Wood Hardening/Stabilizing Concoction?

[William Young]

I found this elsewhwre and I am curious if anyone here has ever tried it? And if so, what are the pros and cons.

4 parts water/2 parts yellow or white glue/1 part glycerine/ 1 part denatured alcohol. He said soak the roughed blank in the concoction for a day or two then let it dry before finish turning.

He thought the glycerine and denatured alcohol may have something to do with the penetration of it into the wood.
W.Y.

 

[low_48]

I've seen a similar formula for flattening burl veneer and stabilizing it. My personal opinion is that I don't think this would soak in that deeply into the blank.

 

[Scott]

Hi William,

I think this would make a difference in really punky wood. I have a friend who uses a solution of watered down yellow glue to stabilize roughed out bowl blanks, and it works real nice for him. I would also wonder about the penetration of such a solution. Maybe if you drilled your pen blank first it would help with that.

Scott.

 

[William Young]

Scott;
That is what I thought. Drilling the blank first would be best before soaking it in the soloution. With the size of a pen blank, it really isn't all that far for penetration from inside and outside to the centre. I may give it a try sometime if I ever get caught up with making pens and portraits and clocks and other woodworking related items for the Christmas rush. Things usually settle down in January for me and I will try it then. If anybody else tries it before that, please let us all know the results.
It seems like a reasonable "soloution" (pun intended ;-)) with readilly available ingredients.
W.Y.