Ultraseal Test

[Xephius]

So my Ultraseal arrived today, and I thought I would start documenting my experience so others can learn (for better or worse) from what I am doing.

To start, I ordered a quart of test solution and asked for it to be sent Priority mail. Bob, realized that the package was sent out ground by mistake, and immediately sent out a second quart free of charge by 2nd day mail so I would have it for this weekend. Nice.

When it arrived, it was packaged in two small white containers inside ziplock backs to prevent leakage. The containers were unmarked, but I suspect this because they haven't finished the container packaging yet. All said, I like the little plastic containers, they make it easy to pour and store in small volume.

As the instructions said, I "degassed" the mix. I just opened the containers, put them in a bin inside my HF pot. I pulled 20 in/Hg and let is sit for about an hour. I was messing with my lacquer dip, so I didn't keep exact track, but more than 20min.

Next, I loaded up the small plastic container with 6 Kauri blanks, I used small wooden spacers to keep the wood separated and two chunks of iron to weigh them down. I then poured in enough Ultraseal to cover the blanks with about 1/4 inch to spare for absorption.

I didn't take a pic of the "between" shots, but after about 2 hours I popped the lid off and the wood had absorbed enough Ultraseal to be 1/4 above the fluid level. Also, the red paint on the metal dolly got a bit of Ultraseal on it, and it was eaten off and dripped into the mix. I was able to scoop it out with a spoon. So only bare metal weights, nothing coated, it can/will eat the paint off. So I pulled another 20 inches on the tank and I will let it sit for a couple more hours. I am fairly sure the wood has pulled all the ultraseal into the wood that it can in 2 hours. I was able to pull Polyurethane into the wood in less time than that, and this is a bit thinner. Karui is fairly porous.

So it is back in the tank for another 2 hours, I will post pics up after I boil it up tonight.

-X


 

[wdcav1952]

Thanks John. I for one appreciate your being a guinea pig for the rest of us.

 

[Xephius]

So a quick update...

It would appear that allowing the fluid to drop below the "wood" level was a bad thing. The bottom 3 blanks seem to be soaked all the way, and sink, the top 3 kinda bobble near the top. I suspect that when it lost vacuum, those sucked some air back in and trapped it in with the Ultraseal. So, I pulled 25 inches (this is the max my setup will do if this gauge is accurate) after letting my compressor fully recharge. I am going to let it soak in overnight and see if that helps. If not, I will keep those blanks in the tank until the stay down when I stabilize other blanks.

So what I have learned, keep lots of extra Ultraseal in the container over the wood level. I would expect to displace half again the amount of wood in the stabilzed. This would varry with the wood, but I think a good place to start as this wood is very "light" and holds lots of air.

Another note to those who want to use the HF vacuum "pump" that uses air pressure, get a big compressor. I have a 30+ gallon compressor and it manages to do everything I want, but it works hard to get 20 inches, and I have to have a "fresh" recharge on the compressor to get 25 inches. I think anything less than a 20+ gallon would have a lot of trouble with this gizmo. Add to that the HF Pressure/Vacuum pot leaks like a siv even after you plug the holes, you need to recharge the vacuum every 2 hours or so. Holds pressure better than vacuum.... Anyway, back to the Ultraseal.

 

[Glass Scratcher]

Good report on the Ultraseal, I kick myself for not signing up to be a tester.

 

[Jim15]

Thanks for the report John.

 

[Monty]

Good report on the Ultraseal, I kick myself for not signing up to be a tester.

Don't kick yourself, there were several that signed up and were not chosen, DAMHIKT.

 

[Xephius]

Hey all,

Before I begin, I wanted to clarify that I was not selected for the test group, I purchased my batch of Ultraseal. They did however send me an extra quart of Ultraseal because of a shipping mistake. Excellent customer service..

I went out this morning, popped the lid on the pot and all the wood was heavy with stabilizer. They were clearly sogged, so I pulled them out and packed them in the suggested Vacuum Ziplock bags that my wife was so nice to pickup for me (without even asking!).

The little hand vac seemed to pull most of the air out of the bag. So I went back in and started a big pot of water boiling. Once it got going, I dropped the bag in the water and noticed that the small amount of air remaining in the bag quickly expanded, so I re vacuumed it out. With the bag sunk in a slow boil, I came back to document the progress. Once it cools and I unpack it all, I will post up the next batch.

I went ahead and heated the spacers so I can use them again and they won't suck up and more stabilizer. I can't wait to see how these turn out....

-X


 

[thewishman]

Lovin' the details and pictures! You are really doing a great job with the documentation.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Excellent work - I hope all the testers post accounts as detailed as yours - and you didn't even get yours for free!

I've never come across ziplock vacuum bags in my local stores - are they easy to find elsewhere?

 

[Xephius]

Ok, so I walked away from the pot after I turned it off and let everything cool down slowly. This is the only departure I have made form the instructions. I don't think it hurt anything, I just forgot to pull the baggie out.

I had to tear the bag away from the stabilized wood. The hardened acrylic glued everything to the bag. Be sure to wear gloves on this part too as there was still some kind of wet chemical residue on everything, I don't know if it will hurt you, but it didn't smell great.

Another important note is to use spacers in the bag so the wood doesn't touch. If the wood does touch, they will be glued together. I gave mine a tap on the floor and it popped in half.

To further sepeate the blanks, I used a thin screwdriver and tapped on the lines between the blanks hoping to not fracture the internal matrix of the wood. But as luck would have it, I broke one blank. I guess this is why it is a test!

I have set the blanks out to finish curing for the next 48-ish hours. I suspect around hour 40 (Monday) I will turn the first cracked blank and see what happens. All said, they look like raw pro sabilized blanks so far. We shall see....

In answer to some questions...

Chris, they did send me a free quart of materials for the shipping mistake, so it is still a win. I intend to write up a PDF walk-through of how to do this for the DIY-Stablilzed using the HF setup. Next time I will take well lit photos with a real camera and not my iPhone. After doing it once, you learn a great deal about it... That being said, I wouldn't object it I was sent a quart or two for the PDF write up....:biggrin:

Andrew, I am farily sure there is a govenment conspiricay to deny all Canadians access to Ziplocks Vacuum bags. But I hear Wal-Mart carries them, have you tried there? Worse case, I could send you up a kit and some bags. Just PM me.

-X


 

[workinforwood]

How much was the product and how much quantity do you get?

My HF pot holds 60 lbs for many days without moving. I use liquid teflon on the threads.

 

[Xephius]

Jeff,

You can find information about Ultraseal here... I am currently just playing with one quart of material.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=45963

As for the Pot, mine holds pressure, for an extended period of time, just not vacuum. Vacuum is a more slippery monster than pressure, especially given these pots are designed for pressure and not vacuum. I imagine I still have some leaky seals/threads I need to sort out, but it is not giving me any trouble for my purposes.

 

[jason_r]

anyone done a test mixing in dye to color and stabilize?

I've looked over the classified posting, didn't see it mentioned
here or there.

 

[MesquiteMan]

I am doing a comprehsenive test right now with dye. My first results were less than satisfactory. The resin was cured a little rubbery. I am thinking the best bet would be to dye the blank with an alcohol based dye first, let it dry, then stabilize with UC. I will post my results when I have more info.

 

[NewLondon88]

I use liquid teflon on the threads.

I just bought some on your recommendation, I'll see how it works. I've got
a couple of intermittent leaks.. sometimes they do, other times not. One is
from the blowoff valve. there's a little keyring on it, and sometimes it will
slowly leak, but if I turn it a little it might stop.
I'm going to take it apart and get rid of all the tape.

 

[RBoutin]

Results can vary pretty dramatically depending on the type of dye used. We have directly mixed in aniline dyes which seem to cure hard, although not quite as hard as the undyed stabilizer. However, we have also had results like yours trying different powdered dyes. Because we can't possibly test compatibility with all dyes on the market, it is simply going to take some trial and error to see which ones work best and which ones simply won't work at all.

Can I ask which dye you used, and how you mixed it?

I am doing a comprehsenive test right now with dye. My first results were less than satisfactory. The resin was cured a little rubbery. I am thinking the best bet would be to dye the blank with an alcohol based dye first, let it dry, then stabilize with UC. I will post my results when I have more info.