300 year old Cypress????

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JAZNCARR

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Joined
Nov 16, 2010
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214
Location
portsmouth, va
I have a customer that wants a few pens made from a couple of boards that his grandfather recovered from a old farm house when ( the grandfather was a child). He wants this for a graduation present for his grandson. Does this need to be stabilized before you turn it??? would it turn better if it was turned???
1 does someone stabilize blanks for a fee???
i'm tool and gizmoed out for the moment and don't really have another 150 or so to invest in a hf pot and all the toys and attachments
I'll post some pictures of the board when he brings it to me:)
 
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seamus7227

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Joined
Mar 18, 2009
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6,220
Location
Wichita Falls, TX
why dont you just stabilize it yourself with thin CA, it works well for me, and you may be surprised at how well it will work for you!
 

Old Lar

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Joined
Dec 26, 2009
Messages
732
Location
Sturgis, SD
+1 for ca. I have done a lot of spalted, punky or really poor woods and ca seems to work pretty well. Take it slow with a very sharp tool. Good luck!
 

hewunch

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Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
4,657
Location
Albany, GA
Cypress will turn to powder. It is incredibly soft. You need to harden it either by stabilizing or ca. Mesquite man has a home stabilizer. Constant stabilizes blanks for his work. He would be someone to contact.
 

ohiococonut

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Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
397
Location
Warsaw, Ohio
I've stabilized some really punky spalted maple that looked like dried out particle board using Minwax wood hardner. I put the blanks in a mason jar and fill it with the hardner, set the lid on, and let them soak until they don't float. Then take them out and stand them on end in a small tupperware container to catch any residue. The next day they're ready to turn. While I'm turning it I occasionally stop to see if I need to use any ca. It saves me from using up a bottle of ca on every blank. Just gotta keep an eye on the level of hardner because some blanks really soak it up. Don't forget rubber gloves or tongs, the stuff is really tacky while it's drying on your fingers. A one pint can of it is much cheaper than the 2oz bottle of ca I buy.
 

Rangertrek

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Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
2,104
Location
Bossier City, Louisiana, USA
+2 on the CA. I have turned a bit of old Cypress, if the wood is in good condition, just use CA. The wood is soft to start with and the CA will soak in rather well. You can also try a Minwax wood hardener, but the ca should work.
 

Hubert H

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Joined
Jul 13, 2010
Messages
917
Location
Wolford, ND
CA works fine for those in a hurry - ohiococonut was right on target with the wood hardener. With many soft blanks it actually works better than CA - BUT - the draw back is the time needed to leave it in the hardener and the day you leave it out do drain/dry.
 
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