Questions about getting wood stabilized

[amcardon]

Hey guys, I have some wood I want to send out to get stabilized that is all cut into scales (3/8" thick) but I also have some 1/8" thick wood that I would like to use for straight razor scales and was wondering if 1/8" would be too thin to get stabilized and hope for a flat end product. I am planning on going through K&G and having all the wood (and some antler) stabilized. Also, how much cleanup is required on the wood after getting it processed? As you can guess, this is my first rodeo with professional stabilization...

Thanks for the help!

 

[M.Griffin]

If I had to guess, I would say 1/8" is going to be pretty risky. I would call K&G and tell them exactly what you have and your concerns. As far as clean up goes, there is usually just some resin on the outside that needs to be sanded off, but not much loss if you have flat blocks.

-Mike

 

[Burl Source]

I would not send anything thinner than about 3/8 just to play it safe. K&G does a good job but the wood can move during the stabilizing and curing process.

 

[Erin Burke]

I've had 3/8" get some bow in it from WSSI... I imagine that 1/8" could roll up like a scroll.

 

[amcardon]

Thanks guys, that's pretty much what I expected, it would just be nice to get this stabilized as well. I would imagine that its the heating process that really warps wood.

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[J. Doyle]

You could always throw them in the box and just see what happens. They usually charge by the finished pound so those little 1/8" scales would add almost no extra cost.

I've had 1/8" stuff stabilized before and came out okay 3 out of 5 times. Like the others said, it is a risk but it might work. I suppose like anything else, there are a lot of factors involved.

 

[amcardon]

I had thought about that but this stuff is too pretty to risk. I think I'll just back with them with a waterproof liner and finish with CA instead...

 

[Larry D. Davis]

I would imagine that its the heating process that really warps wood.

There can be several reasons all exacerbated by the thermal cycle of thermal setting iniaters. No one has a magic process that can relieve stress in wood. Garbage in garbage out kinda thing. Compressed figured wood from crotch cuts for example can twist and pieces cut from spiral growth will always try to return to it's growing form. Off the shelf impregnating resins are engineered to work with solid material like metal. Many of these formulas will shrink when subjected to a thermal cycle. Shrinking is not a problem when used on porous strong metal, but wood can be pulled into deformity as the resin cures and shrinks. Investing time and treasure with a chemical company to develop a resin specially blended for floppy, large porous, organic material is the way to go. Pockets of moisture often found in air dried wood can cause uneven shrinkage in the wood during the thermal cycle. K&G is very good at testing your wood before processing and letting you know if it's at a suspected problem moisture and ask YOU what you want to do. Other processors just want the money and because you agree to hold them free of liability process it. Good luck...