{"id":521,"date":"2021-08-02T17:23:55","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T17:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mainlywoodwork.com\/?p=521"},"modified":"2022-02-16T18:01:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T18:01:43","slug":"what-is-stabilized-wood-why-is-it-so-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mainlywoodwork.com\/what-is-stabilized-wood-why-is-it-so-expensive\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Stabilized Wood – Why is it so expensive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stabilizing wood makes the wood harder, heavier, more resistant to rot, water-resistant and the wood generally gets more pleasant to work with because of the even structure. Stabilized wood also gives you the ability to produce wood in any color and unique patterns<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stabilized<\/strong> wood is wood that has been infused with stabilizing resin in a vacuum chamber. The resin fills up the pores and air pockets in the wood and then hardens when it is dried. Stabilizing wood increases the structural properties of the wood, increases the weight of the wood, adds color to the wood, and makes the wood more water-resistant. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also add beautiful colors to the wood by adding dye to the resin before going into the vacuum chamber. Stabilizing wood opens up a new world of woodworking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can use punky and almost rotten wood that you could not use before it was stabilized. But stabilized wood is not always so easy or cheap to get your hands on, so let me help you to understand it a little bit better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of this article, you will know in detail what spalted wood is, how it is made, and how you obtain\/make some spalted wood for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Stabilized Wood?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The simplest explanation to what stabilized wood is that it is wood that has increased structural properties due to being infused with stabilizing resin in a vacuum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stabilizing resin used when stabilizing wood is normally Cactus Juice Stabilizing Resin and Stickfast Stabilizing Resin. Pressure Chamber used to stabilize wood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When being put in a vacuum, the stabilizing resin infuses all the pores and the air pockets in the wood. The infused wood is then dried and the liquid resin is turned into a solid while still being inside the wood. The wood piece has now become more “stable”, hence the name “stabilized wood”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood that has been stabilized will feel dense, heavy, and have an even structure throughout, no matter what type of wood and the density the wood was before stabilizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great type of wood to stabilize is punky or almost rotten wood. If you have some pieces lying around in your shop that is just too pretty to throw away, but you can not find a use for them because they are falling apart. Then Stabilizing those pieces can bring new life to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stabilizing punky pieces will literally hold those pieces together like glue and make them hard as a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Stabilized Wood Used For?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stabilized wood is generally used for decorative purposes like knife handles or pen blanks. It is mostly small pieces of wood that get stabilized because the stabilizing resin is relatively expensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knife with Stabilized Wood Handle <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Making Knife Handles is a great use of stabilized wood. <\/strong>Boring knife handles can become filled with color and beautiful patterns when stabilized. The stabilized wood will also be more water-resistant and durable than other kinds of wood. Knife Handle blanks can be bought in all kinds of colors and shapes on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pen made with Stabilized Wood. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Many people use stabilized wood to make unique Pens.<\/strong> These pens are expensive because they are handmade and made for a niche market of pen collectors and enthusiasts. Pen blanks to make beautiful pens can be found on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Is Stabilized Wood So Expensive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stabilized wood is so expensive because the stabilizing resin is expensive and the process of making stabilized wood takes a long time. At the moment of writing this article, Cactus Juice Stabilizing Resin costs 55$ for 1\/2 a gallon (1.89L). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stabilized wood is commonly made from burl wood or spalted wood, these are expensive types of wood. Wood that is going to be stabilized also has to be dry, preferably 0% moisture content before it can go in the pressure chamber under vacuum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drying the wood can take up to 24 hours in a small toaster oven, and time is money. The wood also has to sit in the vacuum for 12+ hours before the resin has been able to fill all the voids in the wood, the time needed depends on the size of the wood. The wood also has to be dried in a toaster oven to cure the resin, this can take anywhere from 1.5 to 6 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From start to finish it can take anywhere from 24 – 48 hours to make stabilized wood pieces.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Make Stabilized Wood | General Principles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n