GOOD PENETRATION

[wood-of-1kind]

Get your dirty mind out of the gutter!!! If you need that type of story, subscribe to Penthouse. The peneration that I'm referring to is a homebrew acetone mix that I put together with the assistance of my friend the(paint/stain chemist) that I work with. This is the first stabilised/stained pen blank that I pulled out of my recently assembled vacuum pump/compressor set up. Penetration occurred throughout the blank right to the centre. Not only has the colour added to the beauty of the sycamore blank but the stabilization makes the blank so much easier to turn. I don't know if I really want to show off the pen as much as the process that went into the making of the actual blank.
All this talk about penetration has left me wanting for a cigarette and heck I don't even smoke.
-Peter-

 

[Geo in Winnipeg]

Looks good Peter. So when is the process tutorial going to happen [?]

 

[mrcook4570]

Looks like a winner. I'll bet that would really show off maple or box elder burl.

 

[angboy]

WOW!!! [:0][:0]I love it...................... OK, I don't know what else to say, I'm just too much in love that all I can think is I love it, I love it, I love it! And what a pretty color you chose to do this one with!

Wow, that got me excited, now I'm feeling the need to join you in a cigarette after getting such enjoyable pleasure from your pen- and I don't smoke either! [}][}]

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Good grief, now the world has inherited another smoker.LOL

George, the tutorial would be very brief and almost too simple to waste pen and paper on, but I will talk about the compressor/pump set up at a later time.The pump is 4"x2"x1" and packs a mean punch. Who says that size is everything? Dr. Boykin are you there? I'm needing some serious help here.

Stan, I did maple as well and will display the result at some other time. The box elder is an excellent suggestion and I'll have to scrounge up some pieces to try.

Thanks to all for sharing in the adult humor.
-Peter-

 

[Johnathan]

Nice subtle color. I like it.

 

[alamocdc]

That looks pretty cool, Peter!

 

[gerryr]

Looks great. I've been wondering about adding color to the acetone/plexiglass solution to dye and stabilize at the same time. Obviously, you don't need super expensive equipment to do it.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Here's an update with this acetone stabilzation solution. Decided to do a 'red' mix to try a new 'flavour'.
George, I've not written a tutorial but I did take pictures that my be more effective than my verbose ramblings. You are more than welcome to ask questions at any point and I will do my best to answer.

Observations/comments:
-colour penetration is best within the top layer of the blank and recedes as you progress to the centre. Suggest to turn down your wood blank as close to your desired finished size and redip in your acetone tank(pickle jar?). Colours remain more vibrant this way unless your purposely wish to understate your colour.
-ensure that your vessel(jar) is as airtight as possible. Case in point, my blue solution jar did not seal as tight as the red pickle jar and as a result I was not able to consistently achieve a 20" vacuum.
-my system utilizes the power of my mini compressor rather than having a dedicated pump and thereby allows me to save valuable shop space. The'white' box is my vacuum pump and this was salvaged from an air vacuum lifter. Small but very powerful and holds a steady 20" vacuum without strain.
-as other members have suggested, shut down the vacuum pressure after reaching the desired set point of 20". Repeat start up and power down about five cycles and your blanks should subside and be fully immersed in the acetone solution.
-allow to 'cook' in acetone bath for 24 hours and upon removal, allow blanks to dry out for a minimum of 12 hours.
-fittings, gauge and mini pump were all scrounged and did not cost me a cent. Guess that working in a maintenance departments has its' advantage. If one had to purchase at retail, I'm guessing that a basic set-up would not be too high.
-overall I'm happy with the way the blanks have turned out and look forward to expanding my colour rainbow.
-Peter-

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Mini pic-tutorial.

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[dfurlano]

Peter what is the mix ratio of acetone to plexi?

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Dan, I did not add plexi to my mix. I think that Dario mentioned an appropriate plexi to acetone ratio. Dario, chime in please if you're out there.

 

[dfurlano]

I'm sorry I have been missing a lot of posts lately, just been busy. What was with the acetone?

 

[dfurlano]

Thanks.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Let's have a little more fun here. Remember it's in good jest and let's not get offended.

I got the urge again and had to 'do it' again. But I wanted to do it different this time. A new position you might say. Wasn't satisfied with the first time so I went deeper... needed better penetration you might say. Go harder, go deeper, what to do??? Umh, I'm no novice, I've done it once or twice. I know, gentle stroke and a light touch that will keep her happy. I digress and the imagination is wondering. Note to self (STOP reading them adult magazines).

I wanted a deeper colour since the dye penetration did not go right through. A solution for greater colour depth is to turn down the wood blank as close to its finished size and then redip in the acetone solution for a final time and then proceed to sand above the 1200G mark. This is the outcome with the darker pen on the right. The deep blue was applied on ASH whereas the lighter tone is on sycamore. Your comments are welcome but remember to keep them 'clean', the children are still up[}]
-Peter-

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Another session another colour. This is 'my' version of pinkwood once again created with analyne dye and acetone. The pink solution was applied to maple this time. Maple seems to be the best at this time for even/consistent penetration.
-Peter-

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[jssmith3]

Gee Peter, I feel like I need a cigarette after reading your entry!!! [:0]
Janet

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Originally posted by jssmith3
<br />Gee Peter, I feel like I need a cigarette after reading your entry!!! [:0]
Janet

Janet, I know just how you feel. I'm trying to stop my 'habit' and am currently seeking professional assistance. I'm having a difficult time with the good doctor's fees of $888.88/hour. Guess that I gotta make and sell more pens in order to get aid.
-Peter-[]

 

[jssmith3]

Don't change Peter, I like you just the way you are []and you should get a different doc or make him a pen, maybe he will give you a discount!
Janet

 

[angboy]

Originally posted by jssmith3
<br />Don't change Peter, I like you just the way you are []and you should get a different doc or make him a pen, maybe he will give you a discount!
Janet

Janet, I think the problem is that his doc can make pens! [][] Now i do happen to know that the price/professional fee is based solely on the fact that the doc's favorite number is 8, so maybe the doc could be convinced to pick a new favorite number, like 1 or a negative number even! [][]

The deeper penetrated woods do look great Peter! I think the tobacco companies are probably loving you this week- a lot of people seem to be having the urge to smoke!

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Originally posted by angboy
The deeper penetrated woods do look great Peter! I think the tobacco companies are probably loving you this week- a lot of people seem to be having the urge to smoke!

Doc,
it's a shame that I'm living in a smoke free environment. It's evident that I can't suppress the urge much longer.[] May have to reconsider your new rates.

-Peter-

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Here's another addition to the penetration drama. This purple blank was created for a friend and this is the end result. The blank looks much darker prior to turning but lightens up considerably as you approach the finished size of the cigar in this case. The deep purple really helps to accent the grain of the European sycamore while at the same time adding a hint of purple throughout the body. Both 'deep' and 'subtle' all at the same time.
-Peter-

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