How long do I stabilize?

[spiritwoodturner]

I should have brought this out in it's own thread, instead of burying it in my long-winded thread I wrote when my mind was spinning, wondering what to do next!

I've been stabilizing some flame box elder for 3 days now at 22 lbs., with Minwax Wood Hardener. I'd like to get started with some PR castings, but want to make sure these are done. I think I see a second and third pot in my future...

Dale

 

[punkinn]

Dale -

I leave my blanks stabilizing for only 24 hours at a constant vacuum that entire time. Then dry, then turn. I'd say your box elder's hard now. ;-)

 

[GregHaugen]

Could one of you talk about or explain your "stabilizing" setup??

thanks.

 

[spiritwoodturner]

Greg, I just have the standard pressure/vacuum pot that's been talked about so much and that Steve (Stevers) so graciously placed a great tutorial in the archives about. I think WHEN I build my second pot (one WILL NOT be enough!) I'll do it with the same combo vacuum/pressure gauge I got off Ebay for my current pot. It will cut down on 1 gate valve and a bunch of plumbing. I'll use the regulator that comews with the pot to keep from accidently blowing it up, but Steve's turorial will be my general guide for the next one too.

Aside from the equipment, I'm just now trying Minwax Wood Hardener from Home Depot, so don't have any results to share yet. There has been LOTS of stuff written here about stabilizing, so start your research!

Good Luck,
Dale

 

[punkinn]

Could one of you talk about or explain your "stabilizing" setup??

thanks.

Greg -

We put together a vacuum pot from a 5 gallon pickle jar. Inside that I use a peanut butter jar (large as possible but small enough that it fits through the mouth of the pickle jar to be removed) in which I place the wood blanks in Minwax Wood Hardener. FYI, I wire the blanks together with thin wire (so it is easier to remove them from the liquid) and also weigh them down in the jar to ensure they're completely covered by the wood hardener at all times.

The "pickle pot" is hooked up to a vacuum pump (its my boyfriend's pump that goes to his vacuum press that he uses for veneers) via a valve & gauge mounted to the lid of the pickle jar. That's all there is to it. I "stabilize" for 24 hours under a constant vacuum, then remove the blanks, let them drip-dry for 24 hours, then turn.

HTH...

 

[wolftat]

I tend to leave my blanks in the stabilizer for a couple of weeks. There is no hard and firm rules to go by, you just have to try it and see what works for you.
Sometimes I will take my gallon paint can full of blanks and stabilizer and place it in a pressure pot foor a week or so. I am in no rush to remove my blanks, so I have time to kill.

 

[tool-man]

.....I think WHEN I build my second pot (one WILL NOT be enough!) I'll do it with the same combo vacuum/pressure gauge I got off Ebay for my current pot.

I'm still contemplating my first pot. But I agree with your thoughts. If you already have separate gauges then use them. But if you buy a combination pressure and vacuum gauge -- you save money and do not have to worry about turning valves on and off when you switch from pressure to vacuum.

...I'll use the regulator that comes with the pot to keep from accidently blowing it up, but Steve's turorial will be my general guide for the next one too.

Steve's tutorial is great and is the basis for my planning. I'm thinking of not using the second regulator (on the pot) - after all there is one on my compressor. But I would keep (or install) the safety release valve to mitigate pot explosion issues.

As I understand the pressure operation, I would connect my compressor to the pot, set the compressor regulator to the desired pressure, say 40 psi, and open the input valve to the pot. Let it stabilize at 40 psi, close the input valve to the pot and turn off the compressor. Go to bed or whatever.

If the next day the pot should leak a little and be down to 20 psi - so what? Turn on the compressor and run it back up to 40 and turn it off again. I don't think I want to leave the compressor on all the time and have multiple regulators "watching" everything so it does not explode.

Am I missing something in this pressurization process?