Try this. ...
[*]First adding any type of dye or any other elements reduces the permeability of the stabilizing fluid and penetration is reduced, more often than not (denser materials is drastically increased). This holds true for any chemical, trace element, natural resin in the wood, etc that is added to the stabilizing candidate before processing, i.e. drying, cutting, shaping.
This is certainly the case with any kind of powdered dyes. However, it is NOT the case with Alumilite dyes and Cactus Juice. Alumilite dyes are a 100% homogenous liquid and do NOT affect the penetration of the resin in any way, shape, or form.
[*] simply recording the weight of the pre-stabilized block and post-stabilized block for long term reference is a good key indicator of how things are progressing. If your pre and post weights are very close to equal then you have some serious problems on your hands that needs attention.
See my comments above regarding concentration vs penetration. I can get 100% penetration and virtually full concentration in a piece of ebony but only have a 7% weight increase. Ebony is a dense, hard wood. The denser, harder, heavier the wood is, the less air space there is in the wood and therefore, the less potential for resin uptake. Wood is made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The tighter these components are packed, the heavier and denser the wood is. Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin weigh the same volume for volume whether it comes from balsa or ironwood. The difference is the empty space between these components. If the ebony has all of the empty space filled with cured resin, then it is fully stabilized, even if it only has a 7% increase in weight!
[*]Having a lower thickness and approaching the wood target area from both sides (small undersized hole in the middle where the tube will be going along with under turned wall thickness) will double your penetration. Less thickness = better penetration; old adage is don't stabilize scrap and trash material that will be removed.
100% penetration is 100% penetration! How can one double penetration if you are already achieving 100% penetration? One can get 100% penetration in any thickness of material without any kind of holes in it given enough time at the various stages. Smaller pieces with the hole drilled will make the process go faster but it will not make for better results. The issue you run into then, however, is that due to some bleed out of any heat cured resin, you will need to re-drill the hole after curing which, for me, eats up any savings in vacuum or soak time achieved by pre-drilling.
[*]Your nose is a super good indicator as to penetration. Simply smelling like wood when it's cut is a good sign of poor penetration of the resin. Proper stabilized material will yield 100% coverage and not only seal the wood fibers but saturate the wood fibers in it's entirety and result in plastic, not wood smell. If you smell wood then you have unsealed wood, the stronger the wood smell = the less stabilizing you have. Allow it to dry and fully cure for a week or 2 (defumigate) then slice it open and smell while it is being cut and the fresh cut block afterwards. Having any wood smell on a post processed block is instant failure.
Or better yet, use a black light in a dark room. At least the resin I mention above has fluorescent dye markers in it for just this purpose. Take a sacrificial blank and rip it in half length wise. Then compare it to a non-stabilized blank in a dark room with a black light. You should see a difference. Granted, if it is a hard, dense wood, it will not jump out like a diamond in a goats rear, though since the ratios of resin to wood will be low.
[*]Give it the water test, adding water to the polished block will discolor and give the 'wet look' to poor stabilized material; while good proper stabilized materials will not change. The more drastic 'pop' you have the less stabilized results you have.
[*]Perhaps the best all around test is the kitchen scales and a bucket filled with something like DNA or just plain water. Chop the block into small sections, record the weight of the stabilized material while it is DRY. Then submerge the block for a good day or 3 then re-check the weight and record that, allow it to dry briefly (read 1-2 hours or so) then re-check and record the weight, rince and repeat at longer intervals. Proper stabilized material will *NOT* change that much in this test. [However non-filled open areas will still retain fluid if the area is not filled, i.e. voids] The presence of capillary action is a direct indicator of how much 'filling' you will need in the blank down the road.
[*] stain test: Dunk the cut block from above into a bucket of alcohol based stain, let it sit there for a few days then slice the block open in multiple sections/areas and look at dye penetration. Good proper stabilized material will resist penetration in all forms. You will have some due to open structures, i.e. voids, gaps, cracks and the like. After that take the sections that have stain then wash the area and note how much of the stain is removed, this part of the test results in some of the most controversial topics when it comes to stabilizing.
