Stabilizing Soft Spalted Ash

[Michael Dromey]

Does stablilizing harden soft spalted wood to make it useable? This is a small sample of what I have. What are some experiences that any of you have had with stablizing? Good, bad or indifferent. This wood is soft but doesn't break apart. How soft is to soft to stabilize(save)? What stablizing method do you use? Any tips or suggestions would be helpful.

Mike

[robert baccus]

For years I have used epoxy or polyester resins mixed and thinned with acetone as a soak overnite. Acetone eats up most plastics--use a black vinyl bag. Tends to penetrate only the soft parts. Nice looking wood yeah.

[Tim Rinehart]

Michael, kinda depends on what you want to do with it. Stabilizing runs the gamut of light surface stabilizing, deeper hardening/fortifying, and full depth acrylic stabilizing.
If the piece is going to be used for say, a shaving brush or duck call, then full depth vacuum stabilizing is probably way to go, but is most expensive route. There are places that will stabilize for you.
Deeper hardening/fortifying can be with anything from diluted solutions of wood glue, to products like polycryl or Minwax wood hardener. This is typically done when the wood is so punky that even very sharp tools result in a good deal of tear out.
Lastly, what I call the surface treatment is to use a sealer like shellac or lacquer to provide a little extra stability during final cuts to get rid of tear out. I use ALOT of shellac primarily because I like spalted woods and they are notorious for tear out. I will wait till my shape is established but still have an 1/8" or less to remove, apply shellac liberally and let dry for several hours or overnight, then finish cuts with freshly sharpened tools.

[Michael Dromey]

Do many of you use the vacuum method?

[Jim Burr]

I always use a vaccum tank and Cactus Juice. The main reason acetone and other VOC's are a poor choice is that, in the case of Minwax, 70% of the material evaporates leaving 30% (the polycrylic) to stabilize the wood...not a good option. I usually get 7" total penetration at 27"mg. Much better result than 30%.

[Michael Dromey]

Well I pulled the trigger last night and ordered some Cactus Juice and one of his tanks. I have been wanting to do it for a while. I was able to pick up two vac pumps at a pawn shop for $150. Not bad price I hear. Curtis spent quit a bit of time with me on the phone explaining what to expect. I have quite a bit of this spalted ash. This sample is one of the more lightly spalted pieces.

[Jim Burr]

You will not be sorry Michael! Great deal on the pumps...Curtis and I talk each others ear off now and then...he is a wealth of knowledge!!

[Michael Dromey]

I look forward to getting some wood stabilized. It appears that this opens up a lot more things you can do with wood.

[Jim Burr]

Sort of Mike. You can only really do two things; stabilize a piece that was otherwise not usable and you can dye the wood through the process. Just saving a junk piece is worth the price alone!!