# Stabilizing Holly



## greenchicken (Feb 24, 2012)

I have some Holly that I used in a pen with ebony and when sanding I struggled a lot to keep the ebony dust out of the holly's extremely porous surface.

For the next project I decided to stabilize the holly first using Minwax woodhardener.

It turn my holly yellow.  Very expensive wood, very bummed.

Any recommendations of trick to keep my holly pure white would be appreciated.


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## ghostrider (Feb 24, 2012)

greenchicken said:


> I have some Holly that I used in a pen with ebony and when sanding I struggled a lot to keep the ebony dust out of the holly's extremely porous surface.
> 
> For the next project I decided to stabilize the holly first using Minwax woodhardener.
> 
> ...


I've used Helmsman Clear Gloss to stabilize, with decent results. It's supposed to be clear (but in a glass jar it looks amber), and it seemed to be okay on the finished result. However, I used Minwax Hardener for some curly Maple, and it didn't yellow the wood at all, so I don't know what to tell you about that. 

If possible, the best solution is probably going to be Cactus Juice since it's clear. 

Did you by chance use a toaster oven for curing?


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## leehljp (Feb 24, 2012)

I have done a lot of work with holly and also with bloodwood. Bloodwood will bleed onto holly if the wrong finish is used.

Before that I too had problems with sanding dust of different kinds showing up on Holly. And third, I tried to stabilize holly also. 

Holly is hard to stabilize with a home shop pressure/vacuum machine. I do not have one of Curtis's clear containers to vacuum stabilize it but I tried on an old Harbor Freight pressure containers using both vacuum and pressure and liquid acrylic (acetone and dissolved plexi.) It did not do what I wanted but it did not turn yellow. I would be interested to know how well holly can be stabilized with Cactus Juice. And it would be interesting to have Curtis's container and visually watch how well the stabilizer works on different hard and dried semi-hard woods.

1. For me, stabilizing is not the answer. I use a scraper that I sharpen very very sharp and turn my segmented blanks with that. At about 2500 - 3000 RPM and a very sharp scraper, plus a fine touch, the wood and segments, including brass and aluminum are so smooth that they do not need sanding. It is the sanding that contaminates the holly. And certain finishes other than CA.

Cleaning with alcohol, cleaner, and other things including a specialty of cloths still don't clean white holly back to white for me. I am just peculiar like that on the holly parts of the pens that I made. 

2. If you do want to use a stabilizer of sorts, turn the blank to almost ready, or at least the holly part to the exact size you want. Then CA the holly. CA is the only agent that I have experienced that will not cause black wood or bloodwood to smear onto holly. Lacquer, poly, liquid acrylic all will cause just as much problems across different colored woods (with diverse colors) as sanding. CA is the only reasonable finish that I have found that will not cause that, and will protect holly without yellowing it - that I have tried.

3. I just remembered - about 4 years ago, I did try stabilizing holly with some thinned clear lacquer. Vacuum for about an hour and pressure for over night. It did OK but I did not put it to the test that you are. I did segment and used bass spacers. I did not sand and instead used the sharp scraper to smooth it so that it did not need sanding. As a result of using the scraper and finishing with CA, I did not find out how well or not so well that the stabilizing did. 


A sharp scraper and fine touch on hard woods will produce a fine finish the same as a hand scraper that fine furniture craftsmen use. These scrapers produce a smoothness much better than 600 or so sandpaper. And on pens, I have found the same. No need for sandpaper and no contamination.

Warning, the scraper does not work well on soft woods, but hard woods and stabilized woods.

Hope I haven't confused you. :wink:


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