Stabilizer boiling??

[BeeAMaker]

Stabilizer boiling??

When I first started to do stabilization, I would vac it down until there were no more bubbles. Usually the bubbles would rise up like a foam and after about 3 days under Vac, there would be no more bubbles.

Now, lately, everything I try to stabilize never runs out of bubbles. The first day or so I will get the small "foaming bubbles" like before, but after those are gone, I start to get large bubbles like water boiling on the stove and it never stops.

Is this moisture in the wood? Will Cactus juice boil at -30 Mercury?

Right now the only thing I have in the Vac chamber is a partially turned pen blank. If I vac it to -30, the CJ I will get a boiling action. And I can repeat it day after day after day. This small piece of wood can't have that much air it.

It's not a crack in the chamber either, as the way I do pen blanks is I place them in a glass mason jar and set that inside a 3 gallon Stainless Steal vac chamber and place the lid on the chamber.

 

[KenV]

Do you oven dry your wood to a stable weight before cactus juice treatment? Water does boil at room temperature at the vacuum levels recommended for cactus juice.

 

[PatrickR]

The only time I noticed something similar the ambient temp was approaching 86*. I put ice around the pot and the bubbles returned to soda pop size.

 

[BeeAMaker]

Do you oven dry your wood to a stable weight before cactus juice treatment? Water does boil at room temperature at the vacuum levels recommended for cactus juice.

The wood is dry (or should be) but I may try some in the oven first to see it there is any difference. Some of what I am stabilizing is Spalted - so I thought maybe it still had some moisture in it. However, I stabilized some curly maple that I have had around for over 3 years that has been kiln dried and had the same result. I know it doesn't need CJ, but I wanted to dye it using CJ dyes.

The only time I noticed something similar the ambient temp was approaching 86*. I put ice around the pot and the bubbles returned to soda pop size.

It has been hot and/or humid the past 2 weeks. The first night I seen it happen it was raining out. which made me immediately think moisture, but it has been doing it ever since.

 

[PatrickR]

Run it without any wood in it. If there is water in it it should boil off. If that doesn't make a change run it in a cooler place or in an ice chest with ice to see if that has an effect.

 

[BeeAMaker]

Run it without any wood in it. If there is water in it it should boil off. If that doesn't make a change run it in a cooler place or in an ice chest with ice to see if that has an effect.

No reaction without the blank in the CJ. So it must be moisture in this little piece of wood. lol

I can't believe it holds that much water. It is about 4" long, turned down round and has a 5/16" hole drilled in it for the tube. The wall is about 1/4" thick. It must have acted like a sponge and sucked up all kinds of moisture!

I guess I will try backing everything just prior to Stabilizing. Just weird how now all of sudden it happens when the first few times I ran this with no issues. Same wood sources too.

 

[KenV]

Water vapor (steam) without pressure is very expansive in volume.

Curtis strongly recommends heat drying and sealing to avoid readsorbing moisture.

 

[KenV]

The only time I noticed something similar the ambient temp was approaching 86*. I put ice around the pot and the bubbles returned to soda pop size.

Temperature decreases put the water temperature below the vapor point and the water is no longer boiling off. The moisture is still there, but not in the vapor phase.

Save the effort of cooling unless you really want to confirm it was water vaporizing.

 

[BeeAMaker]

Water vapor (steam) without pressure is very expansive in volume.

Curtis strongly recommends heat drying and sealing to avoid readsorbing moisture.

Will do from now on - Thanks!