable so be very careful. I am experimenting with different resins and solvents now and so far Acryloid B-72 is the best. I use a 2 gallon spray paint pressure tank and 56 PSI of pressure. I can tell you that Nelsonite or Min Wax Poly Clear Gloss are not what you want.

The cost is not cheap. Even the Minwax wood hardener is expensive. The reason I am doing it myself is that I have a lot of wood that can be processed, spalted maple, ash burl, highly colored boxelder, apple, plum etc. and the cost is shared by a friend.

A one gallon mix of B-72 & acetone solvent costs approx. $35. The tank, compressor and gauges cost ~$200.

Denmason,
After you have sanded your scales, is it a matter of buffing them to a luster, or do you have to then coat with CA or poly? I seem to have read with other things like acrylic stabilzers, all you do is polish. I think resinol from loctite is one of them.
This is definately good info for future and up and coming scale makers.

Jerry

Just been tinkering in the shed. Pulled out my old 3.5 gallon pressure pot and slapped a new seal ring in it. Replaced the pressure release valve with a more suitable valve. Removed the siphon tube, changed out the gauges to vacuum gauges. Got hooked to the vacuum pump and it's pulling as I type. I might be changing my stabilization method very soon. We'll see, just hope it hold a vacuum, should though, this pot is built like a tank.

Is vacuum method is needed for something like Minwax wood hardener? From what I remember, it's not a viscous solution at all - I thought it would penetrate a piece of wood as thin as scale material without vacuum.

Originally Posted by denmason

Just been tinkering in the shed. Pulled out my old 3.5 gallon pressure pot and slapped a new seal ring in it. Replaced the pressure release valve with a more suitable valve. Removed the siphon tube, changed out the gauges to vacuum gauges. Got hooked to the vacuum pump and it's pulling as I type. I might be changing my stabilization method very soon. We'll see, just hope it hold a vacuum, should though, this pot is built like a tank.

Originally Posted by kilowattkid

Denmason,
After you have sanded your scales, is it a matter of buffing them to a luster, or do you have to then coat with CA or poly? I seem to have read with other things like acrylic stabilzers, all you do is polish. I think resinol from loctite is one of them.
This is definately good info for future and up and coming scale makers.

Jerry

Hello Jerry, I do use CA on the scales after sanding. The minwax product doesn't help with getting a shine out of the wood.