Stablizing Pen Blanks

Pat Rooney

Member
Messages
8
Location
Murfreesboro. Tn
I have been reading Lathe Land for about a year and you all have solved a lot of problems for me. Now It's time to ask one. When you stablize a pen blank using CA glue, why does it help to use a vacuum pump instead of just soaking it? Also how long do you leave the vacuum on when putting the glue on the wood? How thick a pice of wood can you stablize?

One last question: Has anyone heard of taking acrylic plastic and desolving it in acetone and stablizing pen blanks with that solution.
 
...why does it help to use a vacuum pump instead of just soaking it? ...
As I understand it, the vacuum helps pull the air out of the voids in the blank, and the air gets replaced by the stabilizing material. It just helps ensure the stabilizer penetrates deep into the wood. I'll leave the other questions to others who know more than I do. Dale's link to the pen making forum should get you pointed in the right direction.
 
You want to make sure to use non-siliconized plexiglass. That is the cheaper grade anyway. I pick up scraps at a local big-box store. The plain plex will disolve in ascetone but the siliconized stuff will turn a goopy white mess. I have some made but have'nt used it yet. It is about the consistancy of syrup.
The vacuum is used to pull the mix into the wood. Most folks I know doing this also pressurize the pot after it has been under vacuum for a while.
Most folks are also using a harbor freight pressure pot. I don't know any who use CA glue AND vacuum. I use CA glue right on the lathe when I run into a problem spot in a pen. Punky wood or cracks are the normal situation that calls for some CA glue. Some people also use minwax wood hardener to stabalize wood. Another method utlizes Alumilite resin with Vacuum. Alumilite is a 2 part poly resin (I think it's poly). I cast pen blanks with another brand of poly resin that takes a few drops of activator per ounce. It is generaly too viscuss to get descent penetration into wood. The white alumilite is water consistancy.
 
Dale and Paul beat me to it with the best responses. Almost everyone that stabilizes has his own secret receipie. Let us know how it works. I'm looking for a used paint pot and will be plunging into this business shortly.
 
Don't ever hesitate to ask questions here, Pat. We'll give you plenty of answers, even if we don't know 'em. :p

Seriously, I'd guess for every one person who posts a question, there are at least ten people who were wondering the same thing, but felt uncomfortable about asking the question. And over time, a hundred people will learn from the single question, and the thread gets found via searches.

Thanks for asking the question. :thumb:
 
I managed to "win" a beat up HF type pressure pot on Ebay for 25 cents. :thumb:

Shipping was 20 bucks though....:rolleyes:

I bought one of the harbor freight pressure pumps for 80 bucks, so now I'm setup to do... Hmmm.... Well, seemed like a good idea at the time.

I actually managed to get some parts at the HW store today and it holds a vacuum. Can even take some pressure too.

I've got some walnut burl that has a lot of voids and such, so I was thinking of drilling and rough turning, and then stabilizing with some sort of 'special' formula. Just have to figure out what my 'secret' recipe will be.

I figure I can also use it for casting soem special blanks using snake skin perhaps, or other things.

Should be fun experimenting.
 
My stabilizing method is to put a sanding sealer or Poly in a Pickle jar, I have a hand vacuum pump used to blead brakes. Punch a hole in the lid and use the suction cup attachment that comes with the pump. submerge the material in the liquid and draw out the air, the vacuum will cause bubbles to come out of the wood pieces, this requires more pumping. Keep pumping till the bubbles stop, this means the air is gone from the material and so you relaese the pump and the rush of air pressure will force the solution into the ours ond voids of the material. I do this a couple of time , untill I can no longer get bubbles to come out of the material. then take the stock out of the Jar and place it on a rack to dry.

when dry it is stabalized and ready to turn or do as you wish
 
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