Thread: Just how stable is stablized wood? Comparisons.

I've been working with stabilized wood and other materials for about a year now and the process seems to be getting more and more common. The prices have dropped a bit and the wood looks just as good if not better.

The main reason for stabilizing is well, to make unstable materials stable. This includes horn and ivory which can crack over time and spalted, soft or burled woods.

Some woods shouldn't or can't be stabilized. Most are rosewoods which are very oily and to preven the resin from curing in the wood. Some very dense wood don't really need to be stabilized either.

So, I figured I'd see how wood stabilizing works in regards to water protection. This experiment isn't lab grade. The wood samples are different sizes and shapes or weight. The untreated materials are 100% raw. This is a comparison between untreated and stabilized woods and does not consider any other finishing process.

I selected four materials I work with on a regular basis. Asian Water Buffalo Horn, Walrus Ivory, Curly Maple and Amboyna Burl. I gethered up a sample of each material in both stabilized and unstabilized form.

Each piece was weighed on a gram scale (28.3grams to an ounce) and left in a bowl of room temp. water for about 15hours.

Here are the results...


. Stabilized materials...

...................................Before......... .After.............Gain??

Amboyna Burl..............21grams......22 grams.....about 4.5%.........sinks
Walrus Ivory...............17 grams......17 grams.......0%...................sinks
Buffalo Horn................46 grams......46 grams.......0%...................sinks
Curly Maple................ 17 grams......17 grams.......0%....................sinks

Untreated Materials......Before.........After............... ....Gain?

Amboyna Burl...............21 grams......24 grams...........14%...........floats
Walrus Ivory ...............6 grams........6.5 grams..........10%...........sinks
Buffalo Horn .................9.5 grams.....10.5 grams........10%...........sinks
Curly Maple...................9 grams........13 grams...........45%............floats

Clearly, curly maple, a fairly soft and light wood sees the most benefit from stabilized in regards to moisture, but all materials seem to increase in moisture resistance.

I know there were a few questions about how stabilized materials would be for razor scales and brush handles, so hopefully this helps to answer a few questions.

Keep in mind that none of the above samples were treated with any "finish" like a poly urethane, tung oil, wax etc. The one set has been professionally stabilized by WSSI and the untreated samples are 100% raw, untreated.

Any ideas on how to make a future comparison more accurate would be helpful. I know that using identical size pieces of wood and using several pieces of each material might help. I might also try with hot water to start, to mimic the evnironment of the typical razor/brush.

Thanks,

Note: I had my list all done up with spaces via the space bar, but the program didn't recognize the spaces. The list was made up with no spaces, so I had to add these....... anyone know how to make the spaces work without.......... so the lists don't look like

Maple21grams21grams45%

I picked the version I went with, only because it's slightly less annoying to read than the example above. Sorry.

I don't think I can help with the spaces thing, but the info you provided is very helpful... thanks.

I couldnt figure out how to edit the spacing so I created a simple PDF file that looks a little better, nothing fancy, but it will work. If I had any typo's , let me know and I will fix it.

Wow, thanks Josh! Everybody click on the link instead. It's a little easier on the eyes and looks alot more organized.

Thanks,

dumb question:

do you send the wood in after you carve the wood, or before (as blocks).

I haven't figured out if stabilization treats the wood evenly throughout, or strongly favors the surface area.

Somewhere I got the impression it is the former(throughout), but I can't get myself to believe that.

Since stabilized wood is sold by the pound, I tend to rough turn pieces, or trim them close to the final size before sending them in to get rid of any waste. This is only done because it's cost effective.

The high heat/pressure system used in the stabilization process can penetrate a 4"x4" block without any trouble.

what if you just finish the scales and send the scales in to be stablized?

Originally Posted by icecow

what if you just finish the scales and send the scales in to be stablized?

You would be creating too much work for yourself. It comes back with the polymers coating the entire surface. It would need to be removed through cutting or sanding.

Also, if you send them in already finished, they could warp or twist before they even hit the vacuum tube. They could also warp during the process. You are not saving money by removing the extra little bit of wood.

Sorry Icecow,

I should explain. I mainly turn exotic wood shaving brushes and bowls, as well as making scales and such. In my case, hollowing out a bowl, or turning a square block to a rounded piece can save me 30-40% in weight. Since stabilized wood is sold by the final weight, a box of wood at 20 pounds, minus 30-40% could easily save me 50-100$. I get back rough shaped pieces that I finish shape and sand, while saving myself the cost of some very expensive wood chips.

For scales, I completely agree with Bill. Wood can warp, especially when being processed, or even before. For scales, I would suggest sending in 1/8th or 3/16th pieces and shape them after the process. The amount of money you would save on a set of scales being shaped prior to the process would be pennies. The time you could spend removing excess resin from your finished pieces could be hours.

Sorry for the confusion guys.

Hope this clears it all up,