What is stabilized wood ?
Stabilized wood, a material used to make many items such as knife handles, vape pens, etc., is a type of wood that has been treated with a stabilizing chemical. Stabilized wood can also be processed by steps such as cutting, shaping, and sanding like regular wood with common carpentry tools. The purpose of stabilizing wood is to make it stronger, less prone to warping and cracking than raw wood. The cost of a piece of stabilized wood compared to untreated wood is usually about $10.
Stabilization process
The wood is dried (moisture content is 10% or less) and placed in a tank containing a chemical stabilizer. It is placed under high pressure and vacuum so that the stabilizer can penetrate the wood fibers. Once the wood is completely saturated with the stabilizer, it is baked. This baking process changes the stabilizer from a liquid to a solid.
What is special about stabilized wood ?
Stabilized wood is used to make knife handles, vape pens, etc., because once stabilized, the wood will no longer change, it is more solid and will not have problems like termites like normal wood. Stabilized wood is also easier to work with because the stabilization process will fill in the pores in the wood and give the wood a more even hardness.
Different woods react differently to the conditioning process. Some woods like maple, ash, and box elder will become heavier because the conditioning process doubles their weight. Other woods like walnut and redwood will become lighter and softer. But after the conditioning process, they will still be harder and stronger than natural woods.
Stable wood processing
Stabilizing wood is similar to working with untreated natural wood. It can be worked with the same tools as natural wood. The stabilization process will make the wood more uniform in hardness and fill in the gaps in the wood. It makes the wood easier to polish and when finished, the wood grain will appear much more beautiful than natural wood that has been through the same process.
Not all stabilized woods are the same hardness. Some woods will not be as hard as others after stabilization. Although they will be harder and stronger after stabilization, they still need to be worked carefully and meticulously. Examples include woods like Spalted, Redwood and Walnut. These woods should be worked by hand after being roughly shaped. Sanding too hard will cause the grain to fade more quickly, so special care must be taken when working these woods.
You also need to be careful when sanding and power grinding the wood to avoid overheating the material. Using sharp tools and not applying too much pressure will avoid this problem. Again, pay attention to the material. Overheating will cause the wood to warp and crack, as it does with regular wood.
Wood filling
Sometimes stable wood needs to be filled, especially when using knots. Different types of wood will have shallow cracks and holes. Some woodworkers do not fill them and consider these defects to be a natural feature of the wood, but if you want to fill them, it is a fairly simple process.
Filling cracks is usually easy. Just apply a thin layer of CA glue to the crack and let it dry. Add more glue until it flows to the surface of the wood. While the glue is still wet, use sandpaper to rub the cracked area. The wood dust will mix with the glue and fill the crack. If you follow the procedure correctly, these small cracks will disappear.
Holes in wood are also easy to fill. Small holes only need a few drops of CA glue, add a drop of glue into the hole, after a few minutes the surface will sink a little because the glue has soaked into the hollow part. Let it dry and add a few more drops. Repeat this process until the glue layer is even with the wood surface and use sandpaper to clean off any remaining glue on the surface.
Larger cracks require more work. Use epoxy mixed with wood dust to fill the hole. Use a flat toothpick to easily scoop the mixture into the crack. While the mixture is still wet, poke the flat end of the toothpick down into the hole to release any air bubbles. Once the epoxy has dried, it will settle under the surface of the wood. You will need to repeat this process several times until the mixture is even with the surface of the wood, then sand away any excess mixture that is left on the wood.
How to coat the surface of wood to stabilize it
In the early days, there were not many types of wood that could be stabilized. They were light colored, with few spots and not too shiny. The wood stabilizer companies would tell you to just sand with sandpaper and polish with a soft cloth, no need to seal the surface. This process would make your wood look better, you can do the sealing process using the methods below.
Coating wood surfaces with oil
No single process is considered best for finishing all types of wood, so read the processes below carefully and choose the method that works best for you.
The easiest woods to surface are those with light colors, nice grain, and few cracks, like maple. The quickest and easiest way is to shape and sand the piece of wood with sandpaper. You want to sand it a little bit, because if you don’t, the grain won’t show through.
The first method is easy and works well on most types of wood. Once the wood is polished to a fine finish, blow off any wood chips. Using an oil mixture such as Danish or Tru Oil, apply the oil gently to the wood with your fingertips. Wipe off the excess with a soft cloth and let it dry, repeating this step until you are satisfied. The reason for using an oil mixture is that it will fill in the tiny pores with the coating and will give the surface a smoother, glossier finish. This will make the color show through more, adding depth to the wood’s shape. Once the final coat has dried, apply a coat of wax and buff it with a soft cloth.
Medium grain woods like Koa, Mango, Silky Oak and Sycamore can be treated in the same way as fine grain woods. However, they will still have some small holes. If you want to fill them in and have a smoother surface, follow the steps below.
Wet sanding is a method used by high-end gun makers and it works well on knife handle materials as well. It works well on medium and hard grain woods. The idea is to create a mixture of oil and wood dust to fill in the small pores. Allow the surface to dry with several coats of sanding, and you will have a smooth, pore-free wood.
Once you have sanded the wood thoroughly, you are ready to wet sand. Using the oil mixture, apply a coat to the wood. While the oil is still wet, sand it with dry or wet sandpaper. This will mix the wood chips with the oil, and you just need to let the mixture dry on the surface.
Once it has dried, buff the dry compound off until you reach the surface of the wood. This will remove the dry coating on the surface and leave the compound in the pores.
Continue repeating this step until the surface of the wood is smooth and free of holes.
Protects the coating on stable wood
Stabilized wood will retain its finish longer than unstabilized wood. But you will still need to maintain the finish over time, and even repair it if scratches appear.
If there is no trace on the surface after a long time, you can simply apply a layer of wax and polish it with a soft cloth. Just like when you clean a pair of leather shoes.
If you want to do more than wax, rub the wood surface once with a steel wool pad to remove any stains. Apply a coat of oil and let it dry. Then apply another coat of wax and buff it with a soft cloth.
If the wood surface is scratched or has other surface defects, you will need to sand it again with sandpaper. After you have sanded away all the damage, you will need to apply a layer of oil, a layer of wax and polish it again with a soft cloth.
