Howard Wallace said:
Would you give some details on the stabilization process and how it worked?
I used a chemical called "Nelsonite 15B02" which I ordered from Nelsonite Chemical Products inc. in Grand Rapids, MI. You can order from various people online, but I found that it was cheapest and easiest to call the company and order a gallon of the stuff directly. It cost ~$18 plus $10 shipping for the gallon. Thier telephone number is (816) 456-7098.
I poured the Nelsonite into a 1-gallon glass jar with a wide mouth. You take the piece of wood that you want to stabilize, dip it in the Nelsonite, and let it soak for 30 seconds. Then take it out and let it dry - usually takes about 5-30 mins to get dry to the touch, about 12 hrs before further finishing/sanding operations are suggested, and a week before full waterproofing capabilities are reached. This is according the data sheet that the company sent me.
Some people say that you have to use a vaccum pump for proper stabilization. I don't know if this is necessarily true. The company says that dipping is all that is necessary.
The Nelsonite seems to do a good job of waterproofing the wood and also bringing out the grain. Lately I've been trying wet sanding with Nelsonite. It seems to work pretty well in this regard.
As for the other effects, here's what the documentation claims:
"STABILIZATION & DIMENSIONAL CONTROL"
1. Reduces shrinking of wood in dry areas which results in end splits and surface checks. This trouble arises during hte fall and winter when heat is turned on in the factory, and at all times in such areas as West Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.
2. Reduces swelling of wood in humid areas which results in sticking, warping, and splitting. This trouble arises during the spring and summer when heat is turned off and the windows opened in the factory and at all times in the coastal and large river valley areas.
3. Reduces end splits and surface checks in wet lumber."
Okay, I'm tired of typing verbatim... this stuff is also supposed to help uniform penetration of stains, producing a more uniform color, prevents darkening of the end grain, forms a moisture barrier and protects the finish from water (this product was designed for use on furniture like table tops), gives the finish more depth, and you can mix it with oil based stains.
So even if half the claims are true, this is real good stuff for khuk handles. Since you don't need a vacuum setup, just dipping, it's very convienient to use. It's a whole lot easier than multiple coats of tru-oil too, and you get a great finish if you wet sand to 2000 grit and buff with some caranuba wax. It looks better than the tru oil finish that I did once, and that took me weeks.
I have heard claims from others that it works well on antler and bone. I tried it on my buffalo horn handle but it didn't seem to penetrate very well. Horn is probably much less porous than the antler. Bufallo horn is pretty well waterproof already, but stabilization features might help all the people who have problems with cracking and the like.
If you can't tell, I really like the stuff. It looks like the gallon that I got ought to be good for several years of use.
