Spalted Pecan

[Tom Winship]

Was lucky enough to pick up a scrap piece of pecan that was spalted today. The piece is about 12" x 1" x 5". It will make beautiful pens, I think. How do I stablize it?
Thanks

[Steve Vaughan]

Tom, by stabilizing it, I'm guessing you're speaking of drying it with the least amount of cracking? With a piece that small, you might could just to the old DNA soak for some hours, maybe even overnight, then pull it out and wrap it up in a few sheets of newspaper for a month or so...similar to turning green bowls.

Just be aware that pecan is about the same hardness and toughness as hickory, and is a wonderful wood to turn, but when it's dry, it's about like steel when going into the end grain.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I cut my blanks up out of lumber like you have. I cut it into pen blank size and I still seal the ends with anchorseal just to be safe in case the wood wasn't totally dry. I let them sit on the shelf for a while to make sure they are dry and not moving. I bought what was suppose to have been kiln dried lumber from a lumber yard that sold exotic and domestic wood. Oh if you don't have any anchorseal melt some wax down and dip the ends in just about 1/2".

[Paul Douglass]

If you are talking "stabilized" pen blanks, I think that entails having a vacuum pot and stabilizer like PR and using vacuum to force the stabilizer into the wood. If you are talking just preventing cracks and movement that Barnie and Steve have the answer.

If the wood is real dry and punky, you can saturate it with CA as you turn it to keep it held together.

[Tom Winship]

If the wood is real dry and punky, you can saturate it with CA as you turn it to keep it held together.[/QUOTE]

It is real dry and slightly punky. I will try to turn a piece and apply CA as I go and see what happens.
Thanks

[Aaron Wingert]

"Stabilized" wood is essentially pressure cooked with acrylic resins to fully impregnate the wood cells and the soft spots with acrylic. Not really a do-it-yourself thing, but yeilds blanks that are a true pleasure to work. There is no way to truly replicate professionally stabilized wood at home. You can have your dry wood professionally stabilized by WSSI in Iowa, and probably others. I agree that soaking the wood with thin CA glue over and over and over will make it pretty workable in most cases and will keep it together.

[Paul Douglass]

Another thing you can try is get some Minwax Wood Hardener from Home Depot. Soak your blanks in that over night, let set a day or two than turn the blanks. I have heard of people doing that. I have not tried it.

[Tom Winship]

Thanks, guys.