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Main Boards => Hunting Knives and Crafters => Topic started by: DANA HOLMAN on April 10, 2011, 07:54:00 PM
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Guys I got some questions,
I have built a vac chamber for stablizing handles, I have a pump and a jar with wood hardener. When i start the pump the wood bubbles and then quits, I then trun it off and take it out to dry, should I leave it in over night? What is the best stuff to use. I know most buy it stablized or send it off, I guess I like doing thing the hard way
Any info will help
Dana
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I don't think you will every get the wood the same as the other stabilizers with wood hardener. I would think it would be best to leave it in overnight though.
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Thanks Clarence, is there something I can buy off the shelf?
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What I have heard is that the pro's use a wood plasticizer to stabilize the wood.
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Originally posted by DANA HOLMAN:
Thanks Clarence, is there something I can buy off the shelf?
I have no idea if you can. Most of what I buy has been stabilized with acrylic resin.
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Ron Newton MS uses polyurethane by Minwax. Once it stops bubbling, it's ok to take it out to dry.
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Thanks guys, Lin I thought I had read that proccess somewhere but could't find it again, just had the wrong stuff
Dana
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I would be very concerned and skeptical of almost any home-done stabilizing.
The stuff pulled into the professionally stabilized materials has a catalyst that, once heated up just a little after the vacuum treatment, kicks off by a chemical reaction and then hardens like epoxy.
Stuff used in the home shop mostly is material designed as thin coatings that air dry.
Once some of the outer surface dries and seals the exterior of the block, I've seen some materials cut in 1/2 after being done for more than a year and were still wet inside. And because the home-brew results are seldom done with the high vacuum necessary for full penetration, the stuff that was wet was not even near the center.
Unless a person gets ALL!!! of the gizmos and properly designed stabilizing agents, I think most of the efforts are wasted if a fella really is doing it to produce a 100% effectively done product.
If you're just doing it to have fun and enjoy the process, then that would be a great way of doing it.
If, however, you truly ARE trying to get a properly done piece of material to put on a high quality knife, especially if it's for a customer, then I would send it out.
I recently sent out 12 large blocks to K and G in Arizona.
All of my expense, including shipping, was about 84 bucks.
That's $7.00 a block for professionally stabilized material and I got to spend the time making knives.
Not making something that was only sub-standard.
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Thanks for the input Karl
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Helps penetration to put positive pressure on the vessel after being under vacuum for a while. Ellis Knifeworks sells "Nelsonite" that's a pretty good stabilizer/preservative but it's pricey.
This pool cue place has a nelsonite replacement that's supposed to be safer to work with, but looks like the min order is 5 gallons.
http://cuecomponents.com/nelsonite.html
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I have been stabilizing my scales for several years and the product I use is west systems epoxy with the slow hardener. I thin it about 50% with rubbing alcohol and pull a vacuum of about 22 inches of mercury and hold it for about 2 hours. During the time the chamber is in a vacuum I store it in the refrigerator section of a old ref. This slows the cure time of the epoxy a lot more than just the alcohol. After it has quit bubbling I let it set for about 1 more hour and then remove it from the solution and let it dry. You now have a piece of wood that has been penetrated by a hi quality epoxy solution and when dry and on a knife requires only polishing for a nice finish. Unlike the air dried varnish the epoxy will dry completely due to the hardener.
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Do a search on You Tube...Working with MesquiteMan's Cactus Juice.
It is a 5 part series on a vacuum/stabilization process. I have Not tried this yet, but I do have two sets of slab handle material from this process to try out first...tippit
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Dana:
What size vacuum pump are you using? I've been thinking about trying it with some of that redwood I have in the garage.
TBRA
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I have a pump that was made for evacuating refrigerators after you have worked on the system. It will pull a pretty deep vacuum.
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Hay Dana
Take a look at this web link, be sure and look at the video's he has, he also sells chambers so you can make your own wood, WF~
http://www.turntex.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=28
Here is another web sight with more videos to help you with your endeavor.
http://www.alumilite.com/index.cfm