Results 1 to 15 of 15
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    3,277

    Default Stabilisation Getting Set Up

    Can you guys give me a quick lesson and idea of cost to set up for stabilising wood.

    I think someone said to get the paint pressure pots from supercheap when on sale.

    I have a compressor here already which will probably be suitable.

    So educate me fellas.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    6,974

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DSEL74 View Post
    Can you guys give me a quick lesson and idea of cost to set up for stabilising wood.

    I think someone said to get the paint pressure pots from supercheap when on sale.

    I have a compressor here already which will probably be suitable.

    So educate me fellas.
    Go to the wood turning department,
    Turn left at the pen turners,
    And then look for the casting stabilising section.
    I think it's on the top shelf.

    Enjoy

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Nerang Queensland
    Age
    66
    Posts
    10,766

    Default

    Hmm casting uses pressure, stabilising uses vacuum, and you must be able to see what's happening. See here for a lot of useful info https://www.turntex.com/product/cact...resin-and-dyes

    So set-up wise :

    vacuum tank ~$200
    Vacuum pump ~$150
    stabilising resin ~$180 per gallon
    oven (to dry wood, it needs to be 0%MC, then oven set the resin after vacuuming) ~$100

    and that is just to get you started. Then you get into dyes, different timber sizes hence multiple vacuum tanks, more resin etc etc etc


    If you want to get into casting, that's where you need a pressure pot. So :

    Paint pressure pot ~$100
    Convert paint pot to pressure pot, piping/fittings etc to tank ~$100
    Compressore- you have one, but otherwise ~$150
    Molds (making your own out of cutting board) ~$50
    Resin, starting with PR $50 say
    Dyes & colours, to start off $50

    Again, just to get you started. Then more resins, different resins, more molds, more colours etc etc

    So really for both, minimum ~$1000 to start with but rapidly increases, just like woodturning, starting with a lathe and then goes way beyond.
    Neil
    ____________________________________________
    Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Mt Isa Queensland
    Age
    61
    Posts
    429

    Default

    what neil
    said and then some
    depends on how badly you get bitten by the bug

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    3,277

    Default

    Thanks guys.

    Do you Guys by your Cactus Juice from the USA direct and do you buy your chambers also fro there?
    Is there a local seller?

    Has anyone built their own vacuum chamber?
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  7. #6
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    North of the coathanger, Sydney
    Age
    68
    Posts
    9,417

    Default

    watching
    regards
    Nick
    veni, vidi,
    tornavi
    Without wood it's just ...

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Nerang Queensland
    Age
    66
    Posts
    10,766

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DSEL74 View Post
    Do you Guys by your Cactus Juice from the USA direct and do you buy your chambers also fro there?
    Is there a local seller?
    Timberbits sells Cactus Juice. I order from both Timberbits and Curtis directly, it just depends on how much a hurry I'm in, and the US$ to AU$ exchange rate. If ordering from the US, order 2 gals at a time, they will fit in a std large box with some dyes and extra catalyst stuff (I always order extra from Curtis), that saves you a bundle in postage.

    Quote Originally Posted by DSEL74 View Post
    Has anyone built their own vacuum chamber?
    Yes, I built one out of Acrylic (you can't use polycarbonate) and it works well (there's a thread on it here some where), but I don't like leaving the CJ in it for long (it does eventually damage it) but it's still working fine. I have 3 chambers, 2 of Curtis's and the one I made.

    new vacuum chamber used.jpg

    The one I use the most is one of Curtis's clear tube ones, 600mm long, but no-one in Aus sells them anymore (043Turning used to). I did try getting clear PVC here in Aus to make my own but the ones I could get then had too thin wall thicknesses. Do a search you may have more luck. Once you get the tube the ends are easy.

    There are a few stainless steel pots with polycarbonate lids around on Ebay, but I do not recommend them.
    Neil
    ____________________________________________
    Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Hunter Valley
    Posts
    1,776

    Default

    I also have both pressure and vacumm chambers and i will say that unless you intend to do alot of this sort of stuff like I of course did LOL now find I don't use it much at all it is a hell of a lot to out lay. However I am still glad I have it.
    As for 043 Turning I think they have gone to the big woodturning group in the sky I have not seen or heard anything from them in 12 months or more but I hope they are still around somewhere as we need small business

    Cheers Ian

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    3,277

    Default

    What wall thickness pvc is required for the chambers and does it vary with the chamber size?


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Nerang Queensland
    Age
    66
    Posts
    10,766

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DSEL74 View Post
    What wall thickness pvc is required for the chambers and does it vary with the chamber size?
    Yes.
    Neil
    ____________________________________________
    Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Hi,

    Ive been following this for a while now and and looking at building one myself (or buying one from turntex if it ends up being easier). There is a guy on youtube called dema who has a video on building a chamber out of clear schedule 40 PVC pipe (our class 12). The problem I have is that I cannot seem to find it anywhere here in AUS. If anyone has any ideas where I can get it I would be really appreciative. You mentioned that you have chambers out of acrylic. Do they eventually react with the cactus juice?? I can get acrylic pipe with wall thickness between 6mm and 8mm but if its going to react I may as well stick to the PVC plan.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Chris

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    3,277

    Default

    Where are you Chris


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Nerang Queensland
    Age
    66
    Posts
    10,766

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sells07 View Post
    ...You mentioned that you have chambers out of acrylic. Do they eventually react with the cactus juice?? I can get acrylic pipe with wall thickness between 6mm and 8mm but if its going to react I may as well stick to the PVC plan....
    I built mine out of acrylic, but the CJ does slowly dissolve it, and why it needs to be washed out ASAP. Mine is ~25mm thick though, although rectangular, so needs it. Pipe is the most efficient shape but 6-8mm acrylic is probably not thick enough given the dissolving issues, PVC is certainly a better way to go.

    Quote Originally Posted by sells07 View Post
    ... building a chamber out of clear schedule 40 PVC pipe (our class 12). The problem I have is that I cannot seem to find it anywhere here in AUS. If anyone has any ideas where I can get it I would be really appreciative...
    I found a supplier that sells PVC pipe (https://www.abstractplastics.com.au/...532mm-3m-sch40) but only in 3m lengths and not cheap. I bought one of Curtis's PVC tube chambers 600mm long ages ago and I use it all the time reverting only to my old acrylic one for larger blocks. He has developed a new one 8" one though now, so tempting for me, but $'s are short and I already have 3 chambers and have trouble affording the CJ to fill them
    Neil
    ____________________________________________
    Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    575

    Default

    Very helpful thread. I am looking at building a vacuum chamber soon to stabilize blackwood blocks and I wondered if anyone can give me a ballpark number for the volume of resin (cactus juice ) used per volume of wood (medium to higher density blackwood)? Thanks.
    Regards. Jason.

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Nerang Queensland
    Age
    66
    Posts
    10,766

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TasSculptor View Post
    Very helpful thread. I am looking at building a vacuum chamber soon to stabilize blackwood blocks and I wondered if anyone can give me a ballpark number for the volume of resin (cactus juice ) used per volume of wood (medium to higher density blackwood)? Thanks.
    Regards. Jason.
    Higher density acacias take very little. You will waste more CJ cleaning up than the blanks will take up (depending on how many you do of course, but the more blanks the higher the wastage anyway).

    You do need to dry very carefully, it can take a long time to get the centre 0%MC dry, so they should be cut as small as possible. Any moisture what so ever will cause the small amounts of CJ adsorbed to bleed out again in the cooking process. The small size will also help with the vacuuming, as even for knife scales and pen blanks, it can take days. The soak time after vacuuming should be 4x vacuum time as a minimum, rather then the usual 2x (I often vacuum all weekend and then soak for the rest of the week for high density stuff like our desert hardwoods).
    Neil
    ____________________________________________
    Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new

Similar Threads

  1. Vacuum stabilisation setup
    By rtyuiop in forum CASTING & STABILISATION
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 2nd August 2016, 10:49 AM
  2. Wood stabilisation
    By wood spirit in forum GREEN WOODWORKING
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 24th April 2015, 09:54 PM
  3. Image Stabilisation and Tripods
    By Grumpy John in forum PHOTOGRAPHY
    Replies: 34
    Last Post: 15th January 2013, 04:25 PM
  4. Blade stabilisation
    By Arron in forum TABLE SAWS & COMBINATIONS
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 21st September 2012, 11:29 PM
  5. Stabilisation
    By CameronPotter in forum CASTING & STABILISATION
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 2nd February 2006, 02:30 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •