Stabilizing pen blanks

[leehljp]

What is the best way to stabilize pen blanks?

Do you do your own?

Drill the holes first or stabilize first?

What do you use as a stabilizer?

I purchased a vaccum system kit from Harbor Freight while in the States and will be experimenting in the future. I realize that most people use cyanoacrylate, but I am thinking of putting the blanks into a vaccuum tank filled with 50/50 poly & thinner for an hour and then let them cure for a week.

Your opinions?

[Ken Massingale]

Morning Hank,
Check over at http://www.penturners.org/forum/portal.asp
On the home page there is a link to an article on this.
Penturners is a great forum, nice folks like here but focused on penturning.
ken

[Jim Boyd]

quote:Originally posted by Ken Massingale

Morning Hank,
Check over at http://www.penturners.org/forum/portal.asp
On the home page there is a link to an article on this.
Penturners is a great forum, nice folks like here but focused on penturning.
ken

I wondered how they did that! Here is the link to the most recent article.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topi...ilizing,blanks
I wonder how well that would work for dying a piece of wood all the way through?

[Scottydont]

1) I stabilize mine in water based poly. Easier clean up and less volatile fumes to damage seals in the vaccum pump. The jar is 1/2 full giving room for the initial bubbles to accumulate and settle.

2) Drill or not to drill? I do just to make sure that it penetrates well. Others have experimented with that, they reported that it does not make any difference. I still drill my own just to assure that it does since you turn much of the outer diameter away from the blank. I figure it cant hurt.

3) I use a heavy duty "Mighty" hand vac pump, a 1/4" brass shut of valve and a mason jar or large pickle jar. 20-25 inches of vacuum for 12-48 hours (depending on the wood) is sufficient. I judge that they are "done" by pumping another 5 lbs. of vacuum and if no air bubbles out they are ready. Others use a air powered vcauum pump like mechanics use to evacuate freon from AC systems. I think Mudder does.

As Ken said there has been many posts on the subject at penturners.org as well as that feature article.

[leehljp]

Thanks Ken, Jim and Scott! That gives me some good reading and thought. I ususally read and process things like this for a while before trying it. Some great material here.

Scott, IIRC, you were the one to get me to thinking of the HF vacuum pump a couple of months ago. I picked up the cheaper one, as that was all that had at the Memphis store a couple of weeks ago.

[mudder]

quote:Originally posted by Scottydont

Others use a air powered vcauum pump like mechanics use to evacuate freon from AC systems. I think Mudder does.

Nope.

Mudder uses a 1.1cfm pump that he got in Ebay.


Mudder

[Scottydont]

quote:Originally posted by mudder

quote:Originally posted by Scottydont

Others use a air powered vcauum pump like mechanics use to evacuate freon from AC systems. I think Mudder does.

Nope.

Mudder uses a 1.1cfm pump that he got in Ebay.



Mudder

DOH! Must be brain cells soughing off again