Following links to several knifemaker’s sites recently, I noted “stabilized wood” being sold for the scales. How is this wood stabilized? Penetrating epoxy? Does it work any differently than non-stabilized wood? Require Carbide tools? Finishing requirements?
Has anyone here used any? Can anyone shed any light on these questions?
Thanks!
Formerly just ‘Don’ but not the ‘Glassmaster Don’ or the lower-case ‘don’.
Replies
Don, I talked with a guy who makes those blanks a few weeks ago in Charleston SC at the wildlife expo. I think he said the resin was acrylic, and that they start by pulling a vacuum to get the air out of the wood followed by pressure to force the resin in, followed by heating to set the resin before it drains out of the cell cavities.
Sounds easy enough doesn't it? When he changes the color, he mixes the dye in the resin.
What he didn't tell me was whether the wood was immersed in the resin before the vacuum was pulled, or injected later and if there was some sort of little fixture to hold the wood down so that it doesn't float on the surface of the resin, which would allow the top portion to fill with air rather than resin. How much time does it take the resin to penetrate? How much pressure etc.? Nor how long to cook at what temp? Too much heat might cause bubbles to form when the resin kicks, so there are plenty of variables to ruin the final results.
Thickness and density are also variables to be considered.
I don't think it requires a finish, although it could be used, but the cell walls and cell cavities are full and there is no place for moisture to penetrate, so as the term implies it is stable, or unaffected by moisture.
rootburl, thanks for your detailed reply. It gives me a much better feel for the process and the ways I might be able to use it in my work.
Formerly just 'Don' but not the 'Glassmaster Don' or the lower-case 'don'.
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