Resinol 90C Stabilizing update

Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis

Joined
Feb 24, 2000
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In a earlier thread I mentioned that I was going to order and try some Resinol 90C. Here is a update.
I got a shipment of Loc Tite Resinol 90C in and have stabilized one piece of wood with it. The 90C comes in a four gallon container along with a activator cartridge. The cartridge needs to be refigerated until used. After the 90C is mixed I have been told it is best to keep it refigerated.
The 90C is made for stabilizing. It is very thin so it doesn't need any thinner. It is also heat activated.
I covered a block of maple burl about 1 1/2 inches square by 5 inches long with the 90C and placed it in my vaccum. My vaccum gage said I was pulling 30 inches. The wood was really bubbling. I ran the pump for a few minutes and turned it off for awhile, turned the pump back on a few minutes, etc. I left the wood in the vaccum for about 17 hours. The wood was still bubbling, but I got impatient and took it out and put it in a pressure chamber. I pressurized the chamber to 80 pluss pounds and left it for a hour or so. I took the wood out, put in in a oven set to 275 degrees and let it heat for three hours.
I let the wood cool, cut it down the middle sanded to 400 grit, then buffed. It looked like glass. I couldn't tell the outside from the inside, so it had excellent penetration.
I have sent lots of wood off to be stabilized, and none of it was any better than this piece, and some of it has been not nearly as good.
Four gallons of Resinol 90C plus shipping cost almost $300.00. The last batch of wood I sent off to have stabilized cost $260.00.
Based on this one piece of wood, I feel I can save a lot by doing it myself. Also I have had wood sent back to me that in my opinion was not stabilized very well. Now I will have no one to blame but myself.
In the future I will leave the wood in the vaccum till the bubbles stop, and will leave the wood in the pressure chamber longer with a higher pressure.
Does anyone know a place on Blade Forums called "Knife List"? Someone told me that there is a article on 90C in that location.
Tom Lewis
 
Thanks a bunch for posting, Tom.

I've been waiting for this report. Sounds great. Better than B72 (not hard, just stable).

After you add the activator, how long is it usable? Might not be practical for some of us, if you have to mix and use 4 gallons at one shot.

Steve
 
From what I have learned as long as the 90C is kept refigerated it will last indefinately. How long it will last if not refigerated, I don't know. We have two refigerators so keeping it refigerated is not a problem for me. ( I wish I had spell checker for this post)
Tom Lewis
 
When I was investigating stabilizing my own wood I checked into 90C. I was told after the activator was added the shelf life was six to eight weeks. Shorter if it was kept at room tmperature. Another interesting bit of information I was told was that the finished stabilant glowed under a black light. The purpose was to determine the depth of the penetration into the wood.

How do you plan to cure your wood, i.e. big oven or small toaster oven? At what temperature and how long did you cure the wood? Was the 90C dripping from the wood when it was placed in the oven?

I’m very interested in your results. If you want other types of wood to test give me a call.
 
To cure the wood I put it in a regular kitchen oven that I have in my blacksmith shop. Others use toaster ovens with good results. I used a temperature of 275 degrees for three hours. Some of the 90C was on the surface of the wood when I put it in the oven. I put the wood on cooling racks, the kind used for cookies. During the heating, some resin leaked out and hardened on the surface. It looked much like the way wood comes back from the professional stabilizers.
The contact person for 90C is Craig Ryan at phone # 623-412-1899
e-mail craig.ryan@loctite.com
 
Royal 7, any updates? I was wondering what type of wood you stabilized? I have a set up I've been trying with disolved plexiglass without much success. I may need to try this Resinol 90 C but would like to get a little more info before asking the boss to divert 300 bucks from the bank account if you know what I mean.
 
Tom
you need to calibrate your vac gauge you can't pull 30 here on earth
:(
the shelf time makes cent were it has an activator
can you check if it's glowing under a black light all the way through for us?
This is interesting.
and what are the hazards ? flammable? ....
 
I am aware that you can't actualy pull a vacum of 30, but thats what the gage reads.
I don't have a black light so I can't check it that way.
As far as shelf life is concerned, I have a feeling it is indefinate as long as the material is refigerated. Most of what I have is in a refigerator. I have a small amount in a jar in my shop and it is still in good shape after several weeks. The 90C doesn't harden until it is heat activated. The 90C means the resin hardens at 90 degrees Celcius.
I have been very satisfied with the results I have gotten with the 90C. It is expensive but looks like it will go a long ways.
 
Tom
you have a rough gessament on the shipping cost? and if it has a hazardous shipping fee?
 
There is no extra hazzardous fee. The total price for four gallons including shipping was $300.00.
 
Royal 7: will this work with a vacuum pump and a mason jar or do you need some special stuff? Thanks for posting your results. I mst have missed this one the first time around, glad I caught it this time. I've been getting quite a bit of wood stabilized lately and I hate sending stuff off the mountain.
 
Hi Tom,

Thanks for posting your update, this is very encouraging to say the least!

To everyone else, I wonder if a bunch of us went in together and bought a larger quantity whether or not we could get a volume discount price? Anyone interested in looking into this?

:)

-Darren
 
I don't know if a vacuum pump and mason jar would get the best possible stabilization.
The last batch I stabilized I first pulled a high vacuum on several pieces of wood in a pressure chamber. There was no resin in this container. After about five hours while still under vacuum I opened a valve and let the resin cover the wood. I kept this under a vacuum for several days. Then I put the container under 100 lbs. of pressure for about a week. Then I took the wood out of the liquid resin and placed in a oven at 275 degrees F for three hours. I am very pleased with the results.
I'm not sure I explained this process very well. If you have any questions I will try to answer them.
 
Do you guys think a paint pot would work as a stabilizing vessel? I know they're good for pressurizing but not sure about the vacuum end.
Tom, what kind of vessel are you using?
Thanks for taking the time to post this thread!
Some very good information here!
 
Tom; thanks for the update. I have been using an almost identical process as you. My problem is coloring. On woods like maple it needs something other than just stabilizing. What process do you use for dyeing that is compatible with the resinol? mike
 
L6
I have and old Binks paint pot (it is very heavy) that i use for vacuum applications. Works for me.
Be Blessed
Gary
 
As far a dyeing the wood I haven't tried that yet. Someone who has used 90C more that I have said he had good luck with anoline dye. The 90C is very thin, it has a consistancy like water so I think most any dye would disolve in it, although I haven't tried any yet.
There are probably better ways to build a pressure chamber but the following description does work.
Take a piece of pipe maybe 12" in Dia. and 12" long. I don't think the dimensions are that importaint. Use what you have.
Weld a plate on the bottom. I would highly recomend using a competent welder as there will be a lot of pressure on the plate and if not welded real good it could blow off with unfortunate results.
For the top weld another plate on leaving several inches stick out on all sides of the outside of the pipe, and then cut a hole in the top plate to access the inside of the chamber. Then use a rubber gasket and bolt a solid top plate on the top welded plate. I used 16 1/2 inch bolts spaced evenly around the top plate. It will be a lot easier if you drill the holes before you weld the top plate in place. you can also cut the hole in the top plate before you weld it on. Use a thick flat top plate so it won't warp during welding.
These two top plates need to be really flat to seal good.
Drill and tap two 1'4 inch pipe threads in the top plate, and put in two pipe nipples. Put two valves on the two pipe nipples. Use one of these for the vacuum and the other for pressure. You could do this with one valve but I have gages on the pipe nipples so went with two.
Drill and tap a 1/4 inch pipe thread in the bottom plate put in a pipe nipple and a valve. Then have a tube run from the valve to a container of 90C.
Put the wood in the container and bolt the lid on. At this point there is no resin in the container. Pull a vacuum. I left mine on for 5 hours. I know someone who leaves it on for a week.
Next with the vacuum still on, open the bottom valve with the tube in a container of 90C. You should know beforehand how much resin it will take to cover the wood, and should have placed some sort of weight on the wood to hold it down before you bolted the lid in place. When the resin is drawn up into the pressure chamber close the bottom valve and leave the vacuum on. I was told to leave it on for a week, but I got in a hurry and didn't leave it on that long.
Next turn the vacuum off , and through one of the top valves put air pressure into the chamber. It was recomended that I use 120lbs, but I used 100 lbs. I left this on for about a week.
After that you open the chamber, take the wood out of the resin, put the wood in a oven at 275 degrees F for about 3 hours and the wood is stabilized.
There is probably a better way to build a pressure chamber of this type. If any of you have different ideas I would like to hear how you do it.
Tom Lewis
 
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