MesquiteMan
Retired Head Moderator
If you don't have a pressure pot in your arsenal, you really should think about getting one! I picked one up at a garage sale a number of weeks ago for $10 so they can be had inexpensively. I have been using them for my cactus blanks and have gotten rid of bubbles completely. There is another great use, however.
I had a number of oak burl blanks that had quite a few cracks and very small voids. In the past I have filled them wih CA with fair results. Last night I decided to experiment with the pressure pot.
I made a mold just barely bigger than the blank out of cardboard. I basically made an open top box. I then mixed up some epoxy and poured a thin layer on the bottom of the mold and dropped in the blank. I then covered the blank with epoxy to where it was basically submerged just a little. Then put it in the post and pressured to 55 psi and let it cure.
Once cured, I cut off the excess epoxy and cardboard with the bandsaw and turned a pen. ALL of the voids, even deep in the blank, were completely filled with hard epoxy! Much easier and better results than using CA while turning. This will also help keep it from blowing out when you have wood like that. Try it, you will like it!
I had a number of oak burl blanks that had quite a few cracks and very small voids. In the past I have filled them wih CA with fair results. Last night I decided to experiment with the pressure pot.
I made a mold just barely bigger than the blank out of cardboard. I basically made an open top box. I then mixed up some epoxy and poured a thin layer on the bottom of the mold and dropped in the blank. I then covered the blank with epoxy to where it was basically submerged just a little. Then put it in the post and pressured to 55 psi and let it cure.
Once cured, I cut off the excess epoxy and cardboard with the bandsaw and turned a pen. ALL of the voids, even deep in the blank, were completely filled with hard epoxy! Much easier and better results than using CA while turning. This will also help keep it from blowing out when you have wood like that. Try it, you will like it!