Thread: natural vs stabilized

thanks steve. i am interested in the too because I am not sure what stabalized even is. So i look forward to your reply
Toni

Toni,
From what I understand is that they impregnate the wood with a resin. It smells like a fiberglass resin to me. I'm just wondering do you have to treat each one a little differently.

Thanks,
Steve

Stabilized is excatly like it sounds it is stablized by pressing resin into the grains of the wood /usualy with a pressure pot/ ya use this method for very soft,splintery wood or some burl. It is turned like normal resin peices /lots of white shaving/ and finish like a plastic blank. The couple times I have done these typs of wood it was tricky / I used red palm which I found out I am allergic to/ Just take it slow and steady and do not force it.
Jude

What does apressure pot look like, what is it??? Amos

Amos, I think you will find that they are talking about a pressure pot that's use for spray painting.

You fill it with whatever medium you're using to stabilize the blank with, then pressurize the pot with compressed air and leave it till the blank sits in the bottom of the pot

Amos you can buy a ten ltr paint pressure pot from Super cheap

Originally Posted by djstimber

Amos, I think you will find that they are talking about a pressure pot that's use for spray painting.

You fill it with whatever medium you're using to stabilize the blank with, then pressurize the pot with compressed air and leave it till the blank sits in the bottom of the pot

Wouldn't a vacuum be used, DJ, so as to draw the liquid into the blank?

Either way works, Scooter.

I prefer a vacuum, purely 'cos that has the inherent maximum of only one atmosphere pressure difference and so is a wee tad safer... plus, as a bonus, ordinary glass jars can be used.

Toni, Steve... you can use other things besides resins for stabilising blanks... I often use PolyU's or, in a pinch, Danish Oil. These usually take time to set all the way through the blank, normally more than people are willing to wait. You can work around this by simply turning until you get to a wet bit then leaving it for a few more days so that bit can cure before turning more, repeated as necessary. I tend to treat spalted blanks as I come across 'em, then throw 'em on a shelf where they might sit for a few weeks or even a couple of years before I use 'em. Those ones are usually set all the way through, for some strange reason.

The main advantages of PolyU or Oils are that they're significantly cheaper than epoxy and are a lot easier to clean out of the pressure pot.

I like the vacuum for stabilizing and as Skew said it is a tad safer and you canuse a glass jar. The pressure pot is good for stabilizing, but also better for casting resins from the information the I have read.
Darren

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Either way works, Scooter.

Thanks Andy