Ok, first off, sorry it's been awhile since I have posted. My daughter has taken up a lot of my free time lately. Now that she's almost 4 months old she is not quite the handful she was when she was a colicky newborn.
I have been trying many stabilizing techniques lately with limited and not repeatable success. I have read every single article on pen turners forums and the ones I could find here. Endless Google searches provide some information but no definite help of any sorts. What I need are some general formula ideas to try. I have the means to do most all of the techniques I just don't have the specifics. Ok, here goes.
PR. I can pressurize to 80psi and hold it. What I lack is the knowledge of how to correctly mix the PR with the correct amount of MEKP as to not make the blank so brittle it just splits when you start turning it, or it has so many air pockets it's like turning sand. The container says 15 drops per Oz of PR. I know that has GOT to be wrong.
I can also vacuum down to -30. Again I don't know how long to hold it there or the correct amount to use when trying to fix "worthless wood"
Plexiglas and Acetone. I have a couple of these mixtures in 1 gallon paint cans. One is pretty thick and the other I kept the consistency of syrup. Should I just chuck the wood in there and pray or should I use a combination of pressure and vacuum to try and draw the solution into the wood?
I kept a log of some of my trials on my webpage www.blackswampwoodturning.webs.com it also shows the equipment I'm using and how I have it set up.
So far i've been able to make a few pieces of wood LOOK good, but they are utter garbage when I try and turn them. I had one burl come out very nice and it even started to round out nicely. As soon as my woodchuck hit where the PR and the wood met....SNAP, flew right apart at the seam.
Any help would be appreciated but please don't point me towards Curtis Seabeck' or Les Elm's articles. I have read them both so many times I think I can probably recite them word for word. Their articles are EXCELLENT for getting started with set-up and equipment but I need information from a couple steps further. Times, concentrations, wood preparation, etc.
Thanks!
I have been trying many stabilizing techniques lately with limited and not repeatable success. I have read every single article on pen turners forums and the ones I could find here. Endless Google searches provide some information but no definite help of any sorts. What I need are some general formula ideas to try. I have the means to do most all of the techniques I just don't have the specifics. Ok, here goes.
PR. I can pressurize to 80psi and hold it. What I lack is the knowledge of how to correctly mix the PR with the correct amount of MEKP as to not make the blank so brittle it just splits when you start turning it, or it has so many air pockets it's like turning sand. The container says 15 drops per Oz of PR. I know that has GOT to be wrong.
I can also vacuum down to -30. Again I don't know how long to hold it there or the correct amount to use when trying to fix "worthless wood"
Plexiglas and Acetone. I have a couple of these mixtures in 1 gallon paint cans. One is pretty thick and the other I kept the consistency of syrup. Should I just chuck the wood in there and pray or should I use a combination of pressure and vacuum to try and draw the solution into the wood?
I kept a log of some of my trials on my webpage www.blackswampwoodturning.webs.com it also shows the equipment I'm using and how I have it set up.
So far i've been able to make a few pieces of wood LOOK good, but they are utter garbage when I try and turn them. I had one burl come out very nice and it even started to round out nicely. As soon as my woodchuck hit where the PR and the wood met....SNAP, flew right apart at the seam.
Any help would be appreciated but please don't point me towards Curtis Seabeck' or Les Elm's articles. I have read them both so many times I think I can probably recite them word for word. Their articles are EXCELLENT for getting started with set-up and equipment but I need information from a couple steps further. Times, concentrations, wood preparation, etc.
Thanks!