Stabilizing wood

[Yosemitesam]

Has anyone tried stabilizing wood with alumilite and dye?

 

[Monty]

Alumilite will not penetrate the wood and therefore will not stabilize wood. You need a produce like Cactus Juice to stabilize. You can use dye in CJ to produce stabilized colored blanks.
Alumilite and PR (polyester resins) like Silmar41 and Castin Craft, are used for casting and filling larger voids in wood blanks.

 

[matt.mackinnon]

You can use Alumilite to stabilize. You will need to put it under quite a bit more pressure to force it into the wood. If I cast a burl that has not been pre-stabilized, then under 60psi, I get a bit of alumilite to penetrate into the wood during the casting process. I have seen some put alumilite under 80psi and have it forced almost all the way in.

Now admittedly it would be faster and easier to use a resin designed for stabilizing but that is not to say it can't be done.

 

[steve worcester]

You can use Alumilite to stabilize. You will need to put it under quite a bit more pressure to force it into the wood. If I cast a burl that has not been pre-stabilized, then under 60psi, I get a bit of alumilite to penetrate into the wood during the casting process. I have seen some put alumilite under 80psi and have it forced almost all the way in.

Now admittedly it would be faster and easier to use a resin designed for stabilizing but that is not to say it can't be done.

I would be real interested to know how much penetration you get from it. Because of how quick it sets up and how thick it is, I have my doubts. But I have been wrong before.

 

[Dai Sensei]

Don't know about Alumilite but I have used PR before with the extra set-up time available, heated up to make it extra thin, then applying pressure at 100psi pressure (not vacuum). It worked because it was a really rotten bit of Peppercorn, but I wouldn't use it for hard timbers, it just wouldn't penetrate.

 

[MesquiteMan]

I have stabilized really punky wood with Alumilite and got good penetration. It has to be really punky though. Normal woods will NOT stabilize properly with Alumilite though.

 

[79spitfire]

Wouldn't you need to acquire or make a chamber capable of over 100psi to be really successful?