stabalizing wood and ivory

Neil and Jason are either of you doing any of yourown stabilizing, and if so please tell me your process- I'm particularly interested in any findings and proceedures for ivory in particular. Many thanks. Frank Niro.

Sorry people what I should have said was Jason, Neil, or anyone else that can help with this subject please help. I am going to go ahead with some hope it will work information and I will report what I find, but if anyone has some experience on this subject please give. Thanks Frank.

Frank,

I am playing with stabilizing some also.What equipment and stabilizing medium are you using?

I have a Medical grade portable vaccum pump,will pull to 25 in. of vac.,but have yet to find a medium to get the total penetration needed.I am planning on using some Minwax products next that have worked for some others(wood hardener and sand and seal).

Please let us know how you are doing with you tries.

Thanks in advance!!!,
Mike

Well Mike after some reading about, and some information that came from a second party from some one who was doing a lot of what was considered quality stabilizing, I am going to go this way, at least as a first try. I will use a 50- 50 mix of Min Wax hardener and lacquer thiner as a solution. I am placing some 4" P.V.C. pieces together with a screw on cap and a 1 1/2" discharge pipe with a shut off valve to which I will connect my work shop vacuum on the exit side of this valve. This connection will have a section of clear piping. I will also install a vacuum indication gauge on the enclosed chamber (4" P.V.C. piping set up).Since I do not know of any specific vacuum figures to work with-at least on the first try- I will vacuum as much as the vacuum will handle or until I see fluid in the clear piping. I will then close the valve and let the system stay this way for an hour. (first time around). I have been told that if the fluid is seen in the clear tube the process should be complete almost immediately. The vacuum gauge could be useful for the next run, and of course to decide if I have serious leaks. I will use wood pieces of different types for my first trials and expect to use 10 or 12 oz. of fluid which by the way can of course be reused if any remains. Nor here is the bad part people, even though I have everything on hand to go ahead I am really tided up with a cazillion things I have to do before I can get to this project, but I will and maybe the way priorities are for me I just may decide to go ahead at any time. I will, people relate my results good or bad . By the way I hope my little blurb on use of the microwave helped someone out. It sure didn't seem to be very common infornmation, across the internet. Regards Frank

My only concerns with the shop vac ISthe flammability of the fluid used.

Mike I don't believe that to be a problem but-. There is a system being used by a T.J. Smith where he uses a one or two quart sealler punches a hole in the lide and installs one of those 1/4" pipes with the circular steps made to take a good quality clear hoe to which a hand vacuum pump of the type used to bleed car brakes is attatched.He seals the pipe in the lid with a product called Goop. Mr. Smith does make some very nice looking folders (at least the pictures I saw looked great) I believe this could be a super simple way to go and I will, believe it or not, try this idea first. But like I said it's a "gotta get to it" thing. I don't mind being wrong when somone shows me a better way. Frank Niro.

Frank:
Go out to knife art.com, Their is a complete subject
on stabilizing wood or ivory.(with Pictures)

If you don't see what you want contact
Curtis Wilson he has been stabilizing wood and ivory
for years.

James

Knife Makers are pretty sharp people

Hey James, I'm saying thank you even before I go there. Frank Niro

Well I had a look through what was there but after talking to a goldsmith -jewellery maker as well as this and that, I believe there is a much easier way to go. So thanks anyway . All information is appreciated. I was hoping to get a couple of small valves and connecters today but I got snowed in. It wasn't an awfull lot but I live in a hilly curvey area and no plowes had been around. So-to the shop!! This retired thing sure has a lot of advanages. Regards Frank Niro.

here's a pic (hopefully) of a vacuum set up using a food saver and the accessory food saver container. It measures approx 5"x5"x3.5". Not sure how many pounds it pulls but you can't pry the lid off when vacuumed out. I am trying out a wood stabilizer from
www.leevalley.com made by Klingspor called Pentacryl. Initial tests look like this will work. I am only doing cut scales at the moment but will test with dye and blocks to see what kind of penetration I am getting. The first few tests with redwood burl scales (light and porus) only took 20 minutes for complete penetration. I'd expect a harder burl will take longer.