Can I PEG wooden balls?

[tom martin]

A friend asked if I could turn some wooden balls for her brother. He would like to put them in his garden or something, anyway I remember seeing a Raffan video of Richard turning some so i gave it a shot.
I did 4 of them and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a lot of fun. I had told her that being green wood they would crack and split over time and she was ok with that. I oiled three of them and put one in a paper bag about 2 weeks ago. The oiled ones have already got major cracks, but the one in the bag is doing ok.
I remember that there was a lot of Buzz about Polyethylene Glycol about ten years ago. I haven't heard alot about it since. Doing a search I found a site that sells Pentacryl which is PEG. They claim it reduces checking and cracking to less than 1 %.
I haven't seen any post on it here and was wondering why.It was a Canadian site that was selling this stuff-is it banned in the US?
The web site mentioned using it on bowls, but I would be a little concerned about it being food safe. I don't think it would be a problem if I coated my balls with it however. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
Anyone use this???????

[alex carey]

never heard of it, but just thought I'd say those are some nice looking balls...

[Don Carter]

Tom:
I am not sure if this is what you are looking for, but Woodcraft sells Pentacryl.
http://www.woodcraft.com/product.asp...&FamilyID=1793

Hope this helps.

All the best.

Don

[tom martin]

Thanks Don,
15% off and free shipping to boot!!!!!!!! I'm going to give it a shot. Has anyone else tried it??? They say you coat or submerge in the solution, let it drip dry, and allow it to dry for a few weeks (instead of a few months)

[alex carey]

is this the same as dna?

[tom martin]

Alex,
I think its more like antifreeze. Here is what Woodcraft says about it
Carving or turning green wood is certainly faster and easier than working with dry stock. But sometimes the extra work involved with slowly and carefully drying the wood to avoid checking hardly seems worth the trouble. Not any more! Pentacryl is a revolutionary new product that combats the negative effects of drying by displacing water and moisture in the wood fibers. Your wood will dry quicker and more evenly, and the Pentacryl residue even lubricates your tools as you work.

• This non-toxic solution doesn't stain the wood or affect finishing in any manner.
• The recommended method of application is total immersion, but the product can also be brushed or sprayed.
• Compared to the traditional wax coating method, you'll find the drying time reduced by as much as 90% with Pentacryl.
• On average, a green 6" x 6" x 2" bowl blank would absorb 2 ounces of solution, be fully saturated in a week, and, if turned thin, dry in about three weeks.

[Jeff Nicol]

Tom, I have 2 tubs of PEG that I would get rid off if you are interested. PEG came in a wax like cake and then you shaved it off and mixed it with water to create the solution. My Dad had bought it when he was working at the university here, a large oak tree that is the symbol of the school blew over in a storm, so he was contracted to saw it up and get some of the wood ready for others from the school to work into art and other useful pieces. So I now have the PEG and I don't plan to use it here are some pics of it. PM if you are interested. Here is a link to it at Rockler.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...6&cookietest=1

Jeff

P.S. Pentacryl is not PEG, it is a totally different thing.

[Joe Pfeifer]

I have heard soaking green wood in a solution of dish soap will prevent it from cracking. I have never tried it though because it is supposed to make the wood look waxy. Since these are going outside, the finish might not be a problem. Here's one article on it:

http://www.woodcraft.com/articles.aspx?articleid=313

[Bob Hallowell]

Tom, I normally don't say this to a guy but those are some really nice balls you got there! I don't think I could get them near that round good job!

as for your other question. I have know clue but being solid I would say they will crack no matter what.

Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

ROFLOL Bob I was going to say the same thing but you said it for me. Great looking turnings Tom.

[Don Carter]

Bob:
I tried to stay away from the subject of the pictures...ROTFLOL!

All the best.

Don

[Reed Gray]

Made me think of Howdy Doody. I made some out of cedar. Went to a fence contractor and asked him if he had any cut offs. He gave me a bunch of 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 pieces. Made some pagoda type things, light houses, hedge hogs, balls, etc, none of which sold so I gave a couple to the fence guy, and kept the rest. With cedar and red wood, no need to treat them, just let them weather, and the more weathered they get the better they look. The balls that you have will succumb to rot faster without treatment. You could try any 'outdoor finish'.

As far as the soap soak, which I do a lot, it does nothing to prevent cracks, and doesn't do anything to change the look of the wood, unless you have been soaking a lot of black walnut, then put in a piece of soft maple or sycamore. It does make things a lot easier to sand out.

robo hippy

[Kurt Johansson]

I have been using PEG regulary for the last twenty years or so. It is not the same as antifreese which is highly toxic.
Most of us have eaten PEG as it is used in medical products, it is food safe.
I have been using it for bowls and balls, the bowls I usually soak for about a month after they have been rough turned, bowls need a much longer soaking time as they are solid so I usually soak them for about three months, after soaking they can be dried quite fast with no cracking.
Please note that there are several different varietes of PEG depending on, I beleive, molecular weight. PEG labeled lower than 1000 is liquid and should not be used as it never dries. Personally I use PEG 1500 which has worked for me. Higher PEG numbers need a longer soaking time.
Sorry for my English, but I have been studying English for only four years,
1953 to 1957.
Regards to all
Kurt Johansson in Sweden

[Dick Strauss]

Kurt,
Thanks for the information! I have wondered about the varieties of PEG I see advertised.

Your English is fine. In fact, it is better than many native speakers here.

Take care,
Dick

[Greg Ketell]

Reading a bunch of responses from Google, PEG and pentacryl are not the same thing. PEG is polyethylene glycol. Here's a quote I found: How does it work? "While PEG works by plugging up wood cells," Dale explained to me, "Pentacryl coats the cell walls of green wood to keep them from shrinking or collapsing during drying."

The people who didn't like pentacryl (or PEG) didn't like the cost or the mess or the "plastic" look it gave the wood. And some said it didn't penetrate well enough into dense woods (especially mentioned was burls).

Just do a search on "pentacryl peg" and you will get tons of information. But like every thing else in the world, you will find posts from people who love it and from people who hate it.

Good Luck. Sorry I don't have any first hand info to give.