Stabilized handle blank

i4Marc

i4Marc

Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
5,047
I am stabilizing some burl maple for a handle. Should I drill out the hole in the handle for the tang before or after I stabilize the piece? I would get better penetration of the resin if I drill before I stabilize. Would the thinner cross sections of the drilled blank make the handle more prone to warping or cracking during stabilization? Are there any other concerns I've overlooked?
 
After. Depending on your stabilization process, moisture content, type of wood and the size of the blanks, if heat curing is used it may warp a little. If you can, try to have a little extra material to sand and level off. Worst case scenario, if you find that the stabilization media has not penetrated deeply enough you could always double process it.

I currently use Cactus Juice infusing the wood in a vac-chamber, double-processing for insurance.
 
Thanks Karburized. The wood is burl maple. I have not cut it to shape yet. It is currently 4.5"X2"X1". I have the same set up as you except I had Curtis build me a custom large sized chamber. I will oven dry the wood before stabilizing it. Actually, it's in the oven right now. If you dye your wood, do you use Aluminite or something else? I was going to add some TransTint dye to the resin before I turn on the vacuum. Will un-dyed wood take any kind of stains, dyes or finishes after it is cured?
 
I used the alumilite dye.

I use maple burl as well. I've found that aggressive drying will check and warp it slightly, but nothing that cant be taken care of with careful resaw and sanding. Maple burl is good stuff as its nice and dense, but still able to take a nice juicin'. Since I'm making the knives individually, I resaw and then stabilized 3/8" thick blanks blanks. I figured for my needs the pieces were thin enough to get fully impregnated and had plenty of meat to plane and level. When finished you should be able to buff it to "wet look".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top