# Stabilizing blanks?



## vtlli (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi
  I have building the boat and there is left a lot of timber off cuts which are suitable for making pen blanks.  Mainly iroko, mahogany and eucalyptus.
  Somewhere I did read that all wood must be stabilized.
   Iroko is oily timber itself and never got rotten. Eucalyptus is more prone to be rotten. Anyway, when I’m making a pen, inside part of the barrel is glued to the brass tube by epoxy. Outside I am finishing by CA. So, whole wooden surface of the barrel is protected from atmosphere. 
  So, should I worry about stabilizing blanks in that case?

Vitaliy


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## Monty (Dec 21, 2012)

IMHO, wood that is solid need not be stabilized. In fact, most hard, oily wood will most likely not take up any stabilization solution. The only reason to stabilize is to make soft, punky or spalted wood easier to turn.


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## vtlli (Dec 21, 2012)

Ok, Monty, thank you. I was thinking same way, but was confused with this reading (sorry, don't remember which book it was)
Happy Christmass to all !:beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:


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## MesquiteMan (Dec 21, 2012)

I would have to agree with Monty.


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## Jim Burr (Dec 21, 2012)

And I agree with Curtis agreeing with Monty:wink:. I stabilize a lot of stuff, but if it's stable and hard...leave it alone. The are some that like stabilized Amboyna burls, redwood burl over non-stabilized options. Haven't tried them yet, but I have some of both and will no doubt toss some in the tank.


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## randydaigle123 (Jan 5, 2013)

*New to pen turning*

How do you stabilize a blank???


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## Jim Burr (Jan 5, 2013)

randydaigle123 said:


> How do you stabilize a blank???


 
You send it to me and for a modest charge...I stabilize it!:biggrin:


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## KenV (Jan 5, 2013)

randydaigle123 said:


> How do you stabilize a blank???



Stabalization is a term used to describe processes to introduce materials into the wood for the purpose of providing additional structure and density.   There are a wide range of processes used ranging from "home brew" to "semi-pro" to "trade secret professional".

Cactus Juice is a commercial product sold for small scale use (I put it into semi pro) that is used by many for smaller scale uses.

Home brew methods include glues, uerthane in solvent, plexiglas in solvent, etc.

There are several commercial firms that will do custom work.


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