How to Stabilize a corn cob?

[keithbyrd]

My son wants me to make a goose call blank for him out of corn cob. I need this to be 1 1/2' in diameter. So my question(s) is/are:
1. Do I stabilize the cob with cactus juice them put it in 1 1/2" mold and use silmar41 or alumilite in a pressure pot?
2. Just put it in silmar 41 or alumilite and a pressure pot or vacuum chamber?
3. Do 2 but use silmar since alumilite sets too quickly to be absorbed through the cob?
4. I missed it altogether and there is another way that you are willing to tell me about!

I need to get this done this week end since I will be driving to his house (10 hours away!) on Tuesday!
Any help you can give is greatly appreciated!

 

[Dave Turner]

I've done several corn cob pens. After the cob is thoroughly dried and kernels removed, I cut it to the needed length and then saturate it with thin CA. Once hardened, I drill out the hole for the tube then saturate it again with more thin CA, both inside the hole and outside. I then re-drill the hole to make sure it will fit the tube and epoxy in the tube. After squaring the ends, I'll start turning it. I turn a little off and then add some more thin CA. I keep this up until I get to the finished diameter. I will then switch over to medium or thick CA to start building up layers until I get all the irregularities filled in. I use accelerator between each coat of CA. I then sand and polish like any CA coated pen.

This method runs through a lot of CA, but it's pretty quick and I've always gotten good results. I find the thinner the starting corncob, the better the surface pattern on the finished pen. This shouldn't be any problem for a 1 1/2" diameter goose call.

 

[plantman]

I use the same method as Dave on my corn cob pens. This works great on the smaller pen size blanks that have a tube inside to support them, however on a larger project of 1 1/2" with a thicker wall size and slip fit reed, you may need a better stabilizer than the CA. Jim S

 

[KenV]

Keith. I have used stabilized corn cobs. I think they came from Tim McGill in Iowa.

Those were smaller cobs suitable for cigar pens.

Full sized cobs Wil be closer to 1 1/2 inches and some larger

I can see no reason not to use Cactus Juice and a large cob. Cobs dye easily.

 

[SDB777]

With the duck call, I'd drill it under the 5/8" bore and then fill the hole with a 'filler'(as you are just going to drill that out while making the call anyway-why waste material)...then stabilize/cast.


Scott (duck are fun) B