Stabilize every piece of wood?

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Jordan303

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Feb 25, 2009
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Location
Toronto, Canada
So im just about frustrated finishing all my pens. I want the durability of acrylic but on wood, and I just cant do ca anymore. The smell, the fumes, my technique, it just isn't enjoyable anymore. For bottle stoppers and things that wont be be handled as much I use a homemade lacquer friction polish.

For stabilized woods I just pretend its acrylic and sand then mm through all the grits.

My question is can I just stabilize all woods. Even ones that don't need it just so I can finish it my way? Im on the verge of buying a cactus juice set up.

Just curious so I can do it with rings and pendants too.

Any input is appreciated.
 
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For fumes, smell etc on CA you can switch to odorless. There will be other smells with things like plastics, glue, chemicals etc, in which case I always say if you are smelling it you are breathing it so grab a P100 respirator, game over.

You can also go other routes like WTF, oil and the like. Personally I would have to say oil is likely the most healthy of the bunch.

Stabilized wood is indeed easy to finish and working with good stabilized wood is even better. There will likely be some woods that you like better than others so stick with those.
 
Also, some woods are dang near impossible to stabilize.

Things like Olive, Rosewoods, and oterhs with high oil content. Also some like Lignum Vitae contain something (type of resin) that would inhibit the stabilizer from penetrating. But some of these may not need a finish anyway.
 
Jordan, for rings - you will still need CA on stabilized wooden rings with metal core. Unfinished, it will absorb really minute amount of water even double-stabilized, but then it will separate from the core. DAMHIKT.
 
Oh wow that answered most of my questions thanks guys.

Although it did open up one more question. Is there a guide as to what I can and can't stabilize? Can I stabilize just regular hardwoods like curly maple or really just stick to burls?

Im going to give wtf a shot in a few weeks too.
 
Jorden Like Yaroslaw said just because its stabilized doesnt mean you dont have to finish it. Stabilizing really just hardens the wood that was too soft to turn and holds the wood together. It does sand really nice . There still needs to be a protection on it especially if it comes into contact with moisture.
 
I mostly use shellac now. If I get a whiff of CA my eyes start to water and it gets nasty.
For shellac, I use Bullseye sanding sealer (2lb cut, dewaxed). Apply with a 3/4" artist brush with the grain. Let it dry a bit and then do another couple of coats. After that, turn the lathe on and apply it with the brush to even everything out. There's a knack to applying it while spinning. When it starts grabbing the bristles you need more shellac. Finally I use carnuba floor wax and rub to a high shine.

I like it because it looks like wood, not plastic like CA.
 
I make sure the dust collector is running when using CA. It gobbles up all the fumes.

Tip: When it is cold, use a hair dryer or heat gun on low to set the CA. No accelerator needed.
 
Jordan303 said:
Oh wow that answered most of my questions thanks guys.

Although it did open up one more question. Is there a guide as to what I can and can't stabilize? Can I stabilize just regular hardwoods like curly maple or really just stick to burls?

Im going to give wtf a shot in a few weeks too.
Click to expand...

Jordan, I have stabilized loads of different species from Amboyna to Maple and do it as a rule for added protection from water and humidity absorption. Although woods such as cocobolo and ironwood don't really absorb much stabilizing resin. The key to achieving good stabilizing results is to have a system with great vacuum capability and to let the blanks soak for twice the time as the vacuum was applied. Curtis at Turntex is the main man for stabilizing and he has really helped me get terrific results.

I would say a general rule of thumb for stabilizing is, "If it floats, then stabilize it. If it sinks, don't waist your time." Its all about density and air replacement with resin.
 
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